The Union Dry Dock parcel on Frank Sinatra Boulevard in Hoboken — Courtesy: City of Hoboken
By Joshua Burd
The city of Hoboken has all but completed its acquisition of a long-contested, five-acre parcel along the Hudson River, paving the way for new park space and a plan to create uninterrupted public access along the length of its waterfront.
Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla announced the deal last week, noting that Union Dry Dock property at 901 Frank Sinatra Blvd. will help the city achieve a goal that has eluded it for decades. The municipality acquired the unused parcel through condemnation, pursuant to a Superior Court judge’s order, as it works to finalize a temporary lease agreement with New York Waterway to allow the ferry operator to continue to use the property in the near term.
“Make no mistake about it, the Union Dry Dock property is now in the hands of the city of Hoboken,” Bhalla sad. “This is truly a historic day for our residents, and I’m beyond thrilled that the entirety of our waterfront is now in our control and that we can once and for all plan for public open space and connect our treasured waterfront. This day couldn’t have happened without the steadfast support of our many residents and advocates, including the Fund for a Better Waterfront, who made their voices heard loud and clear that Hoboken deserves nothing less than a waterfront park. I look forward to working with our community on a design our residents can be proud of in the coming months.”
Bhalla on Dec. 7 detailed a series of steps as part of the eminent domain process and the transaction with New York Waterway, which reportedly had purchased it in 2017 to create a new ferry maintenance and fueling facility. He said the city, which deposited the appraised amount of $13.36 million, recorded a Declaration of Taking with the Hudson County Register, allowing it to effectively acquire title and ownership of the property.
Additionally, the temporary lease with New York Waterway will allow it to dock a portion of its fleet while it redevelops and expands its current ferry operations at an alternate location.
Bhalla — who also thanked Gov. Phil Murphy, state Sen. Brian P. Stack, the city council and New York Waterway for their roles in the deal — said his office will initiate a public planning process to determine the park’s public amenities and features. The city has since released a request for proposals from professional design firms.
“The fact that the city of Hoboken has acquired Union Dry Dock is an historic turn of events,” said Ron Hine, executive director of the Fund for a Better Waterfront. “This site, inaccessible to the public for more than a century, will add more than three acres to Hoboken’s waterfront park and complete one of the final missing gaps in a continuous park at the water’s edge first proposed by FBW in 1990. Kudos to Mayor Bhalla and his administration, and all the many community advocates who helped make this happen.”
The final acquisition price of the property will be determined by the courts, or an agreed to amount if the city and New York Waterway are able to negotiate a final price through the condemnation process, Bhalla said in the municipality’s news release.
