City announces proposed settlement with Monarch developers
According to a press release from the city, a proposed settlement agreement between Hoboken and developer, Applied Development Company, has been reached in the ongoing Monarch case.
The proposed settlement, negotiated by Mayor Ravi Bhalla’s administration would temporarily prevent the development of two 11-story high-rise residential buildings along Hoboken’s uptown waterfront. It will also allow the city and Applied to negotiate a Redevelopment Agreement with the goal of transferring the Monarch site to the city.
According to the release, the settlement if approved by the city council, would mean that the developer would give up the right to develop on the Monarch site in exchange for redeveloping the Public Works Garage at 256 Observer Hwy, pending the approval of a Redevelopment Agreement.
This development would include a state-of-the-art facility for the Department of Public Works; 4,000 square feet of retail space along Observer Highway; 264,000 square feet of a transit-oriented rental building in scale with the neighboring buildings with zero density above what is provided for in the Municipal Garage Redevelopment Plan; and at least 11 percent of all housing units would be affordable housing.
Once the redevelopment agreement is approved, the city would take ownership of the Monarch site for public open space.
Applied Development Company would also pay the city up to $1 million for the removal of debris or other public improvements related to the settlement.
“This settlement is a win for the City of Hoboken,” said Mayor Bhalla. “Not only does it protect our precious waterfront from development and preserve the site for open space, but it also presents an opportunity to revitalize an area in downtown Hoboken. And, a new, state-of-the-art municipal garage will facilitate improved public works services. While we have work to do over the next several months to finalize this proposed deal with a Redevelopment Agreement, this settlement is a critical step forward.”
Updates will be provided to residents during an August meeting of the city council when it will vote on the Monarch settlement.
The settlement allows the city to negotiate the terms of a Redevelopment Agreement over the next several months, which will also be presented to the city council.
The transfer of the Monarch site to the city for the purposes of open space will occur only if the Redevelopment Agreement is agreed to and approved by the city council at a later date.
For more on the story see a future edition of the Hoboken Reporter.
Changes to temporary No Parking sign policies take effect
On Monday, July 22, the Hoboken Parking Utility implemented changes to temporary no parking sign (TNP) policies.
The new policies, approved by the City Council this spring, are designed to reduce the amount of on-street parking disruption for resident permit holders.
According to an announcement from the city, phase one of the changes include new fees, when signs may need to be posted, new fines, and more.
TNP signs for any function other than construction activity, official city business, public safety, or emergencies must be purchased a minimum of eight days in advance in person at the HPU customer service window or a minimum of 10 days in advance through HPU Online, so that they can be posted by HPU seven days before the TNP signs go into effect.
TNP signs for construction activity and official city business must be purchased a minimum of three days in advance at the HPU customer service window or seven days in advance through HPU online.
New fees for each TNP signs are now $15 for four hours, $25 for eight hours, $40 for 12 hours, and $60 for 24 hours.
Customers who purchase TNP signs will also be responsible for removing them after they expire. If TNP signs are still posted more than two hours after they have expired, the purchaser will be subject to a $45 fine per sign.
Residential contractors are also limited to two TNP signs per location, per day. Customers purchasing TNP signs for dumpsters may only purchase a maximum of three TNP signs per dumpster location per day.
For more information, including a real-time map of all temporary no parking signs in Hoboken, please visit https://www.hobokennj.gov/resources/temporary-no-parking-signs.
Man arrested in Hoboken on alleged weapons and drug charges
A 23-year-old Jersey City resident, Luis Williams, was arrested July 15 after an anonymous call was made reporting a man with a gun, according to a press release from the Hoboken Police Department.
At 5:41 p.m. the police department received the call with a description of a man who allegedly had a gun, as well as the license plate number of a car he had just exited. Detective Paul Quinn and Officer Connor Milne found the car parked near the 300 block of Harrison Street.
At 7:25 p.m. a man got into the driver’s side of the car along with another man who entered the passenger side before the car drove away from the area. Quinn and Milne followed the car before stopping it in the 300 block of Fifth Street after they saw alleged car equipment violations.
The man was then asked to step outside of the car to speak with the officers. When doing so, police thought he appeared to be nervous and continued to look back at the car. Lieutenant Corrado Allegreta requested the canine unit from NJ Transit to respond while officers continued the motor vehicle stop.
The canine unit conducted a sniff of the exterior of the car and the dog gave a positive indication by the passenger side of the car. Officers read the man his Miranda Rights and he allegedly confirmed there was a gun in the car.
The police searched the vehicle and found it to allegedly have a .40 caliber gun, a magazine with 14 hollow point rounds, 11.8 grams of cocaine, and 115.8 grams of marijuana.
Williams was arrested and charged with unlawful possession of weapons, possession of weapons for an unlawful purpose, certain persons not to have weapons, possession of hollow points, possession of a large-capacity magazine, possession of a controlled dangerous substance and more.
He was later processed and remanded to the Hudson County Rehabilitation Facility.
Hoboken’s St. Ann’s Feast returns
St. Ann’s Italian Festival began on July 24 and ends July 28. The 109-year-old festival is centered at Seventh and Jefferson streets.
