LETTER: The only Rebuild by Design choice that makes sense for Hoboken is Option 1

In a letter to the editor, Hoboken resident Terry Pranses says the first option for Rebuild by Design is the only one that makes sense for the Mile Square City. 

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

We are quite concerned about the selection of the alignment of the southern (“downtown”) barrier within Hoboken’s Rebuild By Design (RBD) flood and surge protection system.

Option 1, preferred by the Mayor and Hoboken City Council, protects ALL of Hoboken, including the planned Hoboken Yards Redevelopment Zone, an area south of Observer Highway.

We, in the Responsible Development Task Force, are right there with them for Option 1.

Option 2, which seems to be the preferred option by the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (the “DEP”), runs along the south side of Observer Highway.

Going as high as 11 feet, this will disrupt the entire look and feel of downtown Hoboken, plus make the Hoboken Yards some sort of separate enclave, not integrated into Hoboken.

That’s bad enough, but Hoboken citizens and City Council worked hard to come up with the plan for that area. Why is the State of New Jersey about to ignore that Plan, and spend more doing Option 2?

We have written to Governor Phil Murphy, but no word back.

To see the letterwe wrote to Governor Murphy, please visit:
http://bit.ly/GovMur5-30-18

We appreciate the positive feedback we have received from Mayor Bhalla and Council Members DeFusco, Doyle and Jabbour.

To read about our views on this issue, and to learn more about our concernsabout the Master Plan, historic buildings and more, please visit:
www.rd-taskforce.com

Many thanks for your interest and support!

Terry Pranses

Member,
Responsible Development Task Force of Hoboken

RD-TaskForce.com