New York/New Jersey Baykeeper and CEO Greg Remaud is joining the list of advocates that say that Hoboken’s Union Dry Dock should be converted in a waterfront park.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“NY/NJ Baykeeper has long been a champion of public access to our urban waterfronts, and that is the reason we support Hoboken’s longstanding plan to create unfettered public access along the length of its popular waterfront,” Baykeeper and CEO Greg Remaud said in a statement.
“In fact, NY/NJ Baykeeper and Hackensack Riverkeeper successfully sued the State of New Jersey for not upholding the public’s right to access tidally flowed land along our urban waterfronts and beaches.”
Remaud continued that he believes Hoboken’s longstanding plans for a contiguous waterfront park outweigh the benefits of a ferry maintenance and refueling station.
The NY/NJ Baykeeper joins groups such as the Fund for a Better Waterfront and the Friends of Liberty State Park in asking to keep Union Dry Dock the way it is for now.
Mayor Ravi Bhalla and other city officials continue to maintain that either Hoboken Terminal or the former Military Ocean Terminal at Bayonne would be suitable alternatives for NY Waterway, dismissing NJ Transit studies to the contrary.
“I thank the NY/NJ Baykeeper for recognizing the vital importance of connecting Hoboken’s waterfront. We should never compromise the health and safety of our communities, and a heavy refueling depot would ruin any chance we have of a public at Union Dry Dock, while ravaging our environment for years to come,” Bhalla said in a statement.
“I look forward to our continued efforts with NY/NJ Baykeeper and the numerous environmental organizations that have joined Hoboken in this critical fight to save our waterfront.â€
The Hoboken City Council is set to vote on the second reading of eminent domain at their regularly scheduled September 4th meeting.
