Hoboken Reporter, December 19, 1999

Dear Editor:

On January 18, 2000, the Hoboken Zoning Board is expected to vote on a development that will have a major impact on the city’s northern border. We are The Manhattan Building Company, the local Hoboken builders developing the site at 1600 Park Avenue.

We are Hoboken residents who have developed residential properties here for over 20 years and are employers of Hoboken residents as well as members of the Hudson County Building Trade Union. This is the first time I have written a letter to the editor and I am doing so to address the misconceptions arising from a campaign against 1600 Park Avenue.

At 1600 Park Avenue, The Manhattan Building Company hopes to accomplish the rebirth of the inner harbor, the Hudson River’s only protected cove, a treasured landmark, which once served the city’s industrial and manufacturing needs. This location, straddling the Weehawken border, was home to the Todd Shipyards where vessels were docked and repaired in World War I and World War II to protect our shores and provide supplies to our boys overseas. Since its closure, this site has remained derelict and vacant for decades. It is our goal to begin the process of rebirth as has occurred along the Inner Harbor in Baltimore. We want to build a signature building of quality brick, stone and copper units in Hoboken’s Inner Harbor which has seen the conversion of the Lipton Tea and Standard Brands buildings as residential properties. The Manhattan Building Company is committed to northern Hoboken and wants to renovate the bridges entering town with historic features and lighting, provide 560 parking spaces, recreation and community space and sponsor open air markets on the waterfront and under the bridges. We have proposed a police substation housed in the structure to protect our streets. There will be a proposed Harbor Baykeeper monitoring lab to monitor the Harbor waters.

Upon completion, 1600 Park Avenue will generate taxes of between 2 and 3 million dollars annually instead of $25,000, and will provide hundreds of construction and dozens of permanent jobs instead of none.

However, there is a small but vocal group who think Hoboken, which was built by immigrants, should lock its doors to new residents and halt all new development. This project has become their political trophy. So I ask, are we to be held in fear of the future, held hostage by zealots who believe that now that they live in Hoboken no one else should, or politicians who use anti-growth as a political stand? Are we saying no to jobs, taxes and even art galleries and other public spaces which are incorporated into the plan? Are we saying no to traffic solutions being proposed by the design team at 1600 Park Avenue in a section of town abandoned by everyone except the Tri-City Sewage Authority, a PSE&G substation, bus depots and a few parcels of aging industrial property? And are we saying no to the Hoboken development team, Dean Marchetto & Associates and Manhattan Building Company who employ local residents?

1600 Park Avenue will be built on the perimeter of town and will not burden our sewage system or congest our streets. In fact, residential use is the least traffic-oriented use, as most residents will commute to their jobs via mass transportation. Just look at any of the new high rise buildings along the waterfront and notice that traffic is sparse. It is the office, industrial and retail use that creates traffic congestion. That’s why we are asking the zoning board to change the site’s use from commercial to residential. Hoboken is a residential community of people, that is our wealth. We are offering real solutions to traffic congestion and we will be paying the bill. This includes the creation of a bypass road at 17th and Clinton Streets, a traffic light at 16th Street and Park Avenue and the restriping and widening of 16th Street to be two-way. This will alleviate existing congestion and stop out of town commuters from driving through our streets.

Quality housing, traffic solutions, parking, jobs and ratables are what 1600 Park Avenue represent, as well as a signature buildings that the town of Hoboken can be proud of. We have sought public input and will sponsor an open house prior to the January 18 zoning board hearing. Please let me know how you, the residents of Hoboken, feel about enhancing your town. Call me at 217-6626 or visit our website at www.manhattanbuilders.com.

Sandy Weiss
Manhattan Building Company