Bob Duval, board member of the QLC, presents the Hoboken Civic award to Roy Hueilbig, who accepted the award on behalf of the American Legion Post No. 107. Photo credit: John Branciforte

Those being honored this year are:
Larry Henriques who receives the Community Awareness Award.
John De Palma to his family is granted posthumously the Service Award
Toni Tomarazzo is given the Civic Award
Ron Hine receives the Renee Steinhagen Public Advocacy Award
Dan Tumpson will take the Citizen Activist Award

A reception will follow the presentations. Everyone is invited to attend. Reservations are NOT required. A $5 donation will be requested at the door. This donation includes one free drink. And there will be a beer/wine cash bar with non-alcoholic beverages also available. Free parking with Museum-stamped ticket in the garage with entrances on 12th St or Shipyard Lane.

Architect's rendering of proposed amended Water Music redevelopment project

Join the Quality of Life Coalition for a presentation on the Water Music Project and the Hoboken Arts Center on Thursday, November 5, from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at the St. Matthew Trinity Lutheran Parish Hall, 8th Street between Hudson and Washington Streets.

Also on the agenda: Learn about the court challenge of the Hudson County Freeholders’ refusal to hear an appeal of a County Planning Board decision that approves building on the steep slopes of the Palisades. (Hoboken QLC is a participant in this case.) Peggy Wong. President, Coalition to Preserve the Palisades Cliffs, will address the issue. [photo by Greg Remaud, NY/NJ Bay Keeper]
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The “Look, Learn, Act” series is part of the mission of the Quality of Life Coalition to keep the community informed about major developments that will impact our quality of life. We hope to stimulate informed dialogue between members of the community and our elected officials.

Hoboken City Hall

Come early for a good seat; the candidates forums this spring prior to the May election and June runoff were packed houses.

Drawing of Neumann Leathers factory circa 1870s

Now those tenants, grouped together under the name of the Neumann Leathers Tenants Association, are asking for financial help. The Quality of Life Coalition heartily supports this request and urges you to contribute whatever you are able.

Below and on the following pages see a letter from Tom Newman, Chairman of the Association who tells you more about the Association and how to contribute. You will be helping to preserve Hoboken as the historic and unique city that makes it a delight in which to live. Thank you.

Helen Manogue
Coordinator, QLC

Neumann Leathers Tenants Association
321 Newark St.
Hoboken, NJ 07030
www.neumanntenants.org

April 17, 2009

Dear Friends of Neumann Leather:

Did you hear the news? At 12:42 a.m. on March 6th, at the end of a five and a half hour hearing – the eighth in a series that began last August – Hoboken’s Zoning Board voted unanimously to deny the application by Trammell Crow Residential to evict all tenants and tear down the Neumann Leather complex.

Several members of the Zoning Board were clearly on the fence coming into the meeting, as they revealed in their final comments that they were tempted by TCR’s proposal to clean up an “eyesore” and replace it with a pair of doughnut-shaped condo buildings. Many observers were betting on an approval.

What turned things around was testimony by the Neumann tenants (who had been waiting seven months for the opportunity), plus impassioned pleas from community members (including former City Council president, Richard DelBoccio), and a detailed legal argument by NLTA lawyer, Ira Karasick, that there was no basis for granting the requested “use” variances.

The Board was impressed by the size and quality of business and artistic activity at the complex.

Ultimately, our arguments for diversity, jobs (more than 200), cultural interest, and historic preservation won the day.

Neumann has won a reprieve. The city now has the opportunity to plan a responsible development on this three-acre site at its southern portal. It needs to be refurbished and retooled for 21st century. Our hope is that with this victory we can set a new course for the way redevelopment is carried out in Hoboken.

As you can imagine, this fight has been costly, mostly borne by the NLTA. The total cost for legal and expert representation was $46,000. So far we have raised (and spent) $37,000, the bulk of this coming from members’ dues. This puts us $9,000 in the hole – debts we must pay to the capable professionals who helped us win this battle.

