THE HOBOKEN REPORTER, FEBRUARY 14, 1999

I'm writing to express my disappointment with the Hoboken Planning and Zoning Boards regarding the development proposed for the 1600 block of Park Avenue. I believe planning new buildings in this town should involve some give and take, but these governing bodies have failed to step up and say that 20-plus stories is too much where the site is zoned for a maximum of eight stories. The proposed development is going to be 240 feet high where the zoning allows 85. This development called "twin towers" by your newspaper, and somewhat more attractively, "The Hudson River Club" by the developer, is larger and higher than the zoning permits by orders of magnitude. The governing Boards should not approve it.

I'm concerned about living in a crater city. That's where a smaller, historic core is surrounded by a ring of tall buildings that cut off access, light and views. The developments along Observer Highway are starting to take this shape.

I'm also concerned about traffic on the north end of town. The lights on Fourteenth Street at Willow and Washington back up for blocks during the evening rush hour and traffic is already beginning to overcrowd the north/south streets other than Washington and Hudson.

Yet, I'm optimistic about Hoboken's future. I think that in most cases we are taking advantage of growth by mixing the old with the new in ways that benefit residents. It's just disappointing to see a project as completely out of scale for our city as that proposed for the 1600 block of Park Avenue get this far.

Wayne Wiebe