Hoboken

[Ninjahedge]

That is the nature of government funding. Use it, ALL of it, or lose it.

There is never a fud that is set aside, in a money making account, for as long as is needed. It is just a budget allocation and the monies are not actually THERE until something is being built.

Construction on Credit.

They really need to fix that corner, and complete the bike path from one end of Hoboken to another so you can ride up the length of the Hudson from the inlet up past the GWB.

It has the best views, but we have so much self-concerned private development going on you have to pay to see NYC. :p

[Spoon]

the whole problem with pier C is that they need to build it over the water on piers and that requires the army corp of engineers. The cost for doing that is really expensive and keeps rising.

I don't understand why they just don't dump a bunch of dirt into the water and just extend the coastline outward like they did for battery park city.

I agree that crumbling mess of a parking lot is an eyesore and a waste but Stevens I think owns the land so they are just going to sit on it.

Also I really hope Stevens doesn't get away with building the parking garage below the Bilbao Center which they tried to construct illegally by breaking a ton of building codes. No one wants a giant parking garage right on the waterfront. What is Hoboken becoming that eyesore called Newport in JC.

[Zoe]

Do any of you read hoboken411.com? Lately it's been the best resource around for what is going on in the 'boken.

[Spoon]

Yeah Hoboken411 is awesome. That dude updates that thing like 5 times a day with news. I wrote him a letter a month ago that he posted on the website for people to comment on.

He's doing great work.

[ablarc]

Yeah Hoboken411 was awesome.
Everything you need to know about Hoboken. The Chamber of Commerce should subsidize him.

[TimmyG]

A park extending onto roofs up for discussion in Hoboken
Monday, March 26, 2007 By CHARLES HACK
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

HOBOKEN - The City Council unanimously introduced an ordinance Wednesday to adopt a redevelopment plan that would bring a mix of open space and residential and commercial buildings up to 12 stories high to the city's southwest corner.
Councilman Christopher Campos, who introduced the ordinance creating the Southwest Redevelopment Plan, said the plan will coordinate developments in the area better than existing zoning laws.
The city council also voted for a resolution to refer the plan to the planning board for review and recommendations allowing time for public comment.
The plan drawn up by New Brunswick consultant Heyer, Gruel & Associates provides for increased residential and commercial density in the area, along with four acres of continuous park of lawns, playgrounds, plazas and dog runs.
Three acres of the park would be at ground level. The other sections of the park would be on the roofs of one-and two-story buildings, with slopes and stairs to access the upper plateaus.
The plan calls for the transformation of the area south of Observer Highway and west of Harrison Street, where developers would be allowed to erect six to 12-story office and commercial buildings.
To build 12 stories, developers would have to provide extra amenities such as helping to create more parks or constructing to higher environmental standards. The redevelopment area is now a hodgepodge of warehousing, parking lots, vacant land and a few homes. Planners say that it will provide plenty of development opportunity with the 2nd Street Hudson-Bergen Light Rail and Hoboken Terminal nearby.
Much of the development is on former industrial sites, and would likely need decontamination. Until an environmental study is completed, the cost of clearing up the land and who will pay - whether city bonding, developers, federal or state funding - is still not clear.
Planners also recognize that other challenges such as traffic problems and flooding will have to be dealt with before the plan can be completed. The area also provides a cut through for commuter traffic accessing the Holland Tunnel, especially along Paterson Avenue and Observer Highway.

[TimmyG]

Pedicabs prep to roll
Wednesday, April 04, 2007 By COTTON DELO
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Hoboken's first pedicab entrepreneurs are mobilizing their fleet to be operational later this month.
Pedi Trans, LLC, is the brainchild of Chris Costello of North Bergen and his cousin, Tony Vlachos, a Jersey City cop. They're seeking to eventually operate in Jersey City, Belmar, Atlantic City, Ocean Grove and Asbury Park, but Hoboken is their "bread and butter," Costello says.
They're shooting for an April 21 start date and are currently seeking operators.
The cousins plan to start with 10 vehicles or fewer, and Costello contests the notion that pedicabs threaten the livelihood of taxi drivers. He thinks his fleet will be utilized mostly by people wishing to go short distances - as well as for special events like weddings and sightseeing.
Operators will pay a fee to drive the vehicles, and the cash they take in from passengers is theirs to keep. In this initial roll-out phase, there's no fixed price for people hailing a pedicab on the street; they are expected to graciously tip their driver. Those who call the dispatcher requesting a pick-up will pay a rate that has yet to be determined.
It doesn't require exceptional brawn to drive a pedicab, Costello says. He the average woman could do it. Only a driver's license, a record free of DUIs and participation in a one-day course are needed.
According to Hoboken Councilwoman Theresa LaBruno, pedicab owners don't currently need a special license to operate in the city.
"I'm very confident that the pedicab business in Hoboken isn't going to cause chaos or confusion," she added.
The parking and transportation subcommittee LaBruno chairs will discuss pedicabs at its meeting today at 5 p.m. in City Council chambers, 94 Washington St. The meeting is open to the public.

[TimmyG]

Hoboken council 8-1: No pedicabs
Friday, April 06, 2007 By CHARLES HACK

JOURNAL STAFF WRITER
HOBOKEN - A new company that was ready to roll out pedal-powered passenger service in the Mile Square City has run into a road block, courtesy of the City Council.
The council voted 8-1 Wednesday on a resolution that opposes issuing business licenses to pedicab companies after interim Corporation Counsel Joseph Pojanowski III advised that a resolution banning pedicabs is not enforceable.
The council is now planning to create a carefully worded ordinance that would have teeth.
Council members said they feel pedicabs would present unfair competition with traditional taxi companies that pay hundreds of thousands of dollars at auctions for medallions. They also cited concerns over safety training and congestion on Hoboken's narrow streets.
"It would be in all our interests to outlaw pedicabs," Councilman Michael Cricco said.
The council asked Pojanowski to draft legislation to either create a moratorium or an outright ban on pedicabs until it has a chance to review them. Later, the council may introduce legislation to regulate them or attempt to ban them completely.
Councilwoman Theresa LaBruno, who chairs the Transportation and Parking subcommittee, cast the only vote against the resolution, saying operators should be given a chance to prove themselves, and that she did not think they would cause congestion. She suggested allowing pedicabs for a trial period on wider streets and in tourist areas such as Sinatra Drive.
One of the co-owners of Pedi Trans denied that pedicabs threaten the livelihood of taxi drivers. Christopher Costello says his fleet would be utilized mostly by tourists, people wishing to go short distances, and for special events like weddings and sightseeing. They would also be used for advertising and to make deliveries.
Operators would pay a fee to use the cabs and collect the fares for themselves. Co-owners Costello, of North Bergen, and his cousin, Tony Vlachos, a Jersey City cop, have said they would fully comply with state and municipal traffic laws, including fitting their cabs with seat belts, lights and identification tags.
The entrepreneurs said they had approached the city to check on regulations before they invested thousands of dollars by buying 12 pedicabs. Costello and Vlachos said they were advised that as long as they followed state and municipal traffic laws, there was no special license requirement.
Costello and Vlachos presented their plans at a transportation subcommittee meeting earlier Wednesday, and said they were surprised the full council did not hear from them before voting to ban their business.
"You cannot stop all safety hazards," Vlachos said. "You just have to control it, and we will abide by all laws and regulations."
Costello said each operator would have $1 million in liability insurance.
New York City recently dropped plans to regulate pedicabs there after Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that as long he ran the city he was favor of free enterprise.

[TimmyG]

It looks like some more of the waterfront walkway will be complete before too long. The walkway is being extended in the area north and west of the Lipton Tea building. Also, some work is being done on the walkway around the Maxwell Place development.

[Ninjahedge]

WOO!

Another 150 feet of asphalt with no complete path!!! ;)

Oh, and rumor has it that Maxwell (Toll) is not only not making a memorial field of any kind, but also having the city help pay (or tax defer) the park/path they have to put along the waterfront by them.

Nice, eh?


Oh, also, that strange patch of grass with the fence around it around 6th street or somewhere (right in the middle of town) has been bought up out from the city (who bid $4M, they bid $5M) and retirement housing is going in.

Used to be a XXX (forget what, used to make vapor lamps I believe) then turned into "artist" housing. Mercury was discovered and the whole thing was raised, dug out, and capped.

I understand the town needs some things, but retirement housing? Is Hoboken trying to get everything all in one tiny little town? Do we need retirement housing, or do you think this is some sort of payback for other things that the long-termers may have had a hand in?

[Spoon]

I agree when I read that is is going to become retirement housing I was like what!?!

I think it'll ultimately become condos and it's all a political ploy right now b/c russo and raia are running for that council seat. It's a shame too. I think the plan was for the city to buy that land and turn it into like a public safety center and consolidate fire and police.

That would allow that nasty police station on hudson to be sold and developed into something more useful for that site. That parking lot and police station on hudson is a waste and ugly.

[Ninjahedge]

I doubt that that was all it was for.

When tehy said emergency response/hasmat I smelled FEMA and teh money from the terrorist fund thing.

They were trying to get national money to build a new station, which would be nice, but I can't see how they would be able to get trucks in and around that area (it is one of the worst parking areas in the city!)

We will see what happens though.

So long as it is not a Wal Mart or a strip club.

[TimmyG]

Flooding delays redevelop plan vote
Friday, April 20, 2007 By CHARLES HACK
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

HOBOKEN - After this week's flooding, some are questioning whether development plans for the southwest part of the city will be the last straw for the drainage system.
Critics of the Southwest Redevelopment Plan charged that there is insufficient overall planning for infrastructure - including sewerage - for the proposed 1,100 units.
The plan was scheduled for a second vote Wednesday night by the City Council but was punted to the next council meeting.
"How do we know we can handle that kind of development?" said Dawn Zimmer, a City Council candidate for the Fourth Ward. "They are going to overdevelop the area and leave us with the flooding and standing in raw sewerage."
The council tabled the ordinance until the next meeting, saying the planning committee has to "memorialize" the plan before the city can vote on it.
Zimmer said she believes it would be "political suicide" for the incumbents to approve the plan so close to the May election.
She said the city should commission a comprehensive study before finalizing the redevelopment plan to ensure that there is a fully integrated sewerage system.
Leah Healey, a planning attorney and open space advocate, said the plan is unnecessarily complicated, making coordinating the work of the more than 30 property owners very difficult.
Beth Mason, a candidate for the Second Ward seat, suggested placing a moratorium on development until a solution to the sewage problem is achieved.
Fourth Ward Councilman Christopher Campos acknowledged that the redevelopment plan could be tightened up, but argues that the city is following the state-approved planning process.
"It is clear that it is important to strengthen the language referring to infrastructure," Campos said. "If we don't plan the infrastructure and upgrades properly we are doing the community a disservice.
He also said that at present there are no requirements for developers to improve the drainage system as long as they comply with zoning requirements, but said the redevelopment plan would provide the city with greater control.
"The bottom line is that it is easier to criticize than to have a substantive plan and have a notion of how to pay for everything," Campos said.

