Hoboken Reporter, October 27, 2002

Open letter to Hoboken Zoning Officer Joel Mestre:

This letter is in reference to the Stevens Institute of Technology's School of Technology Management (STM) Building currently under construction. Attached please find a copy of my 1 October 2002 memo to Stevens' attorney, Mr. Charles Liebling, requesting an elevation drawing of the Sinatra Drive facade, which has thus far gone unanswered. As you know, Stevens has maintained that their current construction involves only the STM building and not a 725 car garage, yet no such elevation has been submitted to the Planning Board.

As the enforcement agent of the City in zoning matters, I am particularly disturbed with the performance (or lack of) by your office in this project. Even if one agreed with your 5 October 2001 memo which stated that foundations are "neither defined nor regulated" by the Zoning Ordinance (which I do not), there were three other items which should have 'flagged' this unfortunate situation.

1. The 40 foot deep excavation was inconsistent with the approved Soil Erosion and Sediment Control Plan dated 10 April 2001 that showed the front face of the cliff along Sinatra Drive to be outside the "Limit of Disturbance." It was not until months after the excavation and blasting started that this plan was revised (but not yet approved) on 19 July 2002 to show the new, larger area of "Disturbance" (was this new plan eventually approved by the District?)

2. When Stevens submitted plans showing a change from the original approved plans, they should have included a Sinatra Drive elevation drawing to show what was going to replace the cliff, which they did not.

3. How will the project accommodate the approved 105 parking spots since there is no longer a "surface" around the building for the surface mounted lot? In lieu of these events, I request construction be halted immediately and Stevens be required to return to the Planning Board with a complete set of plans which illustrate their current intent.

It is obvious that Stevens is building a garage on the site even though they cannot call it or use it as such until they receive the appropriate approvals. As they stated in the 12 September 2002 Planning Board Concept Hearing, due to the revised zoning ordinance covering the Stevens campus, approval for this garage requires either a dozen variances from the Zoning Board or a new ordinance.

In light of this considerable challenge, Stevens may well be stuck with what Dr. Raveche described in his 5 October 2001 memo, "nothing more than a foundation, with no access or entry points." That may well be fine for Stevens, but what will Hoboken have to show for the cliff along Sinatra Drive which Stevens has destroyed and carted away? I look forward to your prompt attention on this matter.

Please note that I currently serve on Hoboken's Planning Board but this letter does not represent the views of the Board, but rather my own.

Hank Forrest
Hoboken