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From the desk of Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher:

Dear Hoboken Neighbors – 
I am THRILLED to announce that the planning process for the North End of hoboken has commenced! Please take the time to respond to this important survey to collect your thoughts on plans for the North End!  And please forward this email to your neighbors as well because more voices are better. www.hobokennj.gov/northendsurvey
The ultimate goal of this process, which will involve future public hearings as well, is to create a comprehensive plan and related zoning updates for the entire North End area to reflect the highest and best use for our City.
I am a member of the Northern Redevelopment Subcommittee (along with Councilmembers Giattino, Cunningham and Bhalla) and have been working with the Administration on this important project. Real estate decisions are permanent – once a project is approved, it cannot be un-approved. As you may have heard me say, we are “one zoning board application (if approved) away” from missing this opportunity to plan something great for our North End. We have one time to get this right for our community. And the time is now. So please take the time to participate and provide your feedback!
For those unaware, currently the area is zoned I-1 (with 2, I-1(w) orphan lots). I-1 zoning generally permits industrial and office (and related) uses with a height limitation of approximately 80 feet. I do not believe anyone wants to see large industrial complexes built here – correct me if you feel differently. That being said, many people have also indicated that they would also not like to see an excessive amount of residential be built either because further increases in population bring further crowding and taxing of our municipal services.
Recently we have not seen any zoning applications for industrial complexes. So far the majority of the applications to the zoning board have included significant residential components which require use variances (which is the most difficult variance to get). And we see this because residential development in Hoboken carries the best reward / risk ratio for developers. Unfortunately, due to our land constraints, it is the opposite for the City – the costs of increased residential are high, without as many offsetting benefits.
Things I would like you to consider as you read and respond to this survey:

Economic development depends on a population that supports its local businesses. Think about how downtown Hoboken thrives vs. uptown Hoboken – uptown Hoboken needs more daytime population to patron our restaurants and shop at our stores. 

Our transportation modes in Hoboken are already at capacity, especially during commuting hours – imagine how long your bus or ferry line will be with more people commuting alongside you in the same direction if we see a significant increase in residential development. 

The North End is currently the only area that does not yet have a public transportation terminal of any sort; however it does have a current (light rail) and future (gateway tunnel) train line that overlap in the northern end of this area, and these train lines further connect to NYC, the Ferry and that Path station.    

We have already seen a 60% increase in Kindergarten and 1st graders in the past 4 years – the limits of our free pre-k 3 and pre-k 4 programs, our schools and our field space for the various recreational activities for children are all being tested with rising population. 

Our public high school was built in 1962. Our amazing Superintendent Dr. Johnson has said she wants Hoboken to be a model Urban School District and a strong public school district is the foundation to a strong community. At some point we need to have a model urban building for our high school, but land is very scarce and options are limited. 

We have the best located land in NJ with multiple, current and future public transportation access points; and we have a diverse labor pool with a range of education and skills. This area is attractive to employers as evidenced by Samsung’s previous interest in moving its headquarters to Hoboken as well as Hilton Hotels interest in coming here; this supports the financial feasibility of building non-residential. 

Non-residential uses contribute to our tax base without using as much of our municipal services. So more dollars in than dollars out which will help keep taxes low. 

Non-residential uses offer more job opportunities to our diverse, local population. Imagine if your commute was just a few short blocks and required no public forms of transportation… ahh the dream…

Read More...

The Hoboken Rotary Club announces:=&1=&=&2=&

Hi MSV readers,

I have some great news to share – Standard & Poor’s Global Ratings reaffirmed Hoboken’s excellent AA+ bond credit rating.  The AA+ rating is the second highest rating it can issue for a municipality.  S&P’s report confirmed Hoboken’s strong financial footing, including our very strong budgetary flexibility, prudent financial management practices, and very strong economy.  Read More...

Two term Councilman Dave Mello responds to rumor of a ticket switch lambasting it as “100% false”

Councilman Dave Mello in a wide-ranging phone interview last night responded to a rumor published on Grafix Avenger he was switching to a Councilman Mike DeFusco council ticket deeming it “100% false.”

There’s rampant speculation DeFusco is preparing a run for mayor this November and could announce as soon as next week or early spring. Three at-large council seats are up this fall and any mayoral candidate would likely have three running mates. Read More...