[JCMAN320]

Danny Aiello helps celebrate Hoboken film festival

HOBOKEN — Movie stars, police officers, and Mayor David Roberts celebrated next month's Hoboken International Film Festival today at City Hall.

Danny Aiello, an Academy Award nominee best known for his role in Spike Lee’s “Do the Right Thing” was on hand to celebrate the festival, which will feature 75 independent films.

Festival films will be shown all over the city from June 1-7. The movies will vie for the grand prize of a distribution deal with Echelon Studios; other top submissions will receive cash prizes.

As one of the festival’s sponsors, Stella Artois will hold a stand-up comedy show featuring Howard Stern Show comedian Artie Lange.

“I predict this festival will be like Tribeca,” said Aiello, a native New Yorker who calls Hoboken his “adopted town” and is a regular at Tutta Pasta on Washington Street. “This town is young, it’s got vitality.”

Aiello stars in “The Shoemaker,” the first part of a 9/11 trilogy that will premier on June 3. The films “Two Days in the Valley,” “Dinner Rush,” and “29th Street” will also be shown at the festival.

A documentary called “Medal of Honor,” which features Burt Reynolds interviewing recipients of the prestigious military award, will be shown June 2. That film was produced by Hoboken Police Capt. Anthony Falco.

Over 2,000 filmmakers vied for a spot in festival, and less than three percent of were accepted, said festival chairman Kenneth Del Vecchio, who is also a filmmaker and lawyer.

“People are going to see some of the edgiest, hottest films being produced today,” said Del Vecchio. “Maybe by watching one of these films people will feel or learn something they never knew before.”

Last year, Del Vecchio organized the New Jersey Film and Screenplay Festival, held at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Hackensack. Afterwards, Atlantic City casinos and the city of Newark invited him to move the festival to their cities but Vecchio said he chose Hoboken because it is known as an arts and culture destination throughout the nation.

“If you go to L.A., everybody knows Hoboken,” said Del Vecchio, a St. Peter’s Prep grad who opened his first practice in the Mile Square City. “Mayor Roberts really supports the arts and Hoboken has become the artistic capital of New Jersey.”

Del Vecchio’s own psychological thriller/horror movie, “Polycarp,” starring Charles Durning, starts the festival with an outdoor world premier on Pier A at 8:30 p.m. June 1. The showing is free to the public and viewers are invited to bring picnic blankets and food.

Carly Baldwin

[Ninjahedge]

Great timing.

I will be on vacation that week... :(

[ablarc]

Council members said they feel pedicabs would present unfair competition with traditional taxi companies that pay hundreds of thousands of dollars at auctions for medallions.
Competition is central to the idea of capitalism. Are cell phones unfair competition for telephone companies that have invested fortunes in land lines?

[MikeKruger]

We're looking for a place close to the PATH station in Hoboken. I've never been to the area south of the PATH station. How is that neighborhood? Is it like Hoboken or like Pavonia Newport? Are there any good rental deals to be had? Searching craigslist and rent.com, I didn't see any postings located just south of the JC/Hoboken border. We're going to do some walking around before we pick some buildings to look into, but I wanted to get the scoop ahead of time.

[Spoon]

Do you mean west of the path station like going back towards the southwest area of hoboken by 700 Grove and the skyclub.

Finding an apartment in Hoboken is a headache as many of them are through real estate agents and the ones through craiglist and done privately go super fast b/c no broker fee. There are a lot of new buildings that have gone up in that part of town recently so you can get a nice place and everything is within a 20 min walk of the path.

[MikeKruger]

I'm looking for something 10 minutes or less walk to the Hoboken PATH through a safe neighborhood. That's why I was asking about the Jersey CIty/Hoboken frontier area.

[Ninjahedge]

10 minutes is about 8th steet and washington and downward.

A few points, the market is still very compeditive. You will need to ACTIVELY search and jump on something you like.

Also, there is still rent control, so if you find a place that you can afford, you still should call up city hall and try and get a hold of the rent control board and do a rent check.

Sarah is really nice, so treat her nice and she will get you the information you want pretty quickly.




As for the other points, outlawing pedicabs is just teh council protecting their interests. Hoboken has gotten clean on the outside, but the same politicians are still in play. AAMOF, I have seen the same faces, with different combinations, in the last few elections. Very frustrating.

I would not be surprised, with the fact that medallions costing so much, that there was some $$ involved in this 8-1 rejection.

These pedicabs would be severly limited just on the fact that Hoboken is small, does not have as easily navigable streets outside the city limits, and has cliffs on one side and a river on the other!!! Pedicabs would not be able to bring people up the pallisades, through weehawken, under the tressle to Jersey City or across the river. They would also not be the most wanted mode of transportation in cold or unpleasant weather, so saying this could hurt the livelyhood of the "indian way" cab company and others is a load of horse hockey.

As for the parks mentioned earlier, they seem like a good idea. We need more commercial space in town, but the area they are talking about (SW) is prone to floodimg. Unless they have some way to add some fill, or improve the drainage in the area, putting a ground floor park may not be the best of ideas....

And on that note.....

[MSA0326]

There has been a lot of activity in recent months in the Northwest area of Hoboken. Obviously, the planning behind the has its critics (i.e. very tall buildings/ lack of public parks). But, that fight is useless at this point, beacuse from the looks of things, the city gave a big middle finger to all such objections.

I am interested however in engaging in a discussion as to the progress and potential now that things have kicked off. Is this going to be a success? Or have they pushed the envelope?

From the outset, I am pretty horrific speller -- but, most of my postings should be coherent enough to figure out what is going on.

Who has thoughts?

[MSA0326]

If you need an update on Northwest hoboken check out hoboken hero. (pretty readily accessible from a basic google search) However, use that site more for the pictures and less for the content. It would appear there is a lot of propoganda going on there!

[JCMAN320]

I just hope the tops of those builldings around Monroe Arts Center tops just below the tops of the JC Heights and don't come above them and block the view that the natural elevation provides.

[MSA0326]

JC,

I think they cleared all that up. I have done a massive amount of research. I am just a little OCD now and wonder what the time tables are for the other developments.

[MSA0326]

Big apologies to Hoboken Hero, seems like he/she isn't a propagandist after all. (at least I will give him/her the benefit of the doubt as such) Check out his/her site and see his/her open letter re: the topic. Seems pretty genuine.

sorry for all the his/her and he/she talk. . . ya really never know who it is that your referring to on a blog

[jersey_guy]

Great news - a poster on railroad.net took pictures of the historic Hoboken NJ Transit Terminal with its giant clock tower getting rebuilt (it was demolished 50 years ago).

http://railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=40626

See here how the original tower looked:
http://www.njtransit.com/pdf/nn_EnRouteSpclEdtn.pdf

Any idea on when will it be finished??

[daedalus702]

Is this possible? Also, how would I go about looking for rent-controlled / stabilized apartments? Should I call city hall? Walk around the city and call numbers on the sides of buildings?

[Ninjahedge]

You have to call the numbers OR get a real estate agent.

Findnig one for $1300 would be tough,, but not impossible. Thing is, there is no GUARANTEE that the place you pick will be "stabalized".

Rule of thumb. Built Pre 1970, stabalized.

So find a place you can afford, THEN check with city hall IMMEDIATELY! Just be true to your lease though. If you have a pet or roommate that you did not put in the lease, the landlord could kick you out to get some other person who does not know the place is cheap.


In the end, you could start with a place listed at $1500 (edge of your budget) and, best case scenario, pay half of that (as was the case about 5 years ago with my neighbor). Worst case, you eat a lot of boxed pasta the first year or two... ;)

[daedalus702]

In the end, you could start with a place listed at $1500 (edge of your budget) and, best case scenario, pay half of that (as was the case about 5 years ago with my neighbor). Worst case, you eat a lot of boxed pasta the first year or two... ;)

Thank you for your help Ninjahedge. Let me get this straight -- in terms of checking with city hall, are you saying that some of the advertised prices are actually higher than the legal limit, and so if you run it by City Hall, they can force the landlord to lower the price?

[Ninjahedge]

Exactly.

But just be nice when you call!! She is really helpful but calling in expecting something will not get you off on the right foot.

I believe the number is 201-420-2396. I think 2000 is the main line, but you may just want to look it up in the phone book....


BTW, she really cannot help you BEFORE you get something, so try not to bother her like that!!! GL!

[TimmyG]

The Velocity condos are the ones right next to the projects. It looks like not that many people want to pay $400,000 + to live there.

Positive spin after condo auction cut
Tuesday, June 26, 2007

A much-hyped auction of 40 condo units located in Hoboken came to an abrupt halt Sunday when the developer stopped the proceedings after selling just eight units.
Erik Kaiser, of REMI Companies, said he stopped the auction at the Hyatt in Jersey City after bids on the two-and three-bedroom units at the Velocity complex were coming in lower than expected.
"We heard from a number of people who were interested in buying the two-bedroom units, but they were uncomfortable bidding on them," said Kaiser.
The lack of bidding led to lower-than-expected sales prices and Kaiser and his partners pulled the plug, confident that those who expressed interest would decide to buy the conventional way.
Kaiser said before the auction he had expected to unload all 40 units at the auction, but despite pulling the plug, he still called the event a success.
"It was a great marketing campaign. We got thousands of people to look us up on the Internet, hundreds of people coming to see the units and local, state and national press, so yes it was a success," Kaiser said.
The 128-unit Velocity is nestled in the underdeveloped southwest section of Hoboken, on Jackson Street between Sixth and Seventh streets.
Eight units - six of which were one-bedroom units - were sold for a total of $3.6 million. The cheapest unit, a one-bedroom, sold for $369,000; the most expensive, a two-bedroom, sold for $502,000, the spokesman said.
About 250 people attended, the spokesman said.
JARRETT RENSHAW

[Ninjahedge]

The 128-unit Velocity is nestled in the underdeveloped southwest section of Hoboken, on Jackson Street between Sixth and Seventh streets

Very dead area. Where is that in relation to ShopRite? It is Condo-Land out there now.

They really need to think of having a decent athletic field out there and possibly another retail zone or it is just not going to feel right. Human storage, you know?

[TimmyG]

Exactly. Most of the businesses out there are dry cleaners or nail salons.

