15 Environmental Groups Say ‘No Ferry Facility’ Near Hoboken Cove

HOBOKEN, NJ — More than a dozen environmental advocacy groups in New Jersey have united in a common cause: keeping a proposed ferry facility away from Hoboken Cove.

Last week, 15 environmental groups sent a letter to Gov. Phil Murphy, asking for his support in a long-running fight against NY Waterway.

NY Waterway wants to turn the Union Dry Dock property in Hoboken – which it owns – into a ferry repair and maintenance facility. The company claims it would enhance transportation, public security and property values on the Hudson River waterfront. But many community members have dug in their heels against the proposed location of the new facility, demanding that the area be used for open space instead.

• See related article: Hoboken Council Makes 2 Big Moves On Waterfront Development
• See related article: Court Rules Against Ferry Company On Hoboken Lawsuit

On Aug. 8, the activists urged Murphy and state officials to be the ones to decide where the proposed ferry facility ends up… not NY Waterway.

“This site is the final missing link to completing the 30-year vision of a continuous publicly accessible waterfront along the Hudson River coast,” they wrote. “The ferry operator plans to operate 18 hours a day, seven days per week, making an estimated 80 ferry trips daily to and from the depot. Most of these ferries operate with Tier 1 diesel engines, the most polluting class of marine engines. In addition, the city estimates that ferry crews commuting to work will be making 240 vehicular trips to the Hoboken waterfront.”

The activists continued:

“Exhaustive studies completed by NJ Transit (2009, Ferry Berthing and Maintenance Facility — Alternate Site Analysis) as well as the City of Hoboken (2018, Boswell Engineering) identified there are multiple sites more suitable than the Union Dry Dock at Hoboken Cove property. Both studies ranked first, by a considerable margin, the Hoboken Terminal, formerly known as the Erie Lackawanna Station. This 80-acre property, one of New Jersey’s premier multi-modal transportation hubs, is owned by NJ Transit and designated for transportation and maintenance purposes.”

Signatories included representatives from Fund for a Better Waterfront, NYNJ Baykeeper, Hudson River Waterfront Conservancy, Tri-State Transportation Campaign, Friends of Liberty State Park, American Littoral Society, Environment New Jersey, Hackensack Riverkeeper, NJ Environmental Lobby, New Jersey League of Conservation Voters, New Jersey Sierra Club, Hudson River Fishermen’s Association, Surfrider Foundation, Waterkeeper Alliance and New Jersey Conservation Foundation. (Read their full letter below)

A NY Waterway spokesperson disputed the groups’ allegations on Monday.

“NY Waterway’s plan protects the cove [and] adds a kayak launch and fishing pier, making the cove much more user-friendly than it ever has been,” the spokesperson told Patch.

Previously, NY Waterway founder Arthur Imperatore wrote that the company will not operate ferries or dock at Hoboken Cove, and will allow residents full use of the cove.

“We will improve Hoboken Cove for recreational boaters and fishermen, with a 430-foot wave attenuator to protect the cove, a kayak launch and a fishing pier – all at our own expense,” Imperatore stated.

Imperatore pointed out the company is paying taxes on the Union Dry Dock site, even though Hoboken is blocking it from operating there.

• See related article: Hoboken Issues Stop Work Order To NY Waterway At Dry Dock

“Maintaining our ferry fleet without land access is an impossible situation,” Imperatore stated. “It must be rectified if NY Waterway is to continue operating at the high level of service, including emergency service, on which the people of Hoboken, Hudson County and their leaders have come to rely.”

“NY Waterway must have the Union Dry Dock site and Hoboken taxpayers will be happy to have us,” Imperatore summarized. “We will be a willing and able partner to all of the residents of Hoboken.”

NY Waterway officials shared the following site plan for the proposed facility in April. (Story continues below)

‘PRESERVE THE DRY DOCK AS PUBLIC SPACE’

Here's the full text of the Aug. letter from the 15 environmental groups to Gov. Murphy:

“Thank you for your support in getting the S-1074 bill approved and signed into legislation. We are thrilled the bill broadens the public’s access to beaches and waterfront areas, enshrining into state law the public trust doctrine, a principle that holds that natural resources such as tidal waters and waterfronts are preserved for public use.

“With this law now in place we ask you to honor its purpose and protect Hoboken Cove, the only natural sand beach on either side of the Hudson River south of the George Washington Bridge. For the past 30 years, the citizens of Hoboken and its elected officials have embodied the spirit of S-1074 in working together to create a contiguous, public waterfront park, going well beyond the state’s requirement for a 30-foot public walkway along the Hudson River. This has required an investment of tens of millions of dollars in private and public funds. There is only one missing link to completing the waterfront park’s 30 year vision, the former site of the Union Dry Dock located at Hoboken Cove. Since 2017, the City of Hoboken has committed to acquiring the site for public access, connecting Castle Point Park to Maxwell Place Park.

“Hoboken Cove is an ecologically sensitive, intertidal zone where horseshoe crabs lay their eggs, diamondback terrapins can be found and scores of migratory fish have been identified. It is the home of the Hoboken Cove Community Boathouse, a volunteer organization that puts over 6,000 kayakers into this protected part of the Hudson River each year. Just to the south of the Union Dry Dock is a popular public fishing pier and a skateboard park, one of the few in the region. There is a children’s playground nearby at Maxwell Place Park where kids pass the day on swings and slides. Scores of runners, walkers and bicyclers utilize the multi-purpose path on a daily basis. In summary, the waterfront park at Hoboken Cove is a living breathing example of what the S-1074 legislation stands for.

“Preserving Hoboken Cove for public use is now under attack with New York Waterway proposing to locate a ferry maintenance, refueling and berthing facility at the Union Dry Dock site. As stated this site is the final missing link to completing the 30 year vision of a continuous publicly accessible waterfront along the Hudson River coast. The ferry operator plans to operate 18 hours a day, 7 days per week, making an estimated 80 ferry trips daily to and from the depot. Most of these ferries operate with Tier 1 diesel engines, the most polluting class of marine engines. In addition, the City estimates that ferry crews commuting to work will be making 240 vehicular trips to the Hoboken waterfront. In summary, NYWW’s proposed use of the Hoboken Cove Union Dry Dock site is the antithesis of what S-1074 stands for.

“In addition, exhaustive studies completed by NJ Transit (2009, Ferry Berthing and Maintenance Facility — Alternate Site Analysis) as well as the City of Hoboken (2018, Boswell Engineering) identified there are multiple sites more suitable than the Union Dry Dock at Hoboken Cove property. Both studies ranked first, by a considerable margin, the Hoboken Terminal, formerly known as the Erie Lackawanna Station. This 80-acre property, one of New Jersey’s premier multi-modal transportation hubs, is owned by NJ Transit and designated for transportation and maintenance purposes.

“We the undersigned, on behalf of the citizens and elected officials of Hudson County, urge you to show the people of NJ that not only did you sign the S-1074 legislation you are enforcing it and putting it into action in protecting Hoboken Cove allowing the City of Hoboken to finalize a 30 year vision of giving the waterfront back to the people. NYWW can locate its ferry maintenance, berthing and refueling operations at Hoboken Terminal as detailed in the plans developed by NJ Transit in 2009, without interfering with any public use of the waterfront. The Hudson River Waterfront Walkway is routed through the train station at this location where it connects the public walk in Jersey City to Hoboken.

“The decision on where to locate this ferry maintenance facility must be made by the State of New Jersey, not a private ferry operator. The facts as stated above should make this an easy decision for you to make. Show the people of NJ the S-1074 legislation is more than a signature, it’s a living breathing vision that will be brought to life.”

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