Hoboken Issues Stop Work Order To NY Waterway At Dry Dock

HOBOKEN, NJ — The City of Hoboken has issued a stop work order to NY Waterway to halt ferry maintenance operations at the Union Dry Dock site, Mayor Ravinder Bhalla announced earlier this week.

NY Waterway – which owns the property at 901 Sinatra Drive – plans to build a ferry maintenance and refueling depot there, claiming it will enhance transportation, public security and property values on the Hudson River waterfront. But some city officials and activists have vocally opposed the project, which one community member likened to “putting a Port Authority bus station in the middle of a playground.”

Federal authorities granted key permits to NY Waterway to proceed with the project in December 2018.

• See related article: Ferry Company Gets Permit For Controversial Hoboken Depot

However, on Wednesday, Bhalla said that after intervention from the office of Governor Phil Murphy, NY Waterway has agreed to temporarily cease its operations.

“We look forward to working cooperatively with the governor’s team to find solutions that advance the best interests of Hoboken residents,” Bhalla stated.

The mayor added that he plans to continue to take “all necessary actions” to preserve the Union Dry Dock for public open space.

“Hoboken residents deserve a park, not a ferry refueling depot,” Bhalla stated. “We need to do everything possible to protect our environment and our waterfront.”

A NY Waterway spokesperson declined to comment for this article.

Local nonprofit Fund for a Better Waterfront, whose members have been vocal critics of the project, praised the stop work order on Thursday.

“Kudos to Mayor Bhalla yesterday for issuing a stop work order to NY Waterway at the Union Dry Dock site,” the nonprofit stated on social media. “The ferry operator did not have the proper permits to begin ferry repair at the location; plus, it was an act of bad faith, as all parties, as requested by @GovMurphy, are supposed to be ‘standing by’ as they negotiate a solution.”

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Photo: YouTube / NY Waterway