The Hoboken Southwest Parks Coalition has commenced litigation against the redevelopment zone for its neighborhood. Our goal is to ensure that a voice for park space and balanced development is clearly part of the planning process for the southwest area. The organization takes this step reluctantly, but feels it is the only option to make certain that the City and its chosen developers proceed with sufficient input from the community, using the Master Plan as a basis for development.
“Without our input, we fear the result will be parks like the benches behind the Shop-Rite parking lot, rather than the type of real recreational open space that our community needs so desperately,” said Stan Grossbard, an active member of the Hoboken Southwest Parks Coalition. “We call on the Mayor and the City Council to agree to a legally binding framework that commits the City to work openly with the southwest community in the development process.”“Unfortunately landscaping rather than recreational open space will result if the City and developers make all the decisions without community input,” explains Dave Mello, a longtime resident of Hoboken and member of the Hoboken Southwest Parks Coalition. “This dispute can be quickly resolved if the City will legally and officially open up the development process, giving the community a clear voice at the decision making table.”
Hoboken’s Master Plan calls for almost seven acres of open space within the recently established redevelopment zone for southwest Hoboken. The Master Plan has been adopted by the City as the governing vision of its future. Its implementation has been publicly supported by Mayor Roberts and every member of the City Council, and therefore the Hoboken Southwest Parks Coalition feels strongly that the Master Plan should be the basis for all future development.
The Master Plan envisions a City that maximizes its resources, providing its residents not only with a place to live, but with a place to enjoy in which they can raise their families. It envisions a Hoboken where 25-year old singles do not have to compete with families for the use of recreational space, which is currently inadequate for either group.
On June 28, the City Council listened to the people of Hoboken and agreed to study approximately 7 acres in Southwest Hoboken for potential acquisition for open space. “We commend the City Council for taking this first very preliminary step towards implementing the Master Plan, and hope we can work together to ensure that the Master Plan’s vision becomes our reality,” said Stan Grossbard.
Press Release 7/31/2006: Hoboken Southwest Parks Coalition Appeals Redevelopment Zone (PDF)