[NYatKNIGHT]

June 26, 2007

‘Open Sesame’ Just Won’t Do: Hoboken Tries to Unlock Its Cave

By KAREEM FAHIM (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/f/kareem_fahim/index.html?inline=nyt-per)

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2007/06/26/nyregion/cave_interior650.jpg
G. Paul Burnett/The New York Times

HOBOKEN, N.J., June 21 — The Cave of the Sibyl, where Virgil’s prophetess received Aeneas before leading him to the underworld, was a vast cavern in southern Italy with a hundred mouths. When the Sibyl spoke, her words came in a hundred voices.

A cave today in Hoboken has a similar name, but lacks some of the grandeur. The prophetess is spelled “Sybil,” and the cave’s lone mouth was sealed shut this month with loose dirt.

Nearby, teenage skaters show off in a riverside park, and cars dash by on Sinatra Drive, mostly unaware that this 20-foot-deep cave has its own enthralling history, and possibly historical treasure waiting to be found. It was a 19th-century retreat for wealthy New Yorkers who drank from the fresh spring inside the cave, paying a penny a glass for water that was thought to be medicinal.

In 1841, the bloodied body of Mary Cecilia Rogers drifted to shore near the mouth of Sybil’s Cave, and into legend, the subject of a thriller by Edgar Allan Poe. By the late 1950s, the cave and its magnificent facade had disappeared into the rock and shrubbery.

Then, two and a half years ago, the cave was rediscovered by a group of local explorers who had consulted historical drawings and photographs and prowled the landscape for months in search of it. The mayor of Hoboken, who has led the effort, promised to have the cave excavated and restored as a tourist attraction. But after a flurry of excitement and a few days of exploration — among the finds was old graffiti etched in a serif typeface — the cave was closed, with an orange stop-work order pasted on a sign that had alerted passers-by to its existence.

The cave is carved in a cliff face and sits on property owned by the Stevens Institute of Technology, which gave Hoboken permission to go inside “and then reversed it,” demanding that the city provide proof of insurance, said Mayor David Roberts. Contractors have backed out of the project, and the city’s building inspector has asked for engineering surveys and traffic studies.
Patrick A. Berzinski, a spokesman for Stevens Tech, said that “the indemnification request is part of the process we’re going through.”

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2007/06/25/nyregion/cave_closed650].jpg
G. Paul Burnett/The New York Times
After a flurry of excitement and a few days of exploration the cave's entrance was boarded up.

The troubles at the cave come during a time of change in Hoboken, as gleaming apartment complexes sprout throughout the city, just across the Hudson River from Manhattan. At the same time, a recent election brought in new City Council members, and some of them are demanding answers.

“Here is something that was promised,” said Elizabeth A. Mason, who was recently elected to the Council and lives near the cave. “The question is, what’s going on?”

Mr. Roberts and historians say optimistically that they expect to get back inside the cave soon and envision finds like trinkets that 19th-century visitors tossed into the spring-water cistern for luck. Because of the setbacks, the mayor has asked the town’s police chief to oversee the restoration project.

“The delay will not seem very long when this historic site is returned to the people of the greater Hoboken metropolitan area,” said Mr. Roberts, 50, a real estate investor who was elected in 2001. Long before he became mayor, Mr. Roberts was interested in the cave, whose legend he has heard about since childhood.

The first mention of the cave appeared in travel journals in the 1830s, said Robert Foster, the director of the Hoboken Historical Museum. It was near Elysian Fields, a tract of land that stretched from the estate of Col. John Stevens north to Weehawken. Colonel Stevens ferried visitors from New York to attractions on the Hoboken waterfront, including the cave and River Walk. In etchings from the time, couples stroll near benches outside the cave, which sits near the shore of the Hudson.

In the summer of 1841, the place acquired a darker reputation, when the body of Ms. Rogers, an attractive 21-year-old clerk at a Manhattan tobacco store, was found. Her death — ruled a murder by the police at the time but now believed to have been the result of a bungled abortion — became a scandal. It was one of the first killings covered by tabloids, and the basis for the Poe potboiler “The Mystery of Marie Roget.”

By 1871, as Hoboken’s waterfront became more industrial, the luster of Elysian Fields and Sybil’s Cave faded. An article then in The New York Times about places to go rowing put it this way:

“Then, after a brief stroll under the superb old trees, which the insatiate hand of trade will not much longer leave to adorn the front of Hoboken, a peep into the now obsolete wonders of the Sybil’s Cave, or perhaps a dip into the sparkling waters at the base of Weehawken, the rower may return to breakfast, with a keener appetite than can be found in gallons of tonics or mineral waters.”

The cave’s natural spring was still flowing in 2004, when Daniel Gans, a local developer and friend of Mr. Roberts, broke through the long-covered mouth with a backhoe. The cave, made of the same greenish-brown serpentine rock as the cliff that looms over it, is partly natural, but mostly dug out, and is low enough in places to stoop a six-foot-tall explorer.

“To crawl into it that first time was a real thrill,” Mr. Gans said.

But the thrill did not last. Besides the fights over permits and insurance, financing for the project, which the mayor assumed would be easy to obtain, never materialized. “I’ve put $19,000 of my own money into this,” Mr. Roberts said.

Mr. Foster, from the museum, said that while the cave holds the promise of interesting finds inside, the main goal is to revive a rare oasis in Hoboken’s increasingly dense urban landscape. One of the few times he was able to get into the cave, he said, he stood inside, in pitch black, and looked out on a clear view of the Empire State Building.

“So many buildings get destroyed,” he said. “Here’s history being revealed.”

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2007/06/25/nyregion/historical650.jpg
Hoboken Historical Museum

"View Up the Hudson, From Sybil's Cave Hoboken," by W.G. Jackman. The cave was known in the 19th century for its spring water, believed to have medicinal qualities.


http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/26/nyregion/26cave.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Copyright 2007 (http://www.nytimes.com/ref/membercenter/help/copyright.html) The New York Times Company (http://www.nytco.com/)

[Ninjahedge]

the city’s building inspector has asked for engineering surveys and traffic studies

Traffic Study? What are they smoking? It is a little cave, not a condo development!

Because of the setbacks, the mayor has asked the town’s police chief to oversee the restoration project.

Since when does a cop oversee a construction/restoration project.

I smell a rat.

[Spoon]

the mayor is a boob and so are all his henchmen.

I recall reading that b/c the cave is across the street from the waterfront walkway and on a curve lots of cars come speeding around it and they don't want someone to get hit by a car.

funny how they want to do a traffic study for this but didnt' want to do one to approve the southwest development plan which I think would definitely need one considering the grand scale of the whole thing.

[Ninjahedge]

Easy solution?

FORCE STEVENS AND THE CITY TO MOW THE DAAMN THING MORE OFTEN!!!!

Geez. Go to Italy and see how they don't run over people. They do thnigs like mirrors.

You want a traffic study? Ask a Stevens student how the parking is over there and you will get loads of information of when it is busy or not!!! :p

[Spoon]

Whey doesn't Hoboken finish up that 3rd office tower on the waterfront and try and lure a major back office operation.

You have new hotel nextdoor and a beautiful waterfront.

It is being used as a staging area mostly for the W hotel.

I just can't figure out why it is taking 15 years to finish that waterfront. Jersey City has built 40 times the office space in that amount of time. It's just one building and the puzzlie is complete?

Also this town loves its inflated budget and tax dollars. Would't a brand new building bring in over a million a year in new tax bucks to waste on useless stuff in this town.

[JCMAN320]

Little more about Sybil's Cave and the history and celebrity status of it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sybil%27s_Cave#Sybil.27s_Cave

Also left out that Elysian Fields in Hoboken is the birthplace of modern baseball, not Cooperstown!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elysian_Fields%2C_Hoboken%2C_New_Jersey

[macmini]

High-End Amenities, Lesser Location

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2007/07/06/realestate/600-post.jpg
In Hoboken, two new condominium buildings, foreground and far left, are near public housing.
By ANTOINETTE MARTIN
Published: July 8, 2007

HOBOKEN

THERE is no hiding the fact that TreeTop Development’s two new condominium buildings are directly across Jackson Street from this city’s public housing projects, and the developers say they are not trying to hide it.

“It’s a part of life,” said Adam Mermelstein, a principal of TreeTop, which is based in Manhattan (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/classifieds/realestate/locations/newyork/newyorkcity/manhattan/?inline=nyt-geo). “People in New York live in beautiful buildings right next to housing projects and think nothing of it.”

Mr. Mermelstein and his partner, Azi Mandel, say they see Hoboken and adjacent Jersey City as being like Brooklyn (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/classifieds/realestate/locations/newyork/newyorkcity/brooklyn/?inline=nyt-geo), where rapid redevelopment often generates odd juxtapositions of housing types, and the character of neighborhoods may shift block by block.

“We like to fill in the gaps and work at the edges of the most desirable neighborhoods,” Mr. Mermelstein said. “What we’ve done with several projects in Brooklyn, and what we’re doing here, is to create exciting, high-quality buildings that are affordable because of being in somewhat lesser locations.”

The midrise Hoboken projects are strung along a three-block stretch of Jackson Street between Third and Sixth Streets in a neighborhood between two redevelopment areas.

The neighborhood has the highest crime rate of any in Hoboken, according to the police, and early last year, a man was shot to death after a dispute between two groups on Hoboken Housing Authority property.

Immediately north of the projects, on Jackson between Seventh and Eighth Streets, the high-end Velocity complex, a 24-hour-concierge building, is being actively marketed to “luxury buyers” — starting with an auction last month to spark sales. Velocity’s developer, the Remi Companies, pitched the auction as an attention-getting tactic, designed to recoup momentum after construction delays forced cancellation of dozens of sales contracts signed last year.

But other developers have persistently murmured that the original asking prices at the 128-unit Velocity may have been too high, given its proximity to the projects. One-bedroom units were initially priced from the low $500,000s; two-bedroom units were priced at $600,000 to $700,000, and some three-bedroom units had asking prices exceeding $900,000.
At the auction, nine one-bedroom units went for prices in the low $400,000s, but Remi cut short the proceedings after selling two two-bedroom units in the low $500,000s. The company said it had made 20 sales since the auction.

One block farther north, next to the Ninth Street light rail station, which connects to PATH trains to Manhattan, a 113-unit high-rise condo called Metrostop is starting to take shape — and is said to be 35 percent sold. Preconstruction prices for one- and two-bedroom units and duplex penthouses at the building, being developed by Metro Homes, run from the low $400,000s to more than $1 million.

TreeTop’s two, somewhat smaller, buildings, situated between Fifth and Sixth Streets on Jackson, will offer a total of 33 one- and two-bedroom condos with large, unusually shaped rooms and, in some cases, floor-to-ceiling windows, at prices from $375,000 to the high $500,000s. Eleven units have already been sold.