A press conference officially announcing the entry of Councilman Mike DeFusco into the mayoral sweepstakes come November may be only days away.

That’s the word emanating among limited Old Guard and Reform circles pointing to a downtown press conference as soon as next Friday or Saturday. The councilman declined to comment on an inquiry calling it speculative.

The first ward councilman who ran with the mayor’s endorsement and won a decisive hard fought victory against the entrenched Russo clan’s Terry Castellano is returning to the fold. DeFusco rose through local Democratic Party circles as a protege of the late Maurice Fitzgibbons who masterminded the political rise of former mayor and convicted felon Peter Cammarano. Read More...

=&0=& =&1=& =&2=& =&3=& This morning crews working on the $7 million Washington Street water main upgrade installed the first sections of 12-inch pipe to replace the century-old water mains. As part of the $17.5 million Washington Street redesign project, all of the old water mains from Observer Highway to 15^th Street will be replaced.

“This investment will move Hoboken towards a more resilient and reliable water main system,” said Mayor Dawn Zimmer. “Beyond the initial $12 million investment in our water system that we are making, we are planning to make at least a $5 million investment every year in order to ensure Hoboken has a reliable system. Unfortunately, Hoboken is facing the result of financial mismanagement from the past together with a complete lack of investment in infrastructure going back decades. Now that we have resolved the city’s serious financial problems, we are in a strong position to continue making long-overdue and critically-needed annual investments while also keeping our taxes stable.” Read More...

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There’s been obfuscation, misinformation and outright fabrication about the status of 901 Bloomfield.

The pedigree of misrepresentations are continuing after the toothless resolution put forward by Councilman Mike DeFusco failed last Wednesday. In a Facebook video, DeFusco insists the resolution would encourage putting tools on the table including eminent domain but the City and other council members negated such an option.

There’s only one problem. There’s no such viable option.

Back in December, the 901 Bloomfield owner categorically rejected any additional overtures electing to move ahead with construction now underway while retaining the character of the exterior of the existing structure. Read More...

Sometimes the best laid intentions presented to the public are unmasked in the transparent light of a live meeting. All intentions are not necessarily paved with gold; sometimes it’s politics in search of a prize. As they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder or as here, a would be mayoral candidate.

The saga of the 901 Bloomfield resolution presented by Councilman Mike DeFusco sought some salvation for the church structure offering to explore a swap with the uptown owner who is part of an owners group at a Newark and Willow property. There’s only one problem; the owner had his lawyer send a letter declining any tradeoffs last December and expressed no interest in any larger project offset at Willow St. where 40 feet in additional height would be needed to make up for the loss of economic opportunity uptown. Read More...

Horsey has an audiophile ear and these are very highly rated speakers considered the best in their class for $1,000 or less as originally reviewed in Stereophile.

The all time classic Paradigm Reference Studio 20 Monitor without grill for viewing.

There’s more on their availability here:
https://www.audiogon.com/listings/monitors-paradigm-reference-studio-20-v1-plus-stands-2017-03-02-speakers-07030-hoboken-nj

Selling the speakers with the 37″ stands.

Feel free to contact smartyjones@me.com with questions/inquiries.

When is a property available for sale to the City of Hoboken?

That central question arose with a resolution proposed by Councilman Mike DeFusco who remains unofficially a candidate-in-waiting to take on Mayor Zimmer this fall. As we wait, what do you do when a property owner declines to sell you a lovely piece of land up at 9th and Bloomfield, the site of a once active church? Well you put up a resolution saying the City should nevertheless go ahead and purchase it because it’s the “right thing to do.” The comical antics led to the biggest blow-up since before the decisive council elections in November 2015. The fur was flying. On one side Team DeFusco or what may be a team versus the reality based members of the reform oriented team. The barbs were flying, the hysteria was high, the use of eminent domain threatened (sorta, kinda by Councilman Mike Russo) with the motivation to give the kid a W. It failed 5-4 but it’s the thought that counts. We’ll be back with the entertainment as Hoboken election season is unofficially, officially underway.

Team DeFusco has a moment at the conclusion of the council meeting last night as council members Mike DeFusco and Ruben Ramos share a handshake.