April 1998

Has Hoboken Exceeded Capacity Limits?

One of the high-rise towers being built at Hoboken's perimeter

Over 4.9 million square feet of residential and commercial development on the waterfront has been approved by the City of Hoboken since 1995. At the south waterfront, the Hoboken Waterfront Corporation's 1.8 million square feet has been jacked up to 2.3 million by the mayor and the Port Authority. At the north waterfront, the City permitted the Shipyard developer, Joseph Barry, to rewrite the zoning ordinance and then approved a 1.5 million square foot residential and retail project for the Shipyard Associates and a similar million square foot project at the Hoboken Cove.

The three projects will add 2,408 residential units to Hoboken, increasing its housing stock by 13.8 percent. Now the City is proposing a 20,000-seat sports area and 40,000 square foot baseball museum for its waterfront. Hoboken is already reeling from its growing pains and these projects add to the problem. Traffic, especially along the two main entrance-ways to Hoboken - Observer Highway and 14th Street - can be backed up for many blocks during rush hour. A nearly impossible parking situation grows increasingly worse as more and more car owners move to Hoboken. This raises the question of whether waterfront development will destroy Hoboken's small town charm and human scale.