The TreeTop buildings are called Ariel Square and the Emsee. They are being built on the site of former eyesores — a long-vacant grocery store and an old wood-frame apartment house — and they are situated among other deteriorated buildings, some of them for sale.

The new residences are equipped with closed-circuit television monitors connected to the entry door and buzz-in service for guests.

Ariel Square, an L-shaped structure, is set at the corner of Fifth Street and Jackson; it will open for occupancy in late summer, according to Mr. Mermelstein. A veteran Hoboken architect, Dean Marchetto, who designed Metrostop and other residential structures here in the last 20 years, designed the building.

The facade is traditional — brick and concrete with bay windows — but has modern aluminum accents.

Ariel Square, with 21 units, has three residential floors over 20 enclosed parking spaces and a private gym. The building has a rear courtyard with a patio. One- and two-bedroom layouts provide 750 to 1,292 square feet of living space.

The Emsee, which also has garage parking and a courtyard, was designed by Studio One Architects of Hoboken. Its layouts provide 711 to 1,510 square feet. Most units at the Emsee have small balconies, and each top-floor unit has 224 square feet of walk-out rooftop space.

Interiors at Ariel Square and the 12-unit Emsee are modern and “cutting edge for Hoboken,” Mr. Mermelstein said, although TreeTop has employed similar designs in Brooklyn.
A model unit at Ariel Square has wraparound floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook a recently spiffed-up ball field on Housing Authority property and the brick plaza entrance to the projects, where a fountain is to be installed this summer.

The condos have bamboo hardwood floors, central air, contemporary tiled bathrooms and kitchens with stainless steel appliances, coffee-colored cabinets and white countertops made of CaesarStone, an engineered quartz composite.

The development is being marketed by the Developers Group of Brooklyn.

[Ninjahedge]

1. PREFAB!!!!!! :p

2. Yep, live next to the projects. BUT, don't PARK next to the projects.



'nuff said.

[JCMAN320]

COMING ATTRACTION
Hoboken to get 5-screen theater

Saturday, July 21, 2007
By CARLY BALDWIN
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

HOBOKEN - The city has lots of bars, restaurants and expensive boutiques - but no movie theater.

But city officials say that this time next summer, a cinema is scheduled to open uptown, on 14th Street between Grand and Adams streets, under the viaduct.

The two-story, 60-foot-high building will be part of the Clearview Cinemas chain and will have five screens.

The theater will be part of the Northwest Redevelopment Zone, a 22-acre plot in the northwest quadrant of town. The City Council designated the western edge as a redevelopment zone by a 6-to-3 vote Wednesday and plans are under way for the area to include a pool and a community center as well as the theater.

Affordable and market-rate housing is also being constructed at the site and there are plans to build middle-income housing there as well, said Michael Sciarra, president of Tarragon-URSA, the Hoboken development company that owns much of the land in that part of town.

"Ever since the Hudson Street Cinemas closed, we've had so many requests for a movie theater," said Fred Bado, director of economic development for the city.

The Hudson Street Cinemas was a tiny theater - two screens and a couple hundred seats - at Hudson and First streets. Bado said he believes the theater - which closed last year - was unpopular because of its small selection of films.

"This theater will have larger screens, better sound system, better chairs," said Bado.

Tarragon-URSA is leasing the lot for the cinema to Clearview, Sciarra said, adding that the lease is scheduled to be signed Friday. Construction will begin soon after. Representatives from Clearview did not return phone calls seeking comment.

[MikeKruger]

guess who's gonna live by 14th and Washington? :)

[Ninjahedge]

Um, "affordable" and "market rate" do not go together in Hoboken.

Also, I hate it when they propose low income housing. This is a TINY little town, but is pretty easily accessed from Newark, Jersey City and other surrounding neighborhoods, why is there such a concern about "Affordable" (crappy) housing?

Oh, as for the theaters, we really do not need them. The two-screen was fine, but only because it showed fliks CHEAP. Paying $10 a movie to go to a multiplex here in town.....

Secaucus is much cheaper.

[millertime83]

I liked the Hudson Street theater. I don't see how out in the corner of nowhere (with no parking) will be able to survive if one in an area with the highest foot traffic in Hoboken couldn't.

[TimmyG]

It will have to rely on car traffic, which could be its downfall. Once you are in the car, you might as well drive to a better or cheaper cinema out of town.

[Ninjahedge]

I agree Tim.

Bt maybe they are hoping all the new residents in the rubber-stamp condos back at 10th street would not want to give up their parking spot to go to a flik and might just walk over to the new theater.

I am not thrilled with what they are doing, but that whole corner needs more retail.

[JCMAN320]

Answer to Hoboken's flood woes?

HOBOKEN — The south end of Hoboken is no stranger to flooding, but Mayor David Roberts is expecting a new storm drainage system will change that.

Roberts said NJ Transit will build a sewage ejector along the city’s lowest points, but NJ Transit would only say that the sewage ejector is in the “discussions” stage.

“I can’t even confirm it,” NJ Transit spokesman Dan Stessel said. “We are still in ongoing discussions with the North Hudson Sewerage Authority.”

Although heavy rain did not cause any major problems in Hoboken today, several areas of the city are prone to flooding when high tides and northeast winds cause the city’s floodgates to close, Roberts said.

The planned sewage ejector, with pipes along Observer Highway and the NJ Transit rail yards, would pump water over the floodgates, he said.

Roberts estimated the system would cost $40 million to $50 million.

Lysa Chen

[JCMAN320]

Hoboken park 'freed' from barrier

A 15-foot stretch of fence and concrete has disappeared from the park at Frank Sinatra Drive at 11th Street in Hoboken — dispelling suspicions that the manicured lawn behind was created for the exclusive use of Maxwell Place residents.

The wrought-iron fence was part of the plans that were approved by the planning board, said Daniel Ganz, of Hoboken Brownstone, which originally acquired the former coffee factory for development before selling it to Toll Brothers.

The park is part of the 5.5-acre public waterfront park on the other side of Sinatra Drive, which Toll Brothers agreed to provide as part of the development. That park which, is mostly complete and due to have its official ribbon cutting soon, includes open space, children’s’ play areas, a dog run, a restored boat house and launch site for kayakers.

Although the park had an entrance in back, Mayor David Roberts said he requested the fence be removed a few months ago after concerns that it “created a barrier” between street and park area.

“There were some questions as to the public nature of the park. We were very pleased at the response Toll Brothers gave to our request.” Roberts said today.

Charles Hack

[JCMAN320]

Park is now public for sure

Thursday, August 02, 2007
By CHARLES HACK
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

HOBOKEN - When developers provided a public park adjacent to their luxury Maxwell Place development, they angered neighbors when they neglected to include a streetside entrance for the public.

Neighbors were suspicious that the manicured lawn behind the fence was created for the exclusive use of Maxwell Place residents at Frank Sinatra Drive at 11th Street.

Last week, the developers, Toll Brothers, opened a 15-foot stretch of the wrought-iron fence and concrete bulkhead that surrounds the park. The public will no longer have to use the two entrances that appear to have been designed for residents.

Mayor David Roberts said he requested the stretch of fence be removed a few months ago when he heard about concerns that it "created a barrier" between the street and park area and members of the public using the park had been told by residents to leave.

"There were some questions as to the public nature of the park," Roberts said yesterday. "We were very pleased at the response Toll Brothers gave to our request. Opening up a gap in the fence has allowed the public to feel welcome to the area."

The fence, which surrounds the triangular park next to Maxwell Place, was part of the plans approved by the Planning Board, said Daniel Ganz, of Hoboken Brownstone, which originally acquired the former coffee factory for development before selling it to Toll Brothers.

Roberts said the fence was actually a safety requirement of the Planning Board.

However, Leah Healey, a park advocate and environmental and redevelopment lawyer, said that she was not aware of any code requirement for a 6-foot fence around the park, much of which is at street level.

"Residential developers have no interest in sharing land with the public because they perceive allowing the public next to their development lowers value of the units," Healey said.

[JCMAN320]

Mayor, code official squabble over park entrance

HOBOKEN -- A day after Mayor David Roberts held a public gate-cutting ceremony in an effort to assure city residents that they are welcome to use the public park at the Maxwell Place development, the city construction code official today shut down an adjacent construction site, prompting the property owner to put concrete blocks in front of the park's entrance.

The day of back-and-forth between the mayor and Construction Code Official Al Arezzo ended with a row of potted trees placed in front of the park's entrance by Toll Brothers, which owns the property, a solution Roberts said was less than perfect and only temporary.

The 15-foot wide street entrance to the triangular park, at Frank Sinatra Drive and 11th Street, was opened with much fanfare yesterday at a ceremony attended by Roberts and representatives of Toll Brothers.

By today, Arezzo had issued a stop work order to the construction site because, he said, he feared truck drivers would confuse the entrance with a road and drive through the park, according to Roberts. However, to enter the park, a truck would have to drive over the curb, a yellow line and a fire hydrant.

Roberts said Arezzo had not contacted him about the stop work order.

"I was very angry this morning to see that blocked off," Roberts said. "That is a public park and not part of Maxwell Place's landscaping."

Neither Arezzo nor anyone from Toll Brothers could be reached yesterday for comment.

The potted trees were added to replace the concrete blocks this afternoon.

The mayor said he realizes the trees still block the entrance and said they are only temporary.

"They're so close together that you have to walk sideways to get through them," said Roberts. "We're working to get a solution to open the park."
But he would not say what that solution was.

Carly Baldwin

[Ninjahedge]

Have they ever thought of a SIGN maybe?


Also, all you would need would be two big plants there to make it nearly imposible for any vehicle to make it in.

This is all political BS. SOmeone did not like the decision and there are thnigs we are not hearing that were the main reasons for this backstep. Most likely? Arezzo wasn't asked or was ignored when this was done and he decided to be heard by blocking it off with a lame reason like truck passage.

[Spoon]

They did put 4 plants in front of the entrance. But they are in 4 different pots and they are 4 different variety of tree. It looks terrible and def temporary. put up 2 of bollards like you see around the wfc or any nyc officebuilding.

that being said, thank god they opened up the park like that. It almost looked like a gated community on the waterfront with that giant fence up.

[JCMAN320]

Hoboken park is public again - plants moved

Tuesday, August 07, 2007
By LYSA CHEN
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

The row of heavy potted plants that replaced the concrete blocks obstructing the entrance to the public park at the Maxwell Place development in Hoboken Friday have been moved to allow city residents to enter the park, Mayor David Roberts said yesterday.

But the city will have to wait a bit longer for a permanent solution to the issues raised about the park entrance, he said.

Roberts said the Planning Board's plan for the park mentions a surrounding fence but does not discuss an entrance in the fence or where one should be placed. Although the public can currently access the park, Roberts said the board will need to alter the language in its plan, which may mean the entrance will be moved.

