On December 5, 2018, Academy's Southwest redevelopment proposal was leaked by Councilwoman Jen Giattino and has since entered the public domain. Going forward, it is germane to any discussion about this proposal to review the City's Southwest Redevelopment Plan adopted by the Hoboken City Council on June 7, 2017. Some folks (especially Fourth Ward residents) may have this memorized, others have never seen it.
What was the City's vision for the area, why, and how did they arrive at those conclusions? Which components of the proposal appear to align with the City's vision? Which don't?
Let's not take the pitchforks-and-torches approach before we understand the issues that were considered by the City in the process of creating this redevelopment plan. What happens in SW Hoboken impacts our entire city, all of us.
Southwest Hoboken Redevelop... by on Scribd
Excerpt from page 42:"6. Redevelopment Plan
6.1 General Plan Components
This Redevelopment Plan is designed to build upon some of the existing uses of the Southwest Rehabilitation Area, from wallpaper manufacturing to art galleries to gyms and dance studios to co-working business spaces. The Plan envisions a dynamic neighborhood in which to live, work, and play. The area is to have additional open space to bring people together and retail and microbrewery type of businesses for gathering. As well, circulation improvements will ensure safe travel for all modes of transportation.
The final development scenario of this Redevelopment Plan is based on Alternative Scenario #2, which is outlined as follows:
- Expansion of Southwest Resiliency Park
- Retention of urban manufacturing and commercial uses
- Increase neighborhood retail opportunities
- Minimize vehicular conflicts and congestion impacts on pedestrian-bicycle mobility through alleyways and supplemental accesses/streets.
- Limit residential intensity to be consistent with typical Hoboken neighborhoods, with a density of 660 SF of lot area per unit (66 du per acre), but allow building heights to be increased to address site constraints such as accommodating access to alleyways or enabling the expansion of Southwest Resiliency Park."
It's important for folks to understand what a redevelopment plan is. It's not a mere suggestion. It's actually zoning established by the City Council after an exhaustive planning process. The SW plan was adopted after an exhaustive planning process that considered all relevant factors, with a particular concern being the traffic problems that are only going to get worse no matter what we do because of JC's development plans on our southern border.
ReplyDeleteIt differs from regular zoning because it doesn't permit projects to be built "as of right" and the zoning board does not have jurisdictions to grant varaiances. The designated redeveloper negotiates the actual project proposal with the City and nothing can be built unless a redeveloper agreement is entered into for the actual project, that is approved by the Mayor and a majority of the City Council.
It's common for the redevelopment plan to be amended when a redevelopment agreement is entered into to accommodate unforseen details included in the actual project. In essence amendments to the plan are variances granted by the Mayor and the City Council rather than by the ZBA.
Back in the day, the ZBA used to give out variances like candy, giving developers massive upzones and making a mockery out of our zoning code.
Academy's "proposal" is a request for exactly that kind of wildly out of scale variance through the redevelopment process, with the "deciders" being the mayor and the City Council rather than the ZBA.
It would "spot zone" Academy's property with a 227% increase in residential density from the redevelopment zoning proposed by Mayor Zimmer and unanimously approved by the City Council in 2017. It would make a farce out of the entire planning process and return us to the days when planning was for show with the real decisions being made in back room deals with developers.
One of Mayor Zimmer's most important accomplishments was changing the way we do redevelopment from a developer centric process to a real community planning process.
Those of us who believe that corruption and over-development go hand in hand hoped, for the sake of our city's future, that this would also be one if her more enduring accomplishments.
Both the scale of Academy's proposal and the process through which it was developed are throw backs to the bad old days. How Mayor Bhalla handles this will be a defining moment of his mayoralty.
The City can help the school district achieve it's facilities needs by incorporating those needs into its full holistic planning process led by Chris Brown and the City's community development department. If Superintendent Johnson and Mayor Bhalla have not been doing that they should get started as soon as possible.
A new school building does not require a massive developer upzone that will make a mockery out of our planning process, irreversably damage the SW neighborhood and cause our already debilitating traffic problems to get worse.
Let's be clear. Academy is not offering a "free" school, and those who call it that are either chumps or liars. They are offering the most expensive school imaginable in terms of the damage to our City, and the message it will send to the development community is that Hoboken is once again for sale for pennies on the dollar.
Ah, memories... (speaking of giving out variances like candy)... In my ZBA days (2010-2013) I recall frustration at some Applications that had received preliminary site plan approvals on height and density back in 2007 or 2009. One of them was the Trader Joe building (approved), and another in the 4th Ward (not approved), there were others.