Community support, both by individuals and groups like the Quality of Life Coalition and Hoboken Heritage, was a key factor in our victory. It was heartening to find so many people who saw our fight as theirs, too. Keeping a place for “arts and industry” – activities so embedded in Hoboken’s history – has become a cause worthy of the struggle.

It is with the hope that you, too, believe in this cause that we are asking for your help to defray our expenses. Wouldn’t you agree that Hoboken is a better, more interesting and vital city if it retains the kind of diversity of jobs and individuals that Neumann represents? Can you help us?

Thank you for your support,

Tom Newman, NLTA chairman

P.S.: Checks should be made out to “NLTA” and sent to our treasurer, Antoine Schapira, at 321 Newark St., Hoboken, NJ 07030.

Last year the State and Hudson County adopted new rules that provide the legal basis for protection. What we need to do now is get the rules enforced. Sorry to say, but not unexpectedly, many powerful Hudson politicians are trying to prevent that enforcement in their never-ending search for more and more taxable development. Unfortunately, as they should have noticed by now, the tax income does not cover the costs for services the municipality must bear from new development.

The decision to enforce the new rules lies with the Hudson County Planning Board and the Hudson County Freeholders. The members of these groups are undoubtedly feeling the heat. Let’s give them some relief.

* Sign the online petition.Send it to your friends.
* Contact Hoboken’s Hudson County Freeholder, Anthony Romano aromano@hcnj.us and urge that the Freeholder Board support the enforcement of the Steep Slope rules that THEY approved last year.

Thank you!

Question to Hoboken City Council Candidates
From Hoboken Rail Yards Task Force
5/27/09
Your position is crucial. We request your feedback to the following by 5:00 PM, Friday, May 29. Answers* will be shared with our members, other interested citizens, citizen groups and the media. We also suggest that you post our question and answers you provide to your own and/or your slate’s website(s). Please send a link to such a posting, once it is available.

Background:
City Council is the designated redevelopment planning body for the City of Hoboken. Many citizens, including the members of the Hoboken Rail Yards Task Force, are concerned about the high-rise proposal for the Hoboken Rail Yards, which constitute the largest area for redevelopment within our city.

We would like to know your individual thoughts on this matter, as citizens vote for individual candidates and Council members will be voting on such matters individually, even though all currently running will are running within slates. Many, but not all, of our members would like specifics. Those would include, but not be limited to: height in stories, height in feet and/or height relative to other buildings near the Rail Yards and elsewhere in Hoboken.

*Although this question is being provided as an open end here, the request is to provide a forum-style answer, as though you had had the opportunity at this point to participate in such with your fellow Council candidates. You may use the form or transmit in some other fashion as is most practicable. As such, we shall only send the first 100 words of your response, along with a link or citation as to where citizens can locate longer text, if utilized.

Question:
What is the maximum height of buildings that should be allowed on the NJ Transit property, given that the Master Plan recommends preserving the view corridor of the historic Terminal building, avoiding construction over the tracks and limiting the height of any development on the property to be consistent with surrounding areas?

Dave Mello:

As Hoboken’s Master Plan states (page 129) when referencing the Hoboken Terminal, “Any new development should be limited in scale so as not to overwhelm historic Terminal buildings.” Thus far, what has been proposed for the terminal area is vastly out of scale with all of Hoboken, and would not only overwhelm the Terminal, but would overpower our entire City. As with any redevelopment area in Hoboken, I feel strongly that a mix of commercial, residential, and retail spaces must be sought, along with the creation of active open space. Building heights here should not exceed eight to twelve stories.

Carol Marsh:

Development around the NJ transit terminal should be designed to enhance the quality of life for all of Hoboken’s residents. Many residents have expressed a desire for the terminal buildings themselves to be preserved as historic sites and reused for our current needs. Whatever is developed in the area should enhance the accessibility and usability of the historic sites, and make them pedestrian friendly community areas.