But for now, the opening in the fencing looks like an entrance. On Friday, the potted plants had blocked all but the most nimble who could squeeze between them. Roberts said he did not know when or by whom the plants were moved.

Thursday, the entrance was opened at a public gate-cutting ceremony, but 24 hours later concrete blocks were placed in front of the entrance when it was feared that workers at a nearby construction site might look past the yellow lines, curb, sidewalk and fire hydrant and mistake the gate opening for a driveway.

Neither Construction Code Official Al Arezzo nor anyone from Toll Brothers, the Maxwell Place developer, returned calls for comment yesterday.

Roberts said he was "very angry" that the park entrance had been blocked.

"Mr. Arezzo raised issues, and we're addressing them," he said. "We - the City Council, myself, the city attorney, Toll Brothers and members of the public - all agree that the park should be open to the public."

[millertime83]

well now it's bricked up again

[TimmyG]

Replica clock tower rising at Hoboken Terminal
Friday, August 17, 2007 By CARLY BALDWIN
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Work is coming along at the Hoboken Terminal, where NJ Transit is constructing a 230-foot steel clock tower on top of the green copper train terminal.
The new Hoboken clock tower is part of NJ Transit's $115 million renovation of Hoboken Terminal. The clock tower will be finished next spring and will be an exact replica of the original, which was built in 1907 in the Beaux-Arts style.
The tower will be illuminated at night and be visible from New York and along the Hudson County waterfront. Like the original, which was taken down after a storm in the 1950s, the tower will be have clocks on all four sides and feature 4-foot backlit letters spelling the word "Lackawanna" on four sides as well.
The terminal's restoration is expected to be complete by spring 2009. Some 50,000 daily commuters use the 100-year-old terminal, which is on the state and national historic registers.
"Our options were to let it rot and fall in the river and we didn't want to do that," said Frank Smolar, NJ Transit's director of capital projects. "This is a landmark building. This is the only ferry terminal on the Jersey side of the river where (people) can get train, Light Rail and subway connections."
NJ Transit is also preparing to move ferry service, which has not been in operation at the terminal since 1967, into the building. Ferries will run out of five new slips; and shops and restaurants will also be opened at the terminal. NY Waterway will operate the boats at the terminal, but there may be other ferry lines there in the future, Smolar noted.
A sixth slip will be used as a museum to showcase old gangplanks and walkways from ferries from the turn of the last century.
"We want to make this a destination," said Smolar. "There's an aesthetic value, an appreciation of the history of this building that we want to preserve."
Ferries first started bringing wealthy New Yorkers to summer vacation homes in Hoboken in 1811. Almost a hundred years later, Hoboken Terminal was constructed in 1907 by the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad, which also took over operation of the ferries, said David Koenig, historic preservation specialist at NJ Transit.
In addition to passengers, Lackawanna trains shipped anthracite coal from Pennsylvania's Lackawanna Valley to Hoboken.
But the creation of the Hudson and Manhattan Tubes - the predecessor of the PATH system - in 1908 and later the opening of the Holland Tunnel in 1927 took riders off the ferries and trains.
Train service continued to run, but Lackawanna shut down the ferries in 1967.
In 1975, the state Department of Transportation bought the terminal and started subsidizing rail lines. Ferry service started up again in 1989 out of a temporary spot in the former Immigrant and Pullman building, at the far south end of the terminal.
"Our long-term plan was always to bring the ferries back into the terminal," said Koenig.

[Ninjahedge]

I saw the obelisks in the plaza the other day.

They are rather grotesque and gaudy. I am glad to hear that they will be part of a tower and not just left there on the ground (they looked like plaza sculptures or structures), but they still looked UGLY!

We will see....

[millertime83]

Those pieces were put up last week. Since the copper has not oxidized yet, it looks like a big chimney.

[Ninjahedge]

Well, right now, at night, they look like two giant, gaudy, expensive, carnival-like obelisks.

"LACKA"
"WANNA"

That being the PART of Lackawanna that is on each, adds to the confusion.


I am all for bringing back a classic light tower, but if the thnig was a tacky light show when it was first built, there is no need to repeat the same aesthetic mistakes.

At my, and the towns, expense.

[TimmyG]

Hopefully the pieces will look better once they are installed.

[JCMAN320]

EXTRA $$ FOR PIER C PARK

Monday, September 10, 2007
By CHARLES HACK
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

HOBOKEN - Despite assurances that the state, county and the Port Authority will foot the bill, the City Council has endorsed a plan to bond for more than $20 million to build the proposed Pier C Park.

By a 62 vote with one abstention, the council last week introduced an ordinance authorizing the construction of the park, at the Hudson River between Third and Fourth streets and gave the nod to a $21.2 million bond issue to cover full cost of the project.

Business Administrator Richard England said the bond is only a backup plan because the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has committed $18.2 million and the state Department of Environmental Protection has agreed to front $2 million. The city is also hoping for $1 million from the Hudson County Open Space Fund.

The bond could be used for start-up money to pay contractors before the grants roll in and in case there are cost overruns, said England.

Citing a lack of information, the interest payments that would be due on the bond, and concerns over the yet-to-be funded portion of the project, council members Peter Cunningham and Dawn Zimmer voted against the ordinance, while Councilwoman Beth Mason abstained.

"I am not adverse to bonding for open space," Cunningham said. "We did not have enough information to make an informed decision."

Council President Theresa Castellano, in whose ward the park will be located, said she wants to get the park started, and some of the proposed amenities could be removed to bring the project under budget.

"It is going to be a great asset near to Downtown Hoboken and we have been waiting a long time for this," Castellano said.

To save costs the project has already been scaled back. Some of the elaborate features - such as basket-shaped volleyball courts that jut out from the main island - were removed from the publicized design - unless funding can be found at a later date.

The current design for the park, by prestigious landscape architects Michael Van Valkenburg - who are also designing the controversial 85-acre waterfront Brooklyn Bridge Park, in New York - includes a landscaped kidney shaped island with a fishing pier, promenade, restrooms, two interactive play areas for younger and older kids, and a small water park area with jets. The island is accessed by a walkway at either end.

If the ordinance is adopted, Bado said he expects contractors to start driving some 300 piles to support the concrete and steal deck, soil and paving, within the next month. The two-acre park should take 18 months to complete, he said.

[Ninjahedge]

It's a load of crap.

For the money they are spending, they could go with a much simpler rectilinear design, the noes they are showing do not even LOOK nice.

And what is with a circular sand pit for volleyball? Don't architects know that VB courts are RECTANGULAR? So we get all that extra sand space for what? Barbeques?

They should make it similar to Pier A, except remove any fishing facilities. We have enough of those and they just turn the corner of the pier they are on into stinky, fish oil laden slimy dumps.

Ah well, whatever. Instead of spending $20M on a legitimate athletic field somewhere back in Toxic Land/Condo City, we get a pier that everyone can look at, go "what is that" and only a few fit on. :p

[JCMAN320]

Life's a beach in Hoboken, thanks to new waterfront park

by Carly Baldwin
Tuesday September 18, 2007, 3:53 PM

http://blog.nj.com/hudsoncountynow_impact/2007/09/large_large_beach.jpg
Carly Baldwin
People enjoy the Maxwell Place park beach

Hoboken politicians, residents and the Hoboken High School band gathered today for the ribbon cutting ceremony at Maxwell Place park, the waterfront park, beach and playground along the river at Maxwell Place.

The park, on Sinatra Drive and 11th Street, has actually been open for a week but was officially celebrated this morning.

"Any open space in Hoboken is wonderful," said Maxwell Place resident Terry Voigt, 33, who bring her 10-mont-old son Max to the park. "There's so many parks back in town, but this one has such a beautiful backdrop of New York City."

Hoboken Brownstone Company bought the old Maxwell House coffee company property from a private owner, David Chang, in 1999, for $18 million.

"This is what people wanted to be here - a beach and open waterfront," said Daniel Gans, a partner, with George Vallone, at Hoboken Brownstone.

Gans and Vallone sold the property to Toll Brothers for $76 million in 2005, with the zoning approval for the condos, a park, beach, boathouse, and a pier.

As part of the zoning agreement, six acres of the property had to be used for a park. Maxwell Place park is only a third completed, said Gans. There is still a platform coming for fishing and a pier that will stretch out into the Hudson River.

[BrooklynRider]

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd121/BrooklynRiderRob/EighthAve24thStreet200709160383.jpg

[millertime83]

Is the W topped out yet?

[TimmyG]

^^ They're still pouring a little bit more, but I don't know if it's for another floor or if it's just for the little elevator box on the roof.

[DGGG]

Hoboken pricing is on the drop. I wouldn't buy anything their for a solid year. I was working on a project in Hoboken for two months this summer. During that two month period I was busy checking out real estate. One of the developments I checked out called MetroStop, had a drop in price per square foot by more than $50. That is in two months. Also parking is an additional $30,000 and believe me your going to need it because parking is more of an issue in Hoboken than it is in Manhattan.

http://hoodspots.com

[Ninjahedge]

All depends on what you are looking for and what you can get for it.

You go for something new, the prices are dropping because of less interest and a partial flooding of the market. But, finding a refurb or a pre-war that is worth staying in is still difficult.

[investordude]

DGGG, the project you mentioned called MetroStop - I'm curious if they just overestimated the initial value add that would come from being near the newly opened light rail?

My guess is a project like the W will still do well, especially because hotel demand will still be strong if the dollar stays weak.

[JCMAN320]

Hoboken starts construction on its own for vets memorial

Wednesday, October 03, 2007
By CHARLES HACK
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

HOBOKEN - The construction of the Hoboken World War II Memorial is finally under way - and veterans are thrilled.

Despite a dispute between the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and Hoboken's Building code office over who has jurisdiction over the site in Frank Sinatra Park, the city forged ahead with the work without building permits.

Mayor David Roberts decided to press ahead with the project, looking to the state Department of Community Affairs to step in and issue permits.

"We can't leave a project of this importance in limbo indefinitely," Corporation Counsel Steven Kleinman said.

The city started driving piles to prepare for laying the foundations next to the walkway at the end of Fourth Street, near the Sinatra Park Cafe, Community Development Director Fred Bado said. He expects the new memorial to be completed toward the end of the year or early in January.

"The memorial is going to honor the 156 Hoboken veterans killed during the second World War and who gave their lives for freedom we enjoy today," Roberts said.

The DCA said it has not decided whether to accept responsibility.

"No final decision regarding Hoboken's request has been made," said Chris Donnelly, a spokesman for the DCA.

