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The long-awaited plan to improve Hoboken Terminal and build new apartments, office space and public amenities nearby took a key step forward with the city’s recent approval of a redevelopment agreement with LCOR, the firm that is spearheading the project.
The Hoboken City Council on July
6 approved the agreement for what
will be known as Hoboken Connect, which would translate to hundreds of millions of dollars in private and public investment. The council vote, which was hailed by NJ Transit and Gov. Phil Murphy’s office, keeps the development on pace to break ground as soon as next year, following more than 15 years of delays and efforts to adapt the plan to several key challenges.
“The Murphy administration is focused on strengthening our state from the inside out,” Acting Gov. Sheila Oliver said after the vote. “We look forward to all the benefits the redevelopment project will bring to the Hoboken community and broader region.”
Plans for the site include a CetraRuddy- designed, 389-unit residential building on Observer Highway, across from
the Bloomfield Street and Washington Street intersections, with 20 percent
of the homes designated for lower- income renters. The project also calls for a 635,000-square-foot office tower at the corner of Hudson Street and Hudson Place, with ground-floor retail space, that will allow employees to
be steps from the terminal and PATH station entrances.
Equally notable will be a sweeping overhaul of the historic Hoboken Terminal, which includes raising the easternmost plaza to protect against flooding from the Hudson River, as well as a plan to restore and activate
the site’s long-dormant ferry terminal building with public-facing uses such as a food hall and event space. Other plans include pedestrian, vehicular and bicycle improvements, including construction of a new bus terminal on Hudson Place and the redevelopment of Warrington Plaza.
“At the start of planning for Hoboken Connect, we aligned with the city
and our partners on our goals for
this redevelopment, which included reactivating a historic, treasured gateway to Hoboken while driving economic development opportunities,
investing in
NJ Transit infrastructure and creating inviting and inclusive public spaces,” said Brian Barry,
a senior vice
president at LCOR. “We’re incredibly grateful to the
public partners who have played an invaluable role in bringing Hoboken Connect to life, including the state
of New Jersey for their strategic investment in public infrastructure funding, the city of Hoboken for undertaking such a thoughtful and thorough review of the project and NJ Transit for their hands-on approach
in helping to guide this multiyear process. We’re looking forward to
our continued engagement with the community over the coming years and look forward to breaking ground on the project in the near future.”
In an announcement July 7, Murphy’s office said the governor has committed $176 million in the Fiscal Year 2023 state budget for the public improvement phase of Hoboken Connect.
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CITY APPROVES KEY PACT FOR HOBOKEN TERMINAL PROJECT
Brian Barry
Plans for Hoboken Connect call for enhancing the area around Hoboken Terminal with uses including a 635,000-square-foot office tower, a 389-unit residential building, open space, infrastructure upgrades and a renovation of the transit hub.
Rendering courtesy: LCOR