Hoboken Reporter, January 30, 2005

Dear Editor:

Last week the Mayor released his proposed park plan. While the plan provides new park in the north end of the City, it takes away a critical six-acre park identified in the Master Plan for the west side between 9th and 11th on Monroe.

The Master Plan identifies park land in areas of the City underserved by recreational facilities such as the west side of town. The two block area on Monroe identified for park in the Master Plan is surrounded on all sides by the massive Northwest Redevelopment Zone encompassing 17 city blocks of soon-to-be built residential development. As a result of this redevelopment area, the west side neighborhood will experience a dramatic increase in population. Unfortunately, this neighborhood will be deprived of the park identified in the Master Plan because the Mayor has chosen private development for the site instead of public park.

Less well known to the public are those details of the Mayor's park plan which propose to expand the Northwest Redevelopment Area to include nine more blocks from 9th to 14th street west of Adams to the light rail line. Interestingly, the Mayor's plan includes concept plans for development on 900 Monroe which look suspiciously like the developer's application that is currently before zoning board.

The Master Plan cites Hoboken's severe shortage of recreational facilities and recommends aggressively addressing this shortfall. While the Mayor's plan envisions obtaining active recreational parks through developer deals, the City has a poor track record with such deals which has yielded passive, privatized spaces where active recreation is prohibited.

Instead of a baseball field for existing residents and the 1,600 new residents who will occupy the new Maxwell House development, we're getting a passive grass area fenced on two sides where, the Mayor says, "the public should be able to visit and imagine what the first game must have looked like."

Likewise, the City's recent deal with Toll Brothers for its 1,473 unit development at Weehawken Cove prohibits active recreation on City-owned property. Clearly, there's no room for active recreation at the new Shop Rite parking lot park, and if the variance is granted by the zoning board at 900 Monroe next month, Hoboken will get a passive pocket park with a truck route through it. Who knows how much more density we must tolerate to get a recreational field out of a developer deal?

As the west side's population increases, so does its park deficit. Why should the west side have to absorb more development and lose its Master Plan Park?

Leah Healey
Hoboken