|
 
Entrance to Stevens InstituteGated entrance to Stevens Institute of Techology: Private Property - No Trespassing  President of Stevens Institute makes glowing promises that new waterfront projects will be open to the public yet entrance to campus exclaims 'Private Property - No Trespassing' more... News Archive... 
FBW's Go Fly a Kite event held at Pier A Park.
The shaded promenade near Pier A Park in Hoboken.
Take to the River,a FBW event that included a picnic at Maxwell House Beach and a kayak tour along the Hudson River.
|
February, 2004
Garage hearings tainted due to Stevens hiring brother of Zoning Board Chair George Crimmins told the Jersey Journal that his year-long consulting job with Stevens Institute included work on the university's 725-car waterfront parking garage. George Crimmins, the former Business Administrator for the City of Hoboken is the brother of Zoning Board Chair Joe Crimmins who has presided over the first three hearings on this garage application. more... February, 2004 1600 Park developer lobbies Hoboken City Council for favored treatment PoliticsNJ.com has put Kay LiCausi on a list of elite political consultants entitled, 'New Jersey's Best Hired Guns.' PoliticsNJ.com credits Ms. LiCausi for making her former boss, U.S. Rep. Robert Menendez, the Boss of Hudson County politics. So when the development application for 1600 Park Avenue, proposed by Sandy Weiss, became stymied, it was little wonder that the developer would turn to her. more... January, 2004 Roof garden withers at first hearing for 725-car waterfront garage At the first Zoning Board hearing, Stevens' new landscape architect presented a revised landscape plan that eliminated a roof garden atop the 725-car parking garage. The new plan wiped out a grove of 36 honey locust trees that were to be planted in 2 1/2 feet of soil within about 11,000 square feet of lawn. more... October, 2003 Stevens pushes forward with plans for mega-garage on Hoboken's waterfront Stevens Institute has submitted its application for a massive, block-long parking facility to the Hoboken Zoning Board. The university has proposed to situate this garage directly across the street from Sinatra Park and directly north of Hoboken's Little League field. The application requests 17 variances. more... May, 2003 Developers pay to play at Hoboken City Hall by writing big checks On election day May 8, 2001, City Councilman David Roberts ousted Mayor Anthony Russo from office by promising to reform City Hall. A major theme of the Roberts’ campaign was to put the brakes on over-development. But after just two years in office, Roberts is now filling his own campaign coffers with large donations from local developers. more... February 20, 2003 Stevens Institute attempts to silence FBW through frivolous defamation lawsuit Last month, Stevens unveiled its campus master plan to the Planning Board. Two days later, the school filed a complaint in Superior Court against its most vocal critic: the Fund for a Better Waterfront. FBW Attorney Renee Steinhagen exclaimed, 'The sole purpose of this litigation is to inhibit the defendants from exercising their First Amendment right of free speech.' more... December, 2002 Hoboken waterfront featured in Philadelphia Inquirer article Architectural critic Inga Saffron has been writing about a troubled waterfront development project in Philadelphia. In one of her articles, she focuses on several recent models of successful waterfront development, one in Louisville and the other in Hoboken. These two communities, she writes, 'were doggedly pursuing unique visions for their riverfronts and creating dynamic public spaces.' more... February, 2003 Is Stevens unauthorized garage construction unstoppable? Zoning Board to decide on February 12 On December 31, the City of Hoboken revoked the First Certificate of Zoning Compliance for the Babbio Center and issued a Stop Work Order. Stevens Institute immediately appealed. On February 12th at 7 p.m., the Zoning Board of Adjustment will hold a special hearing to consider Stevens' appeal. more... January, 2003 Stevens' campus master plan has new firm advocating same old projects At the end of last year, Stevens Institute of Technology announced with great fanfare that it had hired the Philadelphia firm of Wallace Roberts and Todd to develop its 'new' campus master plan. At the January 13th Hoboken Planning Board meeting, however, this firm unveiled the same projects that Stevens has been tirelessly touting for the past year. more... December, 2002 Year and a half of Maxwell House hearings could end on Dec. 23 For the past 17 months, the Maxwell House project has followed a tortured path through the Planning Board hearing