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The Shipyard goes for the KO against the City of Hoboken on the Monarch Project

MILE SQUARE VIEW EXCLUSIVE

It’s an early cold January day but the battle over the Monarch development is heating up already and Applied Development, parent company of The Shipyard entered the holiday season with a shot across the bow of the City of Hoboken issuing a late December letter from its attorney calling for the Mayor and other members of the Planning Board to stand down and recuse themselves from voting on the project when it comes before the controlling city agency.

The letter issued by the legal firm of Connell Foley to the Planning Board Chair Ann Graham calls for four members of the Planning Board: Mayor Dawn Zimmer, Director Brandy Forbes, the mayor’s designee and the chair to “disqualify themselves” from voting on the project as they have taken “positions” in “opposition to the application.”

Residents of the adjoining property at the Hudson Tea Building have become vocal in opposition to the plan for construction of two 11 story buildings that would block most of their eastern view to New York City, among them New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning.

MSV will follow up this exclusive breaking story with more complete coverage.
The complete unedited letter from The Shipyard’s attorney and attachments follow.

Applied (the Shipyard) vs. City of Hoboken

Talking Ed Note: This is the beginning of a likely protracted battle. The Shipyard does have an existing agreement to build a structure largely along the lines they seek on the pier in the northeast corner of town.  It was described by a source outside of the mayor’s administration as “giving away the store,” under an earlier administration.

The City Council voted against the project in a ceremonial vote late last year where Councilwoman Beth Mason joined with council members in an unanimous vote.  Earlier she was silent even with a constituent’s request to address the matter resulting in a letter to the Hudson Reporter on her silence.  The letter noted the contradictory information she was pumping out to the public on the sale of the hospital while ignoring a real issue in the second ward leading some to seek Mason’s recall.  MSV has not joined in that request instead asking for Beth Mason’s resignation.

Last May, Beth Mason was re-elected as second ward councilwoman narrowly avoiding a runoff while tallying less votes than in her 2007 win.  People on all sides of the political divide note she lost her base entirely but managed to hold her seat with Old Guard backing  in Applied owned buildings in the second ward.  Some conclude her late public position against the Monarch project, although non-binding came only after her re-election.

More to come.

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