The site is owned by the city, and a 1995 agreement between the Port Authority and city states the city retains ownership, but grants access to the Port Authority to develop buildings at the South Waterfront Development Zone.

Construction Code Official Al Arezzo said he refused to issue permits, citing a 1994 city ordinance designating the entire area between Pier A and Pier C as part of the development area, which is regulated by the Port Authority. The Port Authority has not confirmed who is responsible for the area, a spokesman said.

More than 1,000 veterans who served during the war are dying each day nationwide, according to published reports. And with Hoboken having lost an estimated 35 veterans since the project was conceived four years ago, John Carey, a spokesman for the Hoboken World War II Memorial Committee, said its completion can't come soon enough.

"It's about time," Carey said. "All the veterans are very happy, but unfortunately they will not see it for this Veterans Day. Hopefully it will be completed for the next one."

[TimmyG]

Hire planner to map out 10 acres
Friday, October 05, 2007 By CHARLES HACK
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

HOBOKEN - The City Council has approved a $45,000 contract to create a plan to develop 10 acres at the western edge of the Mile Square City.
The City Council, which passed the resolution by a 5-3 vote at Wednesday's meeting, awarded a contract to create the West Side Redevelopment Area study to Manhattan-based planners, Phillip Preiss Shapiro Associates, Inc.
Once complete, the plan will detail how a developer for the area will have to deliver mixed-use residential and retail buildings with a new recreation center, swimming pool and a four-acre park running alongside the Light Rail tracks, Community Development Director Fred Bado said.
As envisioned, the park will include playground equipment, a dog run and a bike-and-pedestrian path. The city's Master Plan calls for the path to one day circle the entire city.
On July 18, a council resolution designated the area - roughly bounded by the railway tracks between Ninth and 14th streets - as the Western Edge Redevelopment Area, based on a study authored by the same consultants.
The area includes the west side of Monroe Street from Ninth to 12th streets, the west side of Madison Street from 12th to 14th streets and the west side of Jefferson Street between 12th and 13th streets.
Apart from a new 12-story condominium development at 900 Monroe St., the area is comprised mostly of vacated industrial buildings, with one trucking company still operating there.
The designated developer will build and then convey the completed pool, recreation center, and possibly the park, to the city, officials said. And the project will also follow the state requirement of making 10 percent of the new housing as affordable housing units.
The planning process will take up to six months before an ordinance goes before the City Council for a first reading.

[macmini]

Emerging Hoboken neighborhood awaits election

http://www.therealdeal.net//breaking_news/2007/10/04/images/12019.jpg
Toll Brothers' Sky Club

The future of the last large undeveloped swath of Hoboken hinges on a November special City Council election, as pro- and anti-development candidates face off.

Former Councilman Christopher Campos has cheered the city's building boom, while former Councilwoman Dawn Zimmer wants to scale back development proposals for southwest Hoboken. Campos served six years before Zimmer won the seat.

While there have been some loft conversions in the neighborhood in recent years, the industrial southwest sector is lined with factories and parking lots and hasn't seen the kind of residential boom that has swept through the rest of New Jersey's Gold Coast.

With the city preparing a redevelopment plan for 13 acres in the old industrial southwestern neighborhood, the winner will play a key role in finalizing the plan. Up for debate are the size of a proposed park in the redeveloped zone's center and limits on buildings' density and height.

The plan calls for retail space to be included at the base of all new development.

Campos said he wants to develop a comprehensive zoning plan that would include parks and flood protection.

"We are the last section of Hoboken to prosper from development," Campos said. "Development does not have to be a bad word."

Zimmer has focused on flood issues and calls for limiting buildings to six stories, as opposed to the city's 12-story norm and the 15 stories that the neighborhood has seen recently. She has called for a six-acre park.

Some new developments in southwest Hoboken include the Sky Club, the Toll Brothers 325-unit luxury complex near the Jersey City line that opened in 2004 and 2005, and One Halstead's Harrison Court, a 52 unit condominium.

While the neighborhood's industrial legacy and flooding problems have hindered development, a new light rail station that opened in 2005 on the neighborhood's western edge has sparked interest.

John Tomai, a Liberty Real Estate sales executive, said the 13-acre southwestern plot, which includes a parking lot, bus parking and a bar, "is the only plot of land that is developable in the area," and that it "is the political football in Hoboken right now."

Lisa Macchi, Millennium Homes' executive vice president, said Hoboken's strong residential market will spread to the southwest. Milliennium, long a suburban developer, is studying Hudson County's urban markets.

Councilman Peter Cammarano III, who also serves on the planning board, said a final vote by the council won't come until after the November election.

Zimmer said that flooding has worsened since the April nor'easter, which left the southwest under water, and that the city's combined storm and sewer lines have spilled sewage onto streets during floods.

"If we don't take action and solve this flood problem, the real estate market in southwest Hoboken will collapse," Zimmer said.

The race has been contentious, even by New Jersey standards. Zimmer beat Campos by eight votes in a June election, a result Campos challenged in court, alleging election fraud. A state judge ordered a rerun of the election and Zimmer surrendered the seat after serving over two months on the Council.

Campos has charged that Zimmer attempted to buy votes by attaching lottery tickets to campaign literature. Zimmer compared the lottery tickets to hot dogs that Campos has given away.

Zimmer has accused Campos of intimidating voters and accepting campaign contributions from developers. By John Celock

[investordude]

http://www.globest.com/news/1015_1015/newjersey/165164-1.html

[Ninjahedge]

They never show the base of buildings like that.

They would be so much better with a little more setback and an atrium or walkway space (my architectural vocabulary just flew out the window) to accomodate things like restaurants and the like.

But no, it will probably be as warm and inviting as the other buildings fronts along Hudson Street... :(

[JCMAN320]

Macy's fireworks coming to Hoboken!

by CraigWednesday October 17, 2007, 2:50 PM

City sources tell us Hoboken is sponsoring next year's Fourth of July Macy's fireworks celebration - and several barges will be shooting off fireworks from somewhere in the Hudson River, making the Hoboken waterfront one of the prime viewing locations. In previous years, fireworks were shot from a barge anchored off Liberty State Park, making the fireworks easy to see from Liberty State Park and along the Hudson County riverfront; however, this year, there were only barges in the East River.

Mayor David Roberts is expected to have a press conference sometime soon to make the big announcement, but remember you read it here first.

[Ninjahedge]

FINALLY!

it makes sense too. Surround NYC with it, but give Hoboken, JC, the Pallisades, hell, all the way up to the GWB a clear view of the fireworks!

[BrooklynRider]

W is moving along.

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd121/BrooklynRiderRob/EighthAve24thStreet200709160554.jpg

[ablarc]

^ Hoboken is a treasure, but when it comes to new construction it seems clueless.

[212]

^ Yeah, a lot of the postwar buildings near Hoboken Terminal are lousy. But the new developments at the north end of town (http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showpost.php?p=154984&postcount=247) are competent.

[ablarc]

^ What's good about them?

They seem sculpted by incompetent zonng laws.

They want to avoid creating a Chinese wall, so they enact zoning that guarantees a Chinese wall --by producing a solid swath of fat, lumbering blockbusters.

If ever there was a place for sliver buildings it's Hoboken.

[212]

^ What's good about them?

The newer ones preserve a streetwall and have retail at the base. And Maxwell Place has paid for an expansion of public riverfront parkland.

If ever there was a place for sliver buildings it's Hoboken.

Hmm. This area was mostly industrial, so there weren't too many people's views to obstruct. And the Maxwell Place blocks are smaller than the average Hoboken blocks, encouraging waterfront access.

With slivers, are you suggesting Hoboken should be more like the LES?

[ablarc]

^ Sleek and varied, not brobdignagian and blocky.

[Ninjahedge]

Walk up River Street and take a look at the wind tunnel that they made there on the way to the park.

Both sides have rather sheer building faces with little to no frontage.

They should have focused more on pededstrian access and usage on that side as there is little other reason for people to go to any store or restaurant on that side unless you make it nicer to BE there for itself. The other side has the river and NYC to look at, if they simply made the first column bay an atrium space on those first two buildings, you would have seen a desire for restaurants to grab the space for its LARGE outdoor seating potential.

As for the north part, the only problem I se there is a lack of a decent frontage, especially north of the, what do they call it, Steamship(?) development. Those new pier buildings are too plain and blocky (although the diner in one of them is kind of nice).

Hoboken also needs to keep in mind that the two main reasons people are coming there are:

1. It is close to NYC (duh).
2. It has a nice, genuine feeling to its old brownstones that, coupled with a well established town center, attracts many to the neighborhood.

The problem is, all the new stuff does not look to spend the extra $$ to either give up space for retail, or make what retail they have provided more rugged, durable. Most of the storefronts are either indistinguishable from the building itself, or look too "plastic" with their aluminum mullions and pre-fab walls bound together at the seams with sealant.

They are making it too easy to build for the wrong reasons and too hard to build for the right ones.

[ablarc]

Hoboken needs much smaller increments of new development.

Let them build as high as they want but keep the footprint small.

And cut out the boring repetition.

[212]

ablarc, do any cities now have zoning laws that encourage small footprints for new construction?

[Ninjahedge]

The large footprints are not that bad, but it is harder to get that old-time urban feeling when you do that.

They have tried on some of the developments, making each 2 or 3 windows along a face have a different color brick or a slight offset, but they either tried too much (making it look almost post-modern) or too little (making it look like "a coat of pain on a donkey and calling it a horse")

They need to focus on what made Washington Street successful in the revitalization of Hoboken. The wide sidewalks, the decent setback and building height. The brick-and-mortar feel w/o feeling like you were in a project or warehouse district.

These new buildings SCREAM "condo/co-op" and no small capitulation will reconcile it.



Side topic, has anyone heard about the pier/park near Stevens and what happened there? I walked by a month or so ago and noticed the corner had collapsed, but yet I don't remember hearing or seeing anything on the Journal or on the local news.

It is a shame that they did not do their homework on this better (just look at the "collapsing parking lot" and you get a good clue to not build there w/o checking it out THOROUGHLY). That park was not the beat, but it is a daamn site better than what was there before and, sadly, what is there now.

[ablarc]

ablarc, do any cities now have zoning laws that encourage small footprints for new construction?
Not that I'm aware of --outside Europe. Modernist planning theory favors superblocks and large scale development, and so does conventional financing wisdom (though check out the sliver on Eighth Avenue and MOMA's new tower for market-driven exceptions). In Boston you actually get and FAR bonus if you assemble a large enough lot. Old think.

The large footprints are not that bad, but it is harder to get that old-time urban feeling when you do that.
The clown face was not that bad, but Olivier found it harder to get that tragic feeling when he played Hamlet in it.

The kazoo was not that bad, but Beethoven had difficulty scoring his Ninth Symphony for an orchestra comprised of kazoos.