process. This week, however, the developers experienced a dramatic reversal of fortune. On Dec. 11th, opposition attorney, James Segreto, announced his withdrawal from this case. At the Dec. 12th hearing, the Board's planning consultant outlined a potential resolution to this yearlong conflict. more... November, 2002 Mayor Roberts ups development limits at Hoboken's south waterfront Mayor Roberts claims he is 'down-sizing' development at Hoboken’s South Waterfront. But the ordinance his administration is pushing through at Monday’s November 18th City Council meeting that will increase building heights and densities. The City will exceed maximum limits for density at this redevelopment area, established in 1995, by over 100,000 square feet. more... March, 2002 Stevens' proposals negate Hoboken's opportunity for continuous waterfront park Hoboken is now tantalizingly close to creating a truly public waterfront from the Hoboken Train Terminal to the Weehawken Cove. Yet one obstacle stands in the way of the completed waterfront park -- Stevens Institute of Technology. Stevens has come forth with proposals for three undeveloped sites, which would privatize the land and obliterate the chances for a continuous park. more... May, 2002 Actinolite asbestos, a potent carcinogen, identified in serpentine rock from Stevens Institute An engineering firm hired by the NJ Meadowlands Commission reported levels of asbestos far higher than previously claimed by Stevens Institute. More alarming, however, are 10% levels of actinolite found in two of the test samples. Actinolite is a rarer form of asbestos with sharp, needle-like fibers that make it a potent carcinogen. more... March, 2002 Complex land transaction to create Maxwell House Park at risk Potentially, Maxwell House Park could be the jewel in the crown of Hoboken's string of waterfront parks. In a unique land conservation arrangement orchestrated by the Fund for a Better Waterfront, the owners of the former Maxwell House Coffee plant have offered to donate one-third of their 14-acre site for a public, waterfront park. more... June, 2001 Roots over the River Ten years ago, Pier A at Hoboken’s south waterfront was slated for a 33-story office complex to be built over the Hudson River. Today it is a five-acre award-winning public park that people flock to. The June 2001 issue of Landscape Architecture features a cover story on this park, entitled 'Roots over the River.' more... October, 2000 FBW Waterfront Plan Featured in 'Designing New Jersey' According to 'Designing New Jersey,' recently published by the New Jersey Office of State Planning, FBW’s plan for Hoboken’s waterfront provides a model to emulate both in terms of its design principles and the importance of citizen participation. more... March, 2001 Court Victory for Neighborhood Groups Fighting Millennium Towers Judge vacates Jersey City Planning Board decisions due to expired terms of six commissioners. Site plan approval and amendment permitting 300% height increase voided. more... January, 2001 Victory for Hoboken Campaign to Stop Pier Development Following an intense campaign against private pier development waged by the Coalition for a Better Waterfront, the Shipyard Associates officially withdrew their proposal to build 120 luxury residential units on the North Pier at Hoboken’s north waterfront. more... September, 2001 Hoboken developer Joe Barry targeted by federal investigators When real estate developer Joe Barry sat in the car of his political friend, County Executive Robert Janiszewski, he was not aware that their conversation was being recorded. Federal agents had Janiszewski's car wired. What Barry, the President and CEO of Applied Companies, said, prompted the FBI, armed with search warrants, to raid his Hoboken office on August 14. more... May, 2000 Roseland Developers Break Off Negotiations with Friends of Weehawken Waterfront Friends of the Weehawken Waterfront will rally to protest the resumption of Planning Board hearings on the proposed Port Imperial South project. Real estate developer Roseland Properties broke off talks ten days ago with the Friends of the Weehawken Waterfront after six weeks of settlement negotiations to resolve their year-long legal battle. more... February, 2000 Hudson River Developers Rake In Corporate Welfare Developers of prime waterfront real estate along the Hudson River have exerted their political influence to bring in huge subsidies from the government. The "gold coast" takes on a new meaning with the millions of dollars in federal and state money going to benefit private owners building on some of the most valuable land in New Jersey. more... news archive... |
|
|
©1998-2000 Fund for a Better Waterfront |