It will have a 50/50 raffle, games, rides, and a beer garden in the church parking lot, known as the “Café Under the Stars,” as well as a variety of food, including the famous fried zeppoles served by the Saint Ann Guild.
The festival will have a variety of musical performances nightly starting at 7:30 p.m.
On July 24, the BStreetBand will perform a tribute to the Boss, Bruce Springsteen. On July 25, Southbound will perform country and classic rock. On July 26, Elio Scaccio and the Six Piece Band will perform. On July 27, Shadow of the 60s will perform songs by The Four Tops, Temptations, and Supremes. On July 28, the Elements will perform an Earth, Wind, & Fire tribute.
The festival celebrates Saint Ann and on July 26, following an 11 a.m. mass, St. Ann’s processional through Hoboken will begin.
The festival begins at 6 on weeknights, and at 1 p.m. on weekends.
For more information go to https://stannhoboken.com/parish-information/st-ann-feast/
Open swim time at Hoboken High School
As a part of the city’s Summer Fun Programming, Mayor Ravi Bhalla, the city, and the Board of Education will extend open swim time for residents at the Hoboken High School Pool (800 Clinton Street) until Aug. 15.
The open swim time is Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
There is also a new Mommy and Me open swim time for mothers and young children which will be between 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m..
No sign-ups are required and the swim time is free of charge for residents.
Fine free summer at Hoboken Public Library
According to an announcement by the Hoboken Public Library, any books, CDs, DVDs, console games, or audiobooks borrowed from the Hoboken Public Library’s collection will not incur overdue fines as long as they are returned by Sept. 23.
The fine free summer aims to make it easier for everyone to borrow items from the library without having to worry about fines which may prevent them from doing so.
Come the end of September, the library’s board and administrators will take a hard look at the results, and determine where to go from there.
The fine free summer does not apply to items borrowed before July 1, items from other libraries, Museum Passes, Wi-Fi HotSpots, iPads, eReaders, or lost materials.
Historic Hoboken waterfront walking tour offered
From 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on July 27 the Hoboken Historical Museum will offer a waterfront walking tour lead by Museum Director Bob Foster.
Attendees will learn about the highlights of Hoboken’s historic waterfront since its founding, from the Elysian Fields (birthplace of modern baseball) and Hoboken Cove at the north end, past Sybil’s Cave and the former piers of the great trans-Atlantic ocean liners, to the ferry and train terminal in the south.
Foster will include details from the oral histories the Museum has gathered from Hobokenites who worked on the piers and in the factories that manufactured Maxwell House Coffee and Lipton Tea.
Those who wish to attend meet at 2 p.m. at Maxwell Place Park, on the waterfront just south of 11th Street near the Hoboken Cove Boathouse.
The tour will end at the Hoboken Train Terminal.
Space is limited, and advance ticket purchase is required.
Tickets are $25 ($20 for Hoboken Museum members), plus a small booking fee.
To purchase a ticket go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hoboken-waterfront-walking-tour-with-bob-foster-tickets-65418062185.
The museum will validate up to 3 hours of free parking in the Littleman garage at 12 th Street and Shipyard Lane, based on availability.
The Hudson River Cup and Ohana Festival to take place July 27
The Hudson River Cup, a series of races including kayaks, stand-up paddleboards and outrigger canoes, along with the Ohana Festival celebrating Polynesian traditions, will take place on July 27 starting at 11 a.m.
The event, sponsored by Ke Aloha Outrigger and the Hoboken Community Boathouse, will also include family Arts & Crafts.
For more information go to https://www.kealohaoutrigger.org/hudsonrivercup.html#
9th and Madison streets infrastructure upgrades update
The City of Hoboken and North Hudson Sewerage Authority (NHSA) are advancing a mitigation project to address common street flooding in the area of 9th and Madison Streets in Northwest Hoboken.
Portions of the sewers, roadways, curbs, and sidewalks on Madison Street between 9th and 11th streets will be upgraded and elevated to direct rainfall into the sewer system.
The project will also upgrade the water mains in the area that are included in the city’s Water System Renewal Plan.
Construction was anticipated to begin in summer 2019 but issues with underground utility infrastructure conflicts have delayed the schedule.
All agencies are working collaboratively to resolve these issues and advance the project toward construction as soon as possible.
The project will be conducting field investigations to further locate and define utility conflicts. At the conclusion of field investigations, schedule updates will be provided via Nixle, social media, and the project website: https://www.hobokennj.gov/resources/9th-madison-infrastructure-upgrades.
For more information on the project check out our Feb. 22 article “No more wading,” at hudsonreporter.com.
Noir at the Bar announced
Noir at the Bar will take place at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 4, at Mulligan’s at 159 First St.
The reading series, hosted by Publisher and Author Jason Pinter and Little City Books, will include seven writers who will tell stories of crime and suspense.
Authors include Andrea Bartz, Hilary Davidson, Rob Hart, Cate Holahan, Thomas Pluck, Alex Segura, and Xu Xi.