They have tried on some of the developments, making each 2 or 3 windows along a face have a different color brick or a slight offset, but they either tried too much (making it look almost post-modern) or too little (making it look like "a coat of pain on a donkey and calling it a horse")
Comical incomprehension.

They need to focus on what made Washington Street successful in the revitalization of Hoboken.
They sure do! But...

The wide sidewalks, the decent setback and building height. The brick-and-mortar feel w/o feeling like you were in a project or warehouse district.
...Ninj, you're missing the point spectacularly. It's not cosmetic, it's fundamental. It's the small increment of development. The variety's built into the process, not applied ex post facto with a make-up brush.

These new buildings SCREAM "condo/co-op" and no small capitulation will reconcile it.
That's right, things are what they are and no one is stupid enough to be fooled by half-measures and cosmetics.

[Ninjahedge]

The clown face was not that bad, but Olivier found it harder to get that tragic feeling when he played Hamlet in it.

The kazoo was not that bad, but Beethoven had difficulty scoring his Ninth Symphony for an orchestra comprised of kazoos.

Straw man. A deliberate exaggeration of the subject in order to make comical inference and refute any possible validation of the assertions posted.

I am not saying that the big buildings are the best Abl, but saynig that they are not able to imitate the 4 story brownstone feel is pure ignorance. They are capable of it, they are just not willing to spend the extra cash or find a way to go for the same feeling as some of the larger classics that you find in NYC.

It all comes down to profit margin.


Comical incomprehension.

Classic derision.

...Ninj, you're missing the point spectacularly. It's not cosmetic, it's fundamental. It's the small increment of development. The variety's built into the process, not applied ex post facto with a make-up brush.

I am not missing the point at all Abl. I know what you are saying, but what I am saying is that imitation, when done correctly, can do more than what you are saying it is limited to.

I am not a fan of pre-fab. Read my posts and realize where I am coming from. I have never favored it. But saying that these larger buildings cannot do betterthan they are now, to try to, in the ver least, imitate some of the roots that the rest of the city came from, is unfair.

The whole thing comes back to the dollar. These boxes occupy the maximum space allowable by code. They fit the most people that they can get for each lots FAR. In order to do things the way we BOTH seem to be saying would be right, they would have to take a hit in occupancy, SF, or just plain construction cost.

The mark of a good imitation is how much time and effort (and sometimes pure $$) is used to get it. These guys seem to be going with teh classic condo-box unit that they use in the burbs and other areas.

No real originality. Dissapointing.

That's right, things are what they are and no one is stupid enough to be fooled by half-measures and cosmetics.

And that is my point as well.

To do this right, they need to go the extra step. You want to put in a 12 story building? You better make sure that you provide something DAAMN well worth looking at when it blocks my view of teh city at 11th street (unfortunately Maxwell does not do this, although I must admit it is MUCH better than what was there before...).


But, in addition to this, you have idiotic city planners that feel the need to put in a ROADWAY along the riverside that has no real through-put capacity (due to its curvilinear nature) whose only purpose seems to be to allow people to drive around in circles looking for parking.

Those roadways should have either been made to help ease traveling through Hoboken OR not included at all (more plaza apace).

And don't even get me started on public works. I am waiting for teh first sewer main break.

Well, dreading the occurance would be a better description.........

[millertime83]

ablarc, do any cities now have zoning laws that encourage small footprints for new construction?

Based on the minimum required open space, maximum lot coverage, and maximum floor area ratio (FAR) it is done.

Hoboken needs much smaller increments of new development.

Let them build as high as they want but keep the footprint small.

And cut out the boring repetition.

That was why the W Hotel was allowed an increase in height, because they decreased the footprint.

[212]

The kazoo was not that bad, but Beethoven had difficulty scoring his Ninth Symphony for an orchestra comprised of kazoos.

I'm liking the metaphor. I agree -- limiting footprints and relaxing height limits while maintaining streetwall would be exactly the right course for Hoboken.

(Even the highest-quality big Hoboken developments aspire to Battery Park City, not the West Village.)

[JCMAN320]

Gwyneth Paltrow: "I've been in Hoboken before, but I've never filmed here"

by Carly Tuesday November 27, 2007, 3:13 PM
Carly Baldwin/The Jersey Journal

Gwyneth Paltrow heads into Lana Lounge in Hoboken this afternoon for filming of the movie 'Two Lovers.'

Gwyneth Paltrow said she is excited to film in Hoboken. "I've been in Hoboken before but I've never filmed here," said Paltrow, as she arrived in town to film "Two Lovers" with Joaquin Phoenix. Filming is today inside Lana nightclub at River and Newark streets. "Hoboken is close to my home," said Paltrow, who owned a townhouse just across the river in Manhattan's West Village.

The Oscar winning actress (and wife of Coldplay singer Chris Martin), looking chic in a black pea coat, boots and designer sunglasses, was very gracious as she headed into her trailer before filming. "I chose to do this film because of the script, (director) James Gray, and Joaquin - he's a great actor."

[Ninjahedge]

Of all the places, she has to go to Lana?

The Ex "Fight Club" of Hoboken? (Which was fiercely contested and challanged by the now defunct "The Planet" changed from "Planet Hoboken" by threat of lawsuit...)

[JCMAN320]

Petition to make Maxwell Place park private?

by Carly Thursday November 29, 2007, 9:03 AM

Remember the battle this summer to create a public entrance to the park next to Maxwell Place? It's no secret that many residents of Maxwell Place consider it "their" park - and would love to see the grass field closed to the public.

Will they get their wish? Hoboken Now heard residents of the luxury condo building have been circulating a petition to their 2nd Ward City Council representative Beth Mason to close the public entrance to the park. Some Maxwell Place residents are annoyed by the groups of kids who play in the park; they would like to see the park either designated for passive use or made private.

[Ninjahedge]

Tough crap.

That was part of the agreement to let them develop there, PUBLIC SPACE.

Just because they were INCREDIBLY STUPID (sorry any people who did but there reading this) and buy one at the outrageous prices they were selling at (especially the 2 year flippers that are disappointed that these things are no longer selling like hotcakes....), just because of that it does not give them the "right" to fence off their own little green-space for everyone to look, but not touch.

[Zoe]

Tough crap is right. Wow do they have nerve! Especially since the developer ended up not even paying for it like they were supposed to and instead used public grant money.

I want whatever they are smoking!

[Ninjahedge]

I want whatever they are smoking!

Grass?

[arcman210]

Timeless treasure

The new Hoboken Terminal clock restores a familiar waterfront sight and heralds more changes to come

Monday, December 03, 2007 BY RUSSELL BEN-ALI
Star-Ledger Staff

For a century, the Hoboken Terminal has been a transfer point for harried commuters rushing to make daily train, boat and bus connections.
But with the luster off its 1907 Beaux Arts design, the run-down terminal looked out of place amid the bustling and booming Hudson River waterfront.
For several years, NJ Transit and Hoboken city officials have been renovating the building and dreaming of adding things like retail shops, a museum and more.
The work is now visible from afar after a $5million-replica of the terminal's original clock was placed on its newly renovated, 203-foot tower last month. The gleaming copper crown sits atop what many hope will be a special project worthy of the Gold Coast.
The 30,600-pound clock and the tower are part of the terminal's $115million-restoration which, when complete, could make the terminal a place where commuters want to pass their time, not just pass through.
"They wanted to make the Hoboken Terminal more of a destination," said Chris Mezzina, project engineer for Tishman Construction, manager of the first two phases of the terminal's restoration project. "That way people would come and see the clock or see the Hoboken Terminal rather than just transfer trains here."
The terminal, which serves about 40,000 daily commuters, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
The clock tower designed by artist Kenneth Murchison was part of the original terminal built by the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad in 1907. The clock was removed, sometime around 1950 or earlier, due to storm damage.
The replica tower is adorned with 4-foot-tall, backlit letters spelling "LACKAWANNA" on all four sides. It will eventually be topped with a belfry and steeple.
The clock and tower lighting relies on fiber optic technology, making bulb changes unnecessary, said Randy Doliber, vice president of Tishman Construction Corp. of New Jersey.
Building a replica true to the original can be difficult. Restorers often must rely on old photos, but in Hoboken, documentation was extensive, said Barry Antle of Campbellsville Industries Inc.
"If the historical society hadn't kept all these old blueprints and pictures and records, it would have been very difficult for us," Antle said. The new clock took several months to build, he said.
Workers first had to dismantle a steel-frame, antenna-like radio tower that replaced the original clock but contained none of the its architectural splendor.
NJ Transit, which owns the century-old terminal, commissioned a replica of the old four-faced clock tower as part of a project to restore the terminal to its original design.
"We have a master planner designated to look at the entire Hoboken Terminal and yard complex to see what is possible there," said Dan Stessel, a transit spokesman. He called the area "one of the last underdeveloped properties along the Hudson waterfront" and said the agency is trying to see how it could benefit customers and the local community there.
The first phase included restoration of the rail building's five-story waiting room with a stained-glass skylight created by Tiffany.
The second phase, which should be completed next year, includes the clock and raising the ferry building's concrete floor by 3 feet to avoid flooding.
The terminal's slips have been out of operation since 1967. NY Waterway operates Manhattan- and Hoboken-bound ferries from temporary docks on the southern end of the terminal.
A third phase will build restrooms, install ferry gangways and basically get the terminal ready for active ferry service, Stessel said. That work is expected to begin next year and take about a year to complete.
"I'm glad they decided to restore it; why ruin old stuff when it's still good?" asked Ann Greten of Weehawken, who parked near the terminal recently to grab some lunch with her cousin.
"I'm a preschool teacher here in Hoboken, and we've taken the kids in the terminal and they've seen the train exhibits there," said Greten's cousin, Raffaella Tarabokija, 56, a Hoboken native and current resident. "We try to let them see what was in Hoboken before they were born."

http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-12/1196660465294840.xml&coll=1&thispage=2

[RandySavage]

Work has begun on the new Pier C park by Van Valkenburgh. Should afford some nice views of Manhattan.

http://hoboken411.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/hoboken-pier-c-park-hoboken411.jpg

[Ninjahedge]

Waste of $$. :(

They could do so much if they get rid of the curves, that circular volleyball pit, etc etc.

Make something a bit bigger so that more people can enjoy it! We are SO SHORT of green space/rec space in this town that we need more than something that looks fancy on paper.

[JCMAN320]

Hoboken to build north end ball field

Tuesday, December 11, 2007
By AMY SARA CLARK
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

HOBOKEN - The city may get more desperately needed athletic fields as early as this summer, at least temporarily.

Hoboken Mayor David Roberts said he is planning to use part of the vacant land at 1600 Park Ave. for a multipurpose field for soccer, baseball, football and other sports.

