March 31st, 2006

A REVIEW OF THE ROBERTS’ “OPEN SPACE INITIATIVE”
In January 2005, Mayor Robert’s issued his Open Space Initiative. Since then, various mailings have been provided with pictures of the parks and there was one meeting open to the public. HPO decided to review the Initiative to see how it measures up to the park land identified in Hoboken’s Master Plan adopted in April 2004.

900-1100 MONROE
Master Plan: (6+ acre “Westside Park”)
Result of Mayor’s Initiative: LOST!
This land on Monroe Street is identified in the Master Plan as part of a six acre park intended to serve the City’s fastest developing area on the west side. Unfortunately, a developer, Tarragon\URSA, is seeking numerous variances at the zoning board to convert this industrially zoned land to high-rise residential. If this development application is approved, the proposed 12 + story residential towers would wipe out over 6 acres of intended Master Plan park land. Instead of the park, the community would be left with building perimeter landscaping that also functions as a truck easement for the adjoining property.

In case the zoning board does not approve this plan, Tarragon\URSA has struck another deal directly with the City to create a new redevelopment zone to develop not only 900 Monroe but also six other adjacent blocks in the area (see “Northwest Green” below).

NORTHWEST GREEN – Roberts’ New 8 block Redevelopment Zone
Master Plan: (6 Acre Westside Park)
Result of Mayor’s Initiative: Only 0.9 public acres. A Bad Deal!!!
Mayor Roberts’ deal with the developer, Tarragon\URSA, does not stop with 900 Monroe. It also gives Tarragon\URSA control of 8 more blocks of development around 900 Monroe with many more 12+ story buildings proposed to span those blocks. The deal calls for the City to establish a redevelopment zone and designate Tarragon\ URSA as the exclusive redeveloper of those blocks.

Dubbed “Northwest Green” by Tarragon\URSA, there is actually very little green to be found in this development, most of which would not be open to the public. Much of the “green” is on roof tops and in landscaped building perimeters along the light rail line.

What the developer gets in the deal is blocks and blocks of very valuable up-zoning. What the public may get is a community center on a lot that is less than 1 acre in size, immediately adjacent to a PSE&G transformer station.

Not well known is the fact that Tarragon\URSA is already obligated to provide a community center on the very same parcel under a prior redevelopment deal with the City involving 8 other blocks of the NW Redevelopment Zone. The only thing new about this community center is the addition of an outdoor pool. But there is a cap on how much money Tarragon\URSA has to contribute toward building that community center, so if there are cost overruns, we pay the balance if we want the pool.

In total, Tarragon\URSA will receive up-zoning and development rights for over 17 blocks of Hoboken and all the community will get is less than 1 acre of open space to serve thousands of new residents.

By the way, you may recall that about a year ago a Non-profit Organization offered the City a floating Olympic sized pool to be part of our park inventory and moored on the new Pier C. Unfortunately, as a result of inaction by the Robert’s Administration, that offer of a pool floated away. Now, the only way we may get a pool is to swallow blocks and blocks of more high-rise development.

HPO believes this new redevelopment deal with Tarragon\URSA is illegal and bad for the public. It is opposing this deal at the Zoning Board and has filed a law suit in Court.

800 JACKSON
Master Plan: (southern portion of Westside Park)
Result of Mayor’s Initiative:Already Lost!
This park land identified in the Master Plan was to be the southernmost portion of the Westside Park. Ignoring the Master Plan, the City recently entered into a redevelopment deal to change the zoning for this property and allow a high rise residential tower to be built on this park land. Many community groups in town have contacted us to express their frustration with Mayor Roberts’ flip-flop on his original commitment to making this park land.

PATERSON PLANK AND OBSERVER TRIANGLE
Master Plan: (6+ acre “Southwest Park”)

Result of Mayor’s Initiative: No Plan and Threatened!
This is the major park land identified in the Master Plan for the southwest area of the City. It consists of more than 6 acres in a triangle of land north of Observer Highway and south of Paterson Plank Road. This land was intended to provide much needed park space for the residents of this area who are beginning to be surrounded by high rise development.

This park land, presently mostly comprised of parking lots, was to provide a gateway to the City and much needed ball fields. The Mayor has not included this park land in his initiative, and no effort has been made to protect this land from development. The Mayor’s lack of action on this park land has caused the residents of this area to form the “Southwest Park Coalition” to try to protect these parks from being lost to development.

