Three months after it appeared that Hoboken officials and activists alike had convinced NJ Transit to stay out of the ongoing Union Dry Dock saga, the agency is again trying to acquire the waterfront property and lease it to New York Waterway.Â
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
NJ Transit posted an agenda for a special board meeting Wednesday, with the sole agenda item being to acquire and lease Union Dry Dock to NY Waterway “for the operation of a ferry maintenance and repair facility.”
A spokeswoman for NJ Transit said the agency does not comment on board agenda items.
Back on January 15th, Martin Luther King Jr. Day and also Gov. Chris Christie’s (R) last day in office, the board scheduled a meeting that included a nearly identical agenda item, but they pulled the resolution prior to the start of the public session.
Recently, the city council approved acquiring the Union Dry Dock property for $11.63 million and Mayor Ravi Bhalla made a formal proposal to NY Waterway last week.
“Mayor Bhalla is working with all stakeholders to reach an amicable solution,” city spokesman Santiago Melli-Huber said in an email.
Many Hobokenites expected that NJ Transit would no longer be interested in buying the waterfront property once Gov. Phil Murphy (D) took office, but clearly that isn’t the case.
Fund for a Better Waterfront Executive Director Ron Hine expressed great frustration with the situation in a lengthy email to Hudson County View.
“The City is committed to making the former Union Dry Dock (UDD) site part of Hoboken’s linear, public waterfront park. FBW offered up this concept of a contiguous park in 1990 and today it is mostly completed. The UDD property would connect one of the final missing links,” he began.
“If Gov. Murphy moves ahead with the NJ Transit acquisition, it would be an egregious betrayal of a community and a mayor that overwhelmingly supported him in the November election.”
Hine also called the NYC Ferry “a grand success” due to a “totally transparent and professional” collaborative process – unlike what is happening here.
A spokeswoman for Murphy’s office said the governor is working with all parties to try and find a solution that is beneficial to all.
“The Governor’s Office continues to coordinate with all parties involved to determine an ultimate solution that both respects the voices of the local community and the needs of one of our most vital transportation partners,” said Alyana Alfaro.
“The Governor is taking appropriate steps to make sure that commuters are not negatively impacted during efforts to find a long-term solution.”
The NJ Transit meeting is currently scheduled for 2 p.m. on Wednesday at their headquarters, One Penn Plaza East in Newark.
This latest attempt for New York Waterways to increase their at chance of profitability at the expense of Hoboken residents is just shameful and another reason to never trust New Jersey Transit about anything.
There were very good reasons Mayor Turner and the developers in Weehawken pushed this major polluter off their riverfront.
Look, on this issue Mayor Ravi Bhalla has done all the right things by getting an independent estimate, initiating eminent domain as using the bully pulpit to advocate for Hoboken’s waterfront and attempt to acquire Union Dry Dock site.
However he did declare victory on MLK Day and that was a mistake in communication and expectations management which is a component of executive function. Sun Tsu Art of War teaches us that winning a battle does not mean winning the war.
This has always been about WWPMD- What will Phil Murphy Do? He did say Hoboken should be heard but it is being reported he has the power to pull this item off the NJ Transit agenda but as of this writing has not done so yet. What will Phil Murphy do? Ravi can make phone calls but that is about it other than rallying the troops to show up and protest this acquisition.
If Phil Murphy decides to let NJ Transit screw Hoboken on this issue it won’t be that he has a vendetta against Hoboken, it will be that he believes public transportation needs trump local issues on Waterfront access. If he and NJ Transit have already decided then there is not a damn thing Ravi or anyone else in Hoboken can do about it other than unleash the mob.
This points to a missed opportunity by Dithering Dawn Zimmer who had over 8 years to buy the property but did not close the deal on her watch. Even more tragically and comically she took NJ Transit at their word that they did not want the property. What fool would ever trust this organization? Another black mark on Delayed Decision Dawn Zimmer and her dark shadowy puppet master Stan Grossbard legacy in Hoboken. First the awful Jackson Street PILOT, the failure to disclose Suez Debt in Hoboken Bond documents, the dreadful $700k HHA proposed settlement thanks to Stan Grobbard’s stupid email chain with nimrod Jake Stuiver, the clusterfart project of Washington Street, backing a candidate (Bhalla) who is selling access to Hoboken through a law contract that would make Cammarano salivate and now the abject failure of UDD. It’s very sad. Linda Lou put on your dress and address this pronto. It’s imoortant that you come out of the Shadows and do your magic.
I still don’t regret voting for Dawn but when you look back in particular at the last 2 years you see the flaws. As to why these failures came about only one person truly knows. The Shadow knows. The Shadow knows. He won’t tell you though. You will just get spin from Nutso Nancy and her merry band of bloviating bonkers for Bhalla bloggers and Stan’s numerous transgendered screen names. Guys who blog behind female screen names are not manly. Lol.
..of his many enemies, but doesnt have the balls to sign his own first and last name to his moronic, juvenile postings.
Kurt doesnt want to get picked up on Google searches, but doesnt mind if his political enemies do– even ones with jobs and families to support. Kurt could care less. He is Bajardi plus 3 feet of jerkoff. Kurt the Smear merchant. Kurt the First Amendment bully. Agree with Kurt or he’ll drop your first and name all over the Internets while the Giant COWARD won’t sign his own. That is the definition of a LOW LIFE.
Sign your full name, Kurt. At least potential employers will know what you are really about.
Always entertaining when Klownprince Kurt, otherwise known as Doofus #2 holds forth with his limitless fonts of wisdom pulled out of his clueless rear end.
I voted for him for Freeholder and read Hoboken Journal. He never sounded like this, so vile. Either he fooled us then or he’s lost his marbles.