"What we need right now is a big ball field," said the mayor. "We get more requests for this type of use than for any other."

The field will be built on a 2-acre lot north of 16th Street, between Willow and Park avenues on the Weehawken border.

Before the field can be built, however, the lot, which formerly was an industrial site, will need remediation, said Fred Bado, director of community development.

The city's remediation plan calls for removing 2 to 3 feet of topsoil, capping the site with a plastic membrane, and topping the site with 2 to 3 feet of clean soil. The city submitted the plan to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection in late November and hopes to have approval to move forward soon.

On top of the field, the city plans to put down grass, either using seed or sod. "It will be real grass," said city spokesman Bill Campbell.

The lot was purchased from a developer for $7.1 million in January 2006 for parkland, but the city has not yet determined exactly what type of park it will be. Before selling the land, the developer had unsuccessfully sought to build high-rise condominiums there.

Local activists and politicians said temporary athletic fields are fine, but they hope the city will soon begin soliciting public input for a permanent design.

"It's clear that athletic fields are needed in town," said Leah Healey, co-founder of the citizens group Hoboken Parks. But, she added, "before we start building (something permanent) we need public input."

Helen Manogue, coordinator of the Hoboken Quality of Life Coalition, shared similar concerns. "Temporary many times becomes permanent," she said.

Councilwoman Beth Mason praised the temporary plan. "Moving this forward is a great thing," she said.

Councilman and Assemblyman-elect Ruben Ramos said he hopes the playing fields become permanent, with perhaps a few additional amenities such as a field house, restrooms, and perhaps bleachers.

[JCMAN320]

Hoboken sells garage, after years of false starts

by Amy Sara Clark; NJ.com, Friday December 14, 2007, 1:22 PM

Ending years of frustration and delay, the Hoboken City Council has finally selected a redeveloper for the municipal garage on Observer Highway.

Last night, the council voted 6-3 to sell the land to the S.Hekemian Group $25.5 million.

SHG's plan calls for a building that would reach 12 stories on Observer Highway and "step down" to eight stories on Willow Avenue.

Despite the bad weather last ngiht, Hobokenites crowded into the council chambers and spilled into the hall to have their chance to speak. Most hung on for more than four hours until the vote was taken.

Many of the residents asked the council to negotiate with more developers to try to get more money for the site. Others countered that the council must move forward on the plan and might lose credibility with developers for future projects if they continued to delay.

This is the third time the council has called for bids on the site.

This time there were three unofficial offers, but only SHG's met all of the city's requirements.

Two other developers pleaded with the council to delay and consider their plans. An offer by Trammell Crow did not meet the city's requirements for the site, while MDK said they would pay $30.1 million, but did not put in an official bid before the deadline.

Council members Peter Cammarano, Nino Giacchi and Ruben Ramos cast the dissenting votes.

[JCMAN320]

Pier park is really out there
2 acres in the Hudson River

Friday, December 21, 2007
By AMY SARA CLARK
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

HOBOKEN - The city celebrated the start of construction of its Pier C Park yesterday with a symbolic groundbreaking near the Hudson River's edge.

"This was a 10-year endeavor, and if people didn't want to fight for this project it wouldn't be here today," said Councilman Ruben Ramos. The event was held at the site of the future park on the Hudson River between Third and Fourth streets.

The kidney-shaped, 2-acre park is anchored to land by a narrow pier on one end and a meandering path on the other.

"It will offer the chance for a different relationship with the water than what you normally have," said landscape architect Mark Pattin, of Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, the firm designing the park. "It's an amazing opportunity to build a pier from scratch."

Mayor David Roberts said the asymmetrical shape will augment the rectangular shape of Pier A Park.

"I love the fact that it feels like an island when you get out in the Hudson River," he said. "This park is an extraordinary piece of art and architecture. We're just very proud that some of the finest architects and landscape designers in the country will be working in Hoboken."

The park will include two playgrounds, a promenade, a lawn for sunbathing and other "passive recreation," and a 20-foot-wide fishing hole. The firm will construct fish coves near the park to increase angler's chances.

A circular addition to the park with two regulation-size sand volleyball courts will be added in a second phase of building. "It makes me feel great that this has become a reality," said Councilman Michael Russo, who has worked on the project for years.

Performances by Hoboken High School's marching band and a solo performance of "God Bless America" by senior Rosemary Alicia added to the morning's festive air.

The $20 million project is expected to be paid for primarily through government grants, with city bonds making up the rest.

The Port Authority has committed $17.5 million and the state Department of Environmental Protection is expected to grant the city $2.5 million through the Green Acres program.

The park is expected to be completed in 15 to 18 months.

[Ninjahedge]

$20M.


>sigh<

How are our schools doing again? Good thing we will have those sand volleyball pits. You know how many kids have been asking for that.

Welcome to Club Hoboken.

[millertime83]

Wow, $10 million per acre for this park... Any idea how much the 5 acre Pier A cost to build?

[Ninjahedge]

MILLER!!!!


SHHHHH!!!!!

I am basking in the sheer brilliance and functionality of a kidney-with-tumor shaped "pier"!!!!

You could almost launch a boat from it! :p

[millertime83]

MILLER!!!!


SHHHHH!!!!!

I am basking in the sheer brilliance and functionality of a kidney-with-tumor shaped "pier"!!!!

You could almost launch a boat from it! :p

The original plan actually, was for a boat of sorts... A floating barge with a pool, that ended up being given to Brooklyn because Hoboken didn't want to maintain it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/14/nyregion/14PROF.html?ex=1198904400&en=f760757309f32856&ei=5070

[Ninjahedge]

I can understand that. My point of sarcasm being that we are getting a pier that has no other use than to look different. It is not a very efficient use of space, and would be difficult to use in any other manner in the coming years if the need ever arose.


Those sand volleyball pits are the height of waste, ESPECIALLY on a round pit.

[STT757]

The Governor is moving, but not out of Hoboken. He's moving out of his rental in the Hudson Tea building into a Condo he's buying in Maxwell Place.

http://www.nj.com/hobokennow/index.ssf/2007/12/cozine_makes_a_move.html

[JCMAN320]

CLOSED CLAM
Landmark eatery may leave Hoboken

Monday, January 14, 2008
By AMY SARA CLARK
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

HOBOKEN - The owner of the historic Clam Broth House says he will not re-open the restaurant at its former site - and might even move it to another city.

Michael Acciardi, who owns the liquor license, and Danny Tattoli, who owns the building at 38 Newark St., have been unable to agree on the terms of the lease.

Acciardi, who has owned the restaurant since 2000, said he might find a new home for the restaurant in Hoboken, but would also consider other areas in the state, such as Atlantic City.

He said he "paid a lot of money" for the restaurant and liquor license and has to "recoup his investment."

"As far as I'm concerned, a historic landmark is gone," he said.

The famed century-old restaurant and bar, remembered for its free clam broth, celebrity clientele and sawdust-covered floors, closed in the spring of 2003 because of a "bulging" exterior brick wall. City inspectors later condemned the building and it was demolished.

Tattoli bought the property and in 2005 won approval from the Zoning Board to build a larger building with a design that did not match the original facade, with the understanding that the Clam Broth House would open on the first floor.

Acciardi and Tattoli agreed to a reduced rent of $25,000 per month, with the stipulation that after 15 years Acciardi would give the liquor license to Tattoli. But when Acciardi received the lease, it had a number of requirements he couldn't agree to, including a $600,000 security deposit.

"I'm not a fly-by-night guy that I need to pay that kind of security," he said.

Tattoli has offered Acciardi $400,000 for the license, but Acciardi has refused, saying it wouldn't make business sense for him to allow a competing bar to open so close to Lana Lounge, which he also owns.

"If I can't operate it, it's not for sale," he said.

On Thursday, the Alcohol Beverage Control Board granted Acciardi's request to have his liquor license converted to "pocket status," meaning he can use it at another location. If Acciardi does not operate the Clam Broth House, no restaurant serving liquor can open at that site because a rule prevents a new bar from opening within 500 feet of an established bar.

Tattoli said he required the high security deposit because he feared that since Acciardi owns Lana Lounge, which he considers noisy, Acciardi's Clam Broth House (as well as a Boo Boo's and Cadillac Lounge, which Acciardi also planned to return to the site), would generate noise complaints, and that he would need the security deposit to cover legal fees if he had to take Acciardi to court.

"This I want to be more of a family restaurant, Clam Broth House the original, not a bar, night club, all that stuff," he said.

Acciardi said noise wouldn't have been an issue if he had opened the restaurant. "I've been in business 22 years and I've never lost a liquor license." He added that he also runs the quieter Teak on the Hudson and has an "outstanding relationship" with the police department. In addition, he pointed out that Tattoli knew he owned Lana Lounge when he first offered the lease.

But, he added, "There's no animosity on either side. It's just a deal that didn't make sense for either one of us."

[Ninjahedge]

What a load of poo.

1. The exterior was not "bulging", the building was collapsing because they took out the supporting walls on the first floor during an unapproved (undesigned) "expansion" of the lovely "Boo-Boo's" and Cadillac (two UBER bottom feeding out-of-towner get-drunk bars).

2. This new 500 ft rule. For a town that has 4-5 bars right in a row, it is hard to put a limit of one every 500 feet when each lot is only 40 or so feet. They are saying, in a sense, that you can have your corner bar, one midblock, and one at the end corner. I hope this just means bars, and not bar/restaurants.

3. This is a new owner. He bought the place in 2000. The place lost what little appeal it had before that and this guy was just trying to use the name. The bathrooms were worse than Port Authority, the "classy" part was tiny and overpriced for what you got, it just lost all semblance of respect.

4. $600K security? I think teh guy wants to make sure that the new place does not take as many "liberties" as the old.

I am not looknig forward to this place coming back. It is no longer remotely historical and between "Lana" and "The Cage" (don't get me started on their name choice) there are enough bars on the strip.

I don't know what else they would need there though. I have seen the design, and it looks like a retail establishment coud probably do well, but aside from that, it just does not look like a bar/restaurant venue.......

[JCMAN320]

What should Hoboken do for Eli?

by Craig Monday February 04, 2008, 4:55 PM

New York City is having a ticker-tape parade for the New York Giants and MVP Eli Manning tomorrow. That's all well and good, but the Giants play in New Jersey - and Eli lives in Hoboken. Shouldn't there be a party for Manning and the Giants on this side of the Hudson, too?

Dan DeCongelio of Stan's Sport Center on Washington Street thinks the city should pull out all the stops for Eli. "The mayor should give him a key and have Eli Manning Day to show our appreciation," he said.

What do you think - how should Hoboken show its appreciation?

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