ReplyDeleteThe entire north end of Hoboken has yet to be planned. There is no reason why a new middle school couldn't be incorporated into the planning process, especially since that area already has plenty of open space so a school could be a better "give back" in that location.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, the substation north of the skyclub will be decommissioned when the new substation project up north is completed. The City will own that land, which would make a perfect location for a new school. I'm sure no one would object if the City donated that land to the district. And while someone would have to pay to build the new school, the state subsidizes half the cost if the bond issue is approved by referendum. I'm sure the district and the City could figure out how to pay for the rest of the cost. District's across the state are
Districts across the state are taking advantage of the state matching funds. There's no reason Hoboken couldn't as well. The school wouldn't be free - nothing in life is - but it would be affordable and it would be far cheaper for all of Hoboken than a "free" school paid for with a $100 million upzone clogging Hoboken's southern entrance with even more traffic.
"Both the scale of Academy's proposal and the process through which it was developed are throw backs to the bad old days. How Mayor Bhalla handles this will be a defining moment of his mayoralty.:
DeleteAMEN!
I live in the 4th. No effing way will that monstrosity be built even if I have to fund the lawsuit myself. Which I can and will do if necessary. This is the ultimate bait and switch. The politicians should be forewarned, the 4th Ward is no longer a dumping ground. I feel betrayed already with the approval that DeFusco touted in JC. Where was the City Representative to raise objections? JC gets the tax ratables and Hoboken gets all of the headaches. Unbelievable. How come there was no notice from City Hall OR the Council to the residents - there is blame all the way around on this issue, but especially the traitorous machinations of Defusco. Any hope that he had to carry the 4th Ward in a mayoralty race has evaporated.
I don't think a lawsuit can stop this - but political advocacy can.
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ReplyDeleteDon't worry, I'm sure the fourth ward guardian David Mello will roll up his sleeves and take care of business.
ReplyDeleteWhy the slam on Mello he is no longer in office ? The real question is where the hell is the 4th Ward Councilman Ruben Ramos and why ain't he doing his job ?
DeleteBecause Ramos is most likely angling for his own slice of that pie.
DeleteI've heard the school would be built by Academy but that the District wouldn't own it. The District would lease it from Academy and pay a fair market rent like Elysian Charter School does with the school it leases from Larry Bijou. If that's true - the "give back" would only be the investment made by Academy in the cost of construction. They would actually recoup that cost over time from the rent so they really wouldn't be "giving back" anything. Eventually, they'd actually make a profit. And the District (ie the Hoboken taxpayer) would pay rent every year for their not so "free" school.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if that's true. Does anybody know?
If it is then this would really be the con of the century. We give them 250 additional units in exchange for the district getting the opportunity to lease a school building for a market rent. And the SW park when fully built is actually reduced from 3 acres to 2, though I guess we save some $$ by not buying the acre Mayor Zimmer was trying to buy. Wow - what a friggin great deal!
In addition, the existing plan has 19 affordable units (only 173 market rate). I bet the 439 units Academy wants are all market rate. Since our law requires a 10% set aside for affordable housing you'd have to add 48 affordable units getting it up to 487 units total.
Of course you'd have to then dramatically upzone all the other property owners in the zone since legally they have to treated equally. Add in a requirement that the project be built by union labor, which Mayor Bhalla has committed to and.....
The more you look at this the more insane it gets. I think pretty much everyone supports giving our school district the resources that it needs to grow and for our children to succeed. But that doesn't mean we should volunteer to be the mark in Academy Bus's big con.
"I heard" ? It is unfortunate the Dr. Johnson couldn't be transparent , open and honest with the residents of Hoboken. I had hoped for better.
DeleteI didn't mean to imply Dr. Johnson misled anyone - i don't think she has.
DeleteBecause of the odd way this came to light, there's just alot we don't know. I'm confident that Dr. Johnson will be fully transparent about what the district is actually supposed to get if this plan is ever actually considered.
Hopefully, this plan will die a quick death so none if this will matter.
And maybe some good will come out of this and Dr. Johnson and Mayor Bhalla will communicate better going forward to achieve positive results for both the City and the District. There are many sharks in the Hoboken development waters and without talking to someone with real knowledge of the history and the players it's easy to get drawn in and burned.
There were sins of commission and sins of omission.
DeleteIt's too bad Hoboken is in this predicament. We had enough inventory for school buildings, but they were illegally sold, and one, the Citadel, is where the infamous Raia makes his home. What is up with the curb cuts and sidewalk there? Likewise, the HoLa "charter" school should never have been given the keys to the Boys and Girls Club at the expense of underserved minority children.
ReplyDeleteIt's too late for all that, but one thing Hoboken should not be doing, is making deals with developers for public schools.
It was short-sighted for the Mayor to agree to union labor if it's not a requirement of a given project. Probably shades of things to come for his reelection and the rail yard proposals, and we also don't need more low income housing, but should oust the people in places like Church Towers who can afford market rate. Problem solved.