The City of Hoboken will hold a virtual public meeting on Tuesday to discuss the future of the Garage B redevelopment, which could include parking, active ground-floor retail, and 20 percent affordable housing.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
Residents are invited to participate in a virtual zoom webinar on January 7th at 6 p.m., hosted by the Hoboken Department of Community Development, to learn more about the proposed project. The Zoom link can be found here.
The plan seeks to transform the property, located on Second Street between Hudson and River Street, to a transit-oriented, mixed-used site to include a new state-of-the-art municipal parking garage, active ground-floor retail, and residential housing.
The residential portion of the site would include a minimum of 20% affordable housing for low- and moderate-income households.
The remaining balance of the residential units would be affordable to households making no more than 120% of the regional median household income (workforce housing) in the region. No market-rate housing is currently part of the Redevelopment Plan.
The intent of workforce housing is to provide opportunities for working- and middle-class residents to live in Hoboken.
The plan also proposes a new modern public parking garage that will maintain or exceed the current number of spaces in the garage, with additional objectives including:
1. A variety of complementary mixed uses that maximize the site’s proximity to the Hoboken Terminal, a key transit hub for New Jersey Transit commuter trains, regional PATH service, Light Rail Station, buses, and ferry service.
2. Ensure that new construction is respectful, harmonious, and compatible with the surrounding area.
3. Prioritize appropriately sized space for ground floor uses, such as retail, entertainment or recreation, for example, that activate the pedestrian experience on Hudson Place and River Street and fill the existing retail void along those corridors.
4. Provide new housing that is affordable to a range of incomes, with housing for low- moderate- and workforce level incomes that exceed city affordable housing set-side requirements.
5. Replace an aging parking structure that is costly to maintain with a state-of-the-art parking facility that can continue to provide revenue to the city.
6. Provide parking sufficient to accommodate current existing Garage B users and anticipated future users, based on a comprehensive Parking Needs Assessment that must be prepared in advance of any Redevelopment Agreement.
7. Encourage building architecture that creates space for light and air, particularly on any residential tower above a parking garage base, through the use of strategic setbacks, orientation of towers, material use, and other design strategies.
The plan also calls for Vision Zero pedestrian safety improvements, stormwater mitigation strategies to reduce localized flooding, sustainable design and energy efficient designs, and modern standards to reduce the city’s significant long-term costs of maintaining the parking garage.
The site of Garage B lies within the area previously authorized by the Hoboken City Council as a “Non-Condemnation Area in Need of Redevelopment”. The redevelopment area designation provided the initial step for the City to contemplate a Redevelopment Plan.
If the plan is adopted by the City Council, the city anticipates sending out a Request for Proposals (RFP) from qualified developers for concept plans which would be consistent with the requirements of the Redevelopment Plan.
If and when this occurs, the city will provide for an additional public process, in advance of a potential Redevelopment Agreement between the city and a developer.
In late October, Hoboken Councilwoman-at-Large Emily Jabbour, a likely mayoral candidate, and Councilman-at-Large Joe Quintero released a housing plan to add housing to existing properties such as Garage B, as HCV first reported.
In a post on X last week, 1st Ward Councilman Paul Presinzano said he halted a vote on an ordinance related to the Garage B redevelopment since their was no public process at that point.
“Let’s be clear: This isn’t about opposing redevelopment of the buildings use, it’s about respect and transparency for the 1st Ward. How would residents feel who live around the Hudson Street garages if a 15- to 25-story tower appeared overnight? Had the residents in the area even been alerted or consulted? The answer is no.”
This new large scale develpment will add to number of new students in our schools and those schools must be fully funded.
Any agreement must include full and direct funding of the schools in writing in any PILOT.
To dump the increased taxes on the already heavily burdened existing residents of Hoboken is unconscionable.
Who is getting a kickback on this?
Sounds like another Fulop/bhalla scam