MAXWELL HOUSE DEVELOPMENT
Master Plan: (Baseball Field)
Result of Mayor’s Initiative: Lost!

The Master Plan cites Hoboken’s “severe shortage of recreational facilities” and recommends “aggressively” addressing this shortfall.

Mayor Roberts’ initiative relies very heavily on “deals” with developers to deliver parks. Unfortunately, the Mayor’s track record on such deals has yielded what the developers prefer - passive, privatized spaces where active recreation is prohibited. These types of spaces are often not welcoming to the general public.

One such passive space that came from a developer deal was the 0.2 acre passive parklet at the far end of the Shop Rite parking lot. That is the open space the community got from a 17 block redevelopment.

Now, on the Maxwell House site, we learn that instead of the baseball field depicted in Mayor Roberts’ park pictures, we are getting a “passive” grass area, fenced on two sides, with a “monument” to the first game of baseball but no actual baseball playing allowed.

HOBOKEN/WEEHAWKEN COVE
Master Plan: (Active recreation)
Result of Mayor’s Initiative: Lost!

The Master Plan identifies the land along this Cove in the City’s north end as park land. A major portion of the adjacent land west of the Hudson Tea Building is controlled by the residential developer, Toll Brothers. Approvals have been given for Toll Brothers to construct a 1,473 unit residential development in the area.

Not well known is the fact that the City actually owns a portion of the land along the Cove, abutting the proposed Toll Brothers’ buildings. Mayor Roberts’ deal with Toll Brothers requires that a deed restriction be placed on this City-owned property to prohibit active recreation. Thus, the City is giving up the right to active recreation on our own City property!

1200 ADAMS
Master Plan: (School Fields)
Result of Mayor’s Initiative: State funding in question!!!

This two block industrial site was identified for park land in the Master Plan. In the Mayor’s initiative, this land has been identified as the location for two new schools and a school field. Historically, the residents have had very limited access to school fields, therefore it is unlikely that this field, if built, will be open to the general public because the need of the schools is so great.

The more pressing problem is whether this field will ever materialize at all. The State Funding (“Abbott” Funding) which is required for the construction of these schools and the field is in question. Furthermore, if we get less then full funding, it is more likely we will lose funding for the field rather than the school buildings.

600 HARRISON
Master Plan: (NJ TRANSIT property)
Result of Mayor’s Initiative: Lost!

This property was identified for park in the Master Plan. Until very recently this property was owned by NJ Transit. Unfortunately, it has been lost to a private developer because the City failed to protect it from development when it was for sale. While this is a small tract (.5 acre), when combined with the adjacent City-owned right of way, it is almost an acre of property which could have provided a much needed neighborhood park for this area and enhanced the green circuit along the Palisades. This opportunity to combine City and the former NJ Transit property has been lost.

ACADEMY BUS PARK LOTS
Master Plan: (Not in Master Plan)
Result of Mayor’s Initiative: No Details to Evaluate
A wild card in the Mayor’s initiative is the park proposed by him to be located north of the 14 Street viaduct, where the Academy Bus Company currently parks its buses. This property was not identified in the Master Plan for parkland. It was identified as part of a new retail/commercial district with limited live-work space.

There is speculation that this park may be a trade-off for the Southwest Park land in the Master Plan because Academy Bus is thought to own property in the southern end of the City. With no details and no mention of this park in the Master Plan, it is very difficult to evaluate how real this park is.

1600 PARK
Master Plan: (active recreation)
Result of Mayor’s Initiative: Saved! We hope!
This site is on the west side of the Hoboken\Weehawken Cove and is designated in the Master Plan as park land. In 1999, a developer sought variances to build high-rise condos on this site (the same developer which obtained variances to build a 17 story tower at 101 Marshall Street). Fortunately, Hoboken residents united and successfully opposed the development variances at the zoning board. Out of this effort, HPO was created.

With no help and much skepticism from City Hall, HPO hired a landscape architect and designed a park for this site. When critics said the park would be too expensive, HPO contacted the Trust for Public Land (TPL), a national land trust in the business of financing park land. In August, 2004 HPO invited TPL to visit the site. They immediately saw the potential that we saw.

Thanks to the persistence of the residents (like you!), the vision of HPO, and the work of TPL, City Hall eventually came on board, and now this property has been made part of the Mayor’s park initiative. While one day soon we hope 1600 Park will be a park, we will nevertheless need to be vigilant because the Mayor’s park pictures for much of this site reveal passive spaces and sculptures, rather than soccer or baseball fields!

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