At the last city council meeting of the year in Hoboken, a resolution on the agenda falling under Community Development projects would make way for a new three-building complex at 930 Monroe St.
A majority were in favor of the project moving forward in a 7-2 vote. Council members Jennifer Giattino and Tiffanie Fisher opposed the resolution.
According to Fisher, the project “creates a design based on the requirements of a mayor who is trying to protect the views of his residents that live on the hill, projects that you know, future projects that may happen. We’re making choices in Hoboken to protect financial interests up on the hill.”
She added that the approval of the project “creates a giant three block wall” that consequentially would block off the “entire green palisades” from Hoboken residents.
“Crazy big development, snuck on agenda by the administration during the last meeting of the year when the public wasn’t looking. Are there positive aspects? Of course. But the lack of transparency & #unioncityfirst approach fails the residents of #Hoboken. Why I voted no.” said Fisher in a tweet.
Crazy big development, snuck on agenda by the administration during the last meeting of the year when the public wasn't looking. Are there positive aspects? Of course. But the lack of transparency & #unioncityfirst approach fails the residents of #Hoboken. Why I voted no. https://t.co/9spwUKhXph
— Tiffanie Fisher, Councilwoman (@Tiffanie_Fisher) December 27, 2022
The redevelopment agreement includes a $15 million community benefit contribution from the developer to the city, allocating funds toward construction of a new resiliency park of 1.4 acres of land at 800 Monroe, which the city now owns following the Monarch Waterfront property acquisition according to the city’s website.
Additional funds will be used to build out “Hoboken’s multi-modal Green Circuit path adjacent to the buildings as called for in the Western Edge Redevelopment Plan and Hoboken’s Master Plan, which will include a protected bike lane and a pedestrian path”
The project, adopted by the Hoboken City Council, will also include three 11-story mixed-use buildings on Monroe Street incorporating 675 residential units over three city blocks, 68 of which will be set aside for affordable housing.
Additionally, a minimum of nearly 47,000 square feet of ground floor commercial retail space as well as on-site stormwater management to detain nearly 360,000 gallons of storm water to further mitigate area flooding caused by heavy rain events will be part of the redevelopment project.
Layout of proposed Green Circuit path adjacent to the buildings
The height and density of the project will not exceed that as specified in the amended redevelopment plan as passed by the Hoboken City Council in December 2021. The development project will still need to be looked over by Hoboken’s planning board.
“A letter has been sent to the mayor of Union City going through the parameters of the project giving the opportunity to engage in the process if he would like or ask us any questions he would like us to go over with him, he has yet to respond,” said Jason Freeman, the city’s business administrator, when asked by councilmember Ruben Ramos if the project had received final approval from Union City Mayor Brian Stack.
A previous mix-use redevelopment project at 1300 Jefferson St. was turned down by the city’s planning board last year as a result of height objections raised by Union City and Stack.
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