Dawn Zimmer has stated publicly that she supports buildings with a mix of heights between 4 and 16 stories. I agree with her position and add that there are members of the community who have spent their valuable time and resources studying this area. Before any plans are approved, these residents and all interested parties should be encouraged to openly discuss their views of the area in a public forum. Even in the context of this election I reiterate our view that development should start with the community.

Further, major projects should only be considered in the context of the entire city. The master plan was intended to be a blueprint for Hoboken’s future but its value was diminished as the implementation of the actual ordinances was delayed. The master plan needs to be updated with particular attention paid to preserving our options for developing recreation space and commercial space, and for preserving and enhancing historic sites such as the Hoboken terminal area.

Ravi Bhalla:

In my opinion, the maximum height of buildings on the New Jersey Transit property, for both commercial and residential development, should be no more than twelve (12) stories. Development in this area, in terms of height, should be conservative and cognizant of preserving the view corridor of the historic Terminal building, avoiding construction over the tracks, and limiting the height of any development on the property to be consistent with the surrounding areas.

I understand that the height of buildings along the north side of Observer Highway are approximately 16 stories. This was a mistake and I do not believe a future City Council should be bound by the mistakes of prior administrations that chose to overdevelop along Observer Highway. I believe that a height limitation that is lower or even with current heights, such as 12 or 16 stories, is a form of development that is consistent with the surrounding areas. I do not believe that buildings that exceed 16 stories, such as 27 story buildings, are consistent with development in this area. I am also concerned that such development may disrupt the preservation of the view corridor along of the historic Terminal buildings.

In the event a developer claims that it cannot build over the rail yards with a 12 story height limitation and still make a reasonable return on investment, the burden should rest with the developer to provide the City Council with clear and convincing evidence of such an assertion. Upon such a showing and the exhaustion of all other possible alternatives to maintain a 12 story height limitation, I would consider a 16 story height limitation.

Raul Morales
Hoboken Rail Yards Statement

In these tough economic times, the City of Hoboken needs to have smart
economic development, which should include commercial, retail,
residential, and open space. It should focus on creating new jobs and
business opportunities, built with green technology to improve the quality
of life. It should also include affordable housing, to main the diversity of our
community. Any new development should conform to the character of the
area. The current plan proposed by NJ Transit for the Rail Yard project is
completely unacceptable, and would overwhelm our current infrastructure
and impose a greater burden on the taxpayers of Hoboken. The
development should include significant public open space, parks and
access to the waterfront. The primary objective of this plan should be the
restoration and preservation of the Terminal site. The scale of the
development should not have a negative impact on the rest of our City and
the quality of life of its’ residents. I know that we will be able to accomplish
all our goals without developing any building on the Rail Yards
Redevelopment Site higher than what is now within our community.

Vincent Addeo
Hoboken Rail Yards Statement

Any proposed plans being considered for the New Jersey Transit property
should include a combination of residential, retail, and commercial space
to generate new job and business opportunities for residents and local
businesses. The proposed plans should also incorporate a significant
amount of public open space and expand waterfront access. Infrastructure
improvements should be made that address conditions on the site and
within the City. The historic Hoboken Terminal should be rehabilitated and
revitalized as a new and exciting retail and entertainment place.
Affordable housing and work force housing should also be built to meet the
needs of Hoboken residents. As to the scale of the project, I strongly
believe that the size and height of the buildings should not have a negative
impact on the neighboring community and on the quality of life within the
City. The height proposed in the Transit plan should be dramatically
reduced.

Angel Alicea
Hoboken Rail Yards Statement

The Hoboken Rail Yard plan should be a balanced, mixed-use program,
that provides a variety of housing and business opportunities and
economic vitality for the City. The centerpiece should be the restoration of
the historic Train Building and the development of the Train Building area
as a retail economic area. Open space has to be an important element that
includes public access to the waterfront. At least 20% of the residential
development should be affordable to meet the needs of Hoboken
residents. The scale of development should be consistent with the urban
context along Observer Highway. Height and density should be of a scale
that does not have a negative impact off-site on the City’s quality of life.
The development should compliment the City’s existing communities.