April 1999

Referendum Votes Result In Waterfront Park

5-acre park on pier A to open this month

In July of 1990 and again in March of 1992, the Coalition for a Better Waterfront defeated in public referendum elections massive schemes by the City of Hoboken and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to develop Hoboken's south waterfront. These ill-fated projects included 1.6 million square feet of development on Piers A and C. Where a mammoth 30-story office tower was scheduled to be built on Pier A, there will now be a 5-acre public waterfront park. Pier A, which will be opened to the public this month, will be an oasis of green, with a grove of 97 London plane trees and an extensive lawn. Along the waterfront promenade and lining Sinatra Drive, River Street and the numbered streets there will be hundreds of additional plantings, including more London plane trees plus bald cypress, lacebark elm, red maple and scarlet oak.

The contract for the second phase of this waterfront park from 2nd to 4th Streets is currently going out to bid. Once completed, phase two will result in a continuous public waterfront park from the Erie Lackawana Plaza through Sinatra Park, doubling the amount of parkland in Hoboken. In addition, the plan for Castle Point Park south of Union Dry Dock has also been completed and will soon be built with state funds.