HOBOKEN–Mayor Dawn Zimmer and Mayor-Elect Ravi Bhalla sent a joint letter to NJ Transit and its board members this week urging them not to acquire Union Dry Dock.
The property was purchased by NY Waterway recently, even though the city of Hoboken wants to exercise eminent domain to buy it for a park.
However, NJ Transit has informed the city that they will enter into an agreement with the company and plan to allocate $12 million in its budget to acquire the property, according to a press release from the city.
“NJ Transit’s intentions to purchase Union Dry Dock and lease it for ferry maintenance are absolutely unacceptable to our community,” states the letter from Zimmer and Bhalla. “This use would undermine our community’s nearly unanimous vision for a connected waterfront enjoyed by residents, visitors, and businesses that continue to choose to locate in our city in part because of our beautiful and walkable waterfront.”
The letter also states that “NJ Transit has raised fares twice and raided billions of dollars from its capital fund to pay for operations over the last eight years, so it is outrageous that despite its acute financial challenges, it is considering spending millions of dollars on a plan that would permanently scar our waterfront.”
They additionally state that NJ Transit could have used its power of eminent domain to keep NY Waterway’s Weehawken repair facility but chose not to.
“We urge you to end all efforts to acquire the former Union Dry Dock property and to work collaboratively with all stakeholders to find a solution that works for the entire region,” ends the letter.
Residents may speak at the next NJ Transit board meeting which will be on Wednesday, Dec. 13 at 9 a.m. in the Board Room at NJ Transit’s Headquarters at One Penn Plaza East, Ninth Floor in Newark.
To view the full letter go to http://www.hobokennj.gov/docs/mayor/Letter-Zimmer-Bhalla-Santoro-11-21-17.pdf
For this past week’s cover story on this issue, see hudsonreporter.com and look under Hoboken News.
