November 14th, 2006

A NEW 10 ACRE PARK FOR NORTHERN HOBOKEN!

In February, 2006, Hoboken acquired 6 acres of land to be included in a new park in the northeastern tip of Hoboken. The site, known as “1600 Park”, wraps around the existing cove of the Hudson River on the City’s border with Weehawken.Thanks to eight years of grassroots efforts by residents and HPO, Hoboken will have a new park. This park site is one of the few areas on the waterfront where vacant land exists to create a park with protected water access. This is a perfect spot to provide multiple recreational uses for all ages in a single location.

RESIDENTS’ “GRASSROOTS” MADE PARK HAPPEN

In 1998, a developer repeatedly sought numerous zoning variances to build high-rise condos on the commercially zoned 1600 Park site. Fortunately, Hoboken residents united and successfully opposed the development variances by hiring a lawyer to oppose the zoning board application and by filing litigation. It was out of this effort that HPO was created.With no support from City Hall, HPO hired a landscape architect and designed a park for the site to show the public the site’s park potential (see HPO Park design above left). When City Hall said the cost of acquisition was an obstacle, HPO wouldn’t take no for an answer. HPO contacted the Trust for Public Land (TPL), a national land trust in the business of financing public park land. In August, 2004, HPO invited TPL to visit the site, and TPL immediately saw the site’s potential.Thanks to the persistence of the residents (like you!), the vision and coaxing of HPO, and the work and funding of TPL, the City has come around. With over five million dollars in grants identified by TPL, the City acquired the 1600 Park property for public park in February, 2006. Residents are awaiting a park design process for the park uses at 1600 Park. Residents still hope the City will acquire vacant land owned by PS&G immediately west of 1600 Park identified in the Master Plan for a park.

HPO PARK DESIGN

The most important work is ahead. HPO’s park design is just a concept that can be a starting point for a meaningful public park design process. HPO believes the 1600 park site should be designed to provide desperately needed soccer and baseball fields. Unfortunately, a park design depicted in the Robert’s 2005 Mayoral campaign literature provided nothing but passive space and a large sculpture (see Mayor Robert ‘s Open Space design).
Little known is the fact that the City issued a “Request for Proposals” for landscape architect services for 1600 Park with no indication of how they will include the public in the park design process. Residents must have on a meaningful role in the design process. Contact your councilperson and insist that the public be allowed to participate in designing the park at 1600 Park.

HPO WARNS ABOUT ‘DEVELOPER CONTROLLED’ PARK DESIGN AT 1600

Toll Brothers, which controls the land on the south side of the Hoboken Cove, prefers to buffer their condos with fenced- in passive parks rather than ballfields. This results in a park designed as an amenity of the condos ratehr than public land open to all. Already the City has made a concession to Toll Brothers to deed restrict and fence in the City-owned property at 1500 Park next to the Toll Brother’s condos to prohibit active ball field uses.

LOCAL DEVELOPER GETS MAJOR VARIANCE APPROVAL TO BUILD MANSION THREE FEET FROM 1600 PARK BOUNDARY

In April 2008, a local developer, Mark Settembre, obtained major zoning variances from the Township of Weehawken to build a 4 story single family home directly abutting the northern end of the 1600 Park park site. The City of Hoboken ignored the written notice and opportunity to challenge the variance aplicationthat that was provided by Weehawken. The existing zoning permitted only marine recreation uses. As of March 2009, the four story residential building is under construction and is setback only three feet from the 1600 park boundary. This development is sure to impact and privatize the surrounding proposed park land. HPO will closely follow the 1600 Park park design process to see if the City attempts to restrict 1600 Park to passive recreational uses to appease the developer rather than allowing sorely needed active recreational ball fields.

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