In a letter to the editor, Hoboken 2nd Ward council candidate Marla Decker explains why securing a park at Union City Dock will happen if she is elected.
Dear Editor,
I have been fighting for the Union Dry Dock site to become a public park since 2017. I was in Newark on MLK Day in 2018, which I attended with my then 8-year-old son, to protest the taking of the site by New Jersey Transit. We were successful!
We’ve come a long way, and now is the time to make the dream of a public park on one of the last remaining acreages of our waterfront a reality. As your councilperson, seeing this dream realized will be my priority.
There is a lot of misinformation circulating, some fueled by statements my opponent has made and corrections she has not offered. So here are the facts, and what I will do as your councilperson going forward:
Where are We Now?
Hoboken owns the property. As a result of the settlement of the eminent domain proceedings with New York Waterway, the City will acquire full title to the property for $18.5 million. Full stop. Any suggestion that the City will not own the property is incorrect.
This, in fact, is the most significant success of the settlement. Becoming the undisputed landowner has long been the goal. It’s not a perfect outcome, and I would have pushed for certain terms to be better had I been on the council, but I see the value of compromise.
Finite lease to NYWW. There is a finite lease on a portion of the property to New York Waterway. The lease term is three years, followed by a two-year extension if certain conditions are met, but no more.
MYTH: Councilwoman Fisher has suggested that NYWW isn’t required to or won’t leave the site when the lease is over. This counterfactual fear mongering is not helpful.
I am an experienced attorney and I have reviewed the lease carefully. It is plain that the lease expires, and there are eviction remedies available to the City should NYWW, as a tenant of the property, fail to leave. You can read it for yourself.
See Section 2.2 (parties agree that the requirement that NYWW vacate the property no later than the end of the lease term is an “essential Lease provision”).
We can partially develop now. The City is free to develop the portion of the property that is not subject to the lease, which it will begin doing soon with a wider walkway along Sinatra Drive. As councilperson, finalizing a design and expediting construction of the first phase of the park on the unleased portion of our property is my high priority.
The next public meeting to discuss the design will take place on Wednesday, October 25, 6pm, at the Multi-Service Center (125 Grand St.). Please join me there.
NYWW Operations Will Begin this Fall. NYWW will begin its operations in Hoboken once its final permit is obtained, which is expected to take place later this fall.
What Operations Will NYWW Be Doing on the Site During the Term of the Lease?
Overnight docking. Five to six active ferries will leave the site in the morning and return in the evening.
Passive boat storage. NYWW will dock ferries not currently in service on the south piers so as to minimize interference with the Hoboken Cove Boathouse activities.
Maintenance/repair. Ferries will be periodically brought to the site for maintenance or repair, which is not expected to generate neighborhood noise.
Limited refueling. The terms of the lease enforce the limited nature of refueling only for boats coming in for repair. NYWW’s Weehawken location will continue to be its primary fueling location.
What Will I Do as Your Councilperson?
It’s time to look forward. While it’s imperfect, fighting the settlement, like my opponent has supported doing, is only going to cause delays and poses serious risk to the eventual outcome. Instead, I will
Prioritize safety. I will improve communication and dialogue between NYWW and waterfront groups and advocates to protect kayakers, paddelboarders, and those that bike and walk along the entrance to the site.
Hold NYWW accountable. I will make sure that NYWW is complying both with its contractual provisions and the conditions it agreed to when it received its planning board approval, including bi-annual meetings with kayakers and paddleboarders.
Hold regular meetings with stakeholder groups. I will regularly engage to solve issue – big and small and make sure the two-way line of communication between our community and NYWW is open.
Have a seat at the table. Unlike my opponent, who has not engaged in meaningful discussion with the administration or NYWW about the site, I will be in regular communication with NYWW, the administration, other regional leaders, and attend the contractually required quarterly meetings to make sure our neighborhood’s voice is heard.
Advance plans to build Maritime Park. I will work to finalize a park plan based on community feedback and work to source suitable funding. Meet me on October 26th to discuss plans.
Push to begin construction on the unleased portion of the park ASAP. The first step is a wider walkway, but there is more opportunity for usable public space while NYWW is completing its lease term.
Maritime Park is a dream that we can see realized, if we look forward and work collaboratively within our community, and as your councilperson, I will do just that.
Sincerely,
Marla Decker
Hoboken 2nd Ward council candidate
Marla,
To borrow from Bono, this park is going to happen “with or without you”. Planning is well underway and the UDD lease has been finalized. Yes, it’s imperfect, and most residents would have loved for Hoboken to have gotten this property sooner, but for you to come in and say you’re going to make this happen is a slap in the face to our current and previous City Council members who have worked for years to get this park done. Sorry, but you can’t swoop in at the 11th hour and take credit for the work that precedes you. Find another issue to hang your hat on.
It’s pretty funny but this is a Ravi-Bleepjay operation with that dude from Providence.
Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher actually did the work.
Another member of Mayor McRavi’s crew that wants a park park here and park park there but never wants to talk about the money to maintain them in perpetuity. Just get the sound bite/social media post today, who cares about actually governing tomorrow. The ‘leadership’ of this city can’t even keep the waterfront walkway from falling apart but wants a new park each week. They are like broken children who refuse to even think about the consequences of their actions.
Ravi is getting death threats which are *totally* real you guys!!!
And remember all he did for us during COVID by having Vijayjay send out daily Nixle death counts and going on MSDNC and the Clinton News Network? He was – and always will be – our “Little Cuomo.”
Therefore, we must elect Marla. Only he can save us from the terror that everyone knows lurks in Hoboken: Harry Potter books. Also, Ravi has told him that he will be allowed to hear about his backroom deals with NYWW so they can stay on the property in Holdover Tenancy (but just trust me – don’t Google it and read the lease) and only he can help! The evil Fund for a Better Waterfront is threatening a lawsuit because of this obvious sham, but we all know they are a hate group and funded by Big Oil and probably Republicans! OMG.
Also, while were at it, we need Lauren Meyers. OK, granted, she was caught crying in the gender-neutral bathroom after the last debate. But she’s an attorney guys! And with over 6 years of real-world experience just think about how she can for once and for all found out who littered Hoboken with racist fliers in 2017 which is the only reason Rwvi was elected. She is even on her condo board! Granted, there are only like 4 units so someone had to do it, but that is huge. And unlike Marla, she identifies as female this week!!! Remember how we were told to feel sorry for cheeky the “I’m just a 41 year old girl in politics who gets a Hoboken taxpayer provided salary and benefits to vote as Ravi tells me” chipmunk Emily?? So yeah. Lauren identifies as female and also has feelings. And she’s soooooo pretty. And natural blonde. Like Barbie. Great film.
Finally, and this goes without saying: reelect Phil Cohen! I don’t like to use the word “hero” often, but Phil Cohen is a hero. He has had 85 coffees in which he broadcasts Ravi’s talking points. So glad he doesn’t allow open dialogue and thankfully he tells me how to feel. But apart from having already bought his brand new “Ravi Rubber Approved” stamp and accompanying brown ink pad, Phil was able to get – and really take this in guys – a brand new stop sign installed in his ward! ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Never mind the three cars that flipped over in the same ward, two of which were by Brandt elementary, one involving DUI, the stabbing in Columbus Park, the violent attack that sent an ER doctor to the ER himself after a housing challenged man batted his face with a crutch while he sat having coffee at Dolce Salato: the firth ward is never safer! Cars never drive the wrong way, speed, and/or completely disregard stop signs. And the $110M (??) park that is only over 4 years in construction now will soon have its third Grand Opening! Maybe Bob Menendez will be back. You don’t know the Bob Menendez that Rwvi knows. The guy earned it! Then the dog poop “park” will be complete (except it has to be destroyed partially in order to install the generators and pumps in the pump room to make the tree free zone actually resilient). But already the flooding by ShopRite 2 blocks away and directly across the park on Madison is completely gone. Job done. Stop sign installed. Phil is a hero.
Our amazing Schenk Price attorney and part time mayor, Ravi, struck two deals which he withheld from then public until his corruption campaign 2.0 kicked off in 2021 in order to secure the 6th Ward votes he thought he needed for his reelection: Monarch and Union Dry Dock.
To get Monarch, Hoboken taxpayers will next year be hit with a 3.5% municipal tax hike alone for 40 years to cover the $80M + interest for 2 blocks we had to acquire at 15th and Madison to move the DPW which Ravi gave to his developers friends at Ironstate. But let’s not talk about that mess in Phil’s dumping ground ward.
We’re here to discuss how Marla is the only former D2 college linebacker who can unwind Union Dry Dock, the land Ravi leased back to NY Waterway for at least 5 years so New York Waterways could locate their maintenance operations and refueling facilities at Union Dry Dock over his dead body.
And only Marla can unwind New York Waterways “lease” sham when Ravi is jailed.
Here are the details only Marla knows:
In June 2021 (Ravi’s reelection year), he announced that Hoboken had acquired the Union Dry Dock property from NY Waterway for $13.36M plus and extra $5M from the city if they promise not to challenge’s Hoboken’s Eminent Domain claim for a total cost of $18.5M.
For the first 5 years, it will cost NY Waterway a total of $384,132
First 3 years at $4,573/month = $164,628
Next 2 years for $9,146/month = $219,504
The lease then states:
“In the event that Tenant fails to surrender the Leasehold upon the Vacation Date (as same may be extended) as provided herein, Tenant shall be considered to be in monthly holdover tenancy at a monthly rate of TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS ($25,000.00) per month, which shall be considered liquidated damages and not a penalty.”
$25,000/month = $300,000/year or $3M for 10 years
What this essentially means is NY Waterway could technically stay on the site for 15 YEARS for ~$3.4M so assuming they start in 2025, they can be here in 2040 and STILL have $15M from Hoboken!
Context from Holdover Lease: NJ is incredibly difficult to evict tenants and there is a special clause called “holdover tenancy” which means Under New Jersey Law, year-to-year tenants tend to become month-to-month tenants once their lease expires. They continue on, much as they did before, the only exception being that the tenant can breach the lease and move-out with reasonable notice to the landlord. I suggest you read up on it like Marla has definitely done.
Basically NJ is a very landlord adverse state. I think the fact that Ravi included the $25K as a “monthly holdover tenancy” is even more favorable to the TENANT (NY Waterways) as they can arguably state “Hey, they actually put a very high monthly rent in place after our lease expired, which we have been paying for the pay 56 months…” In realty, $25K/month is peanuts.
Moreover, Ravi was required to have his brilliant “lease”‘be approved by Hoboken in a referendum because IT’S THE LAW: Ravi took $13.4M in Open Space Trust Fund money and the Hoboken ordinance he blatantly violated states: “No property acquired with funds from the Trust Fund shall be leased or sold, unless action has been authorized by the Mayor and City Council AND by referendum in the manner prescribed by law.”
ONLY MARLA CAN SAVE US FROM RAVI’S CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR AND UNWIND HIS LEASE BECAUSE SHE IS ON HIS SIDE.
PLEASE DO THE NEEDFUL AND ELECT MARLA “UPPER” DECKER!