NJ Transit Vote On Union Dry Dock In Hoboken Postponed

HOBOKEN, NJ — The battle over the Union Dry Dock in Hoboken will have to wait for another day. On Wednesday, lacking a quorum, the NJ Transit Board of Directors canceled a public meeting that included a planned vote on whether to purchase the Union Dry Dock property and lease it back to NY Waterway for use as a ferry maintenance and refueling facility.

NJ Transit issued a notice for a rescheduled board meeting at 10 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 12.

The rescheduled meeting didn’t stop recently elected Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla from declaring the day a “tremendous victory.”

“Hitting the pause button on this rushed and ill-conceived plan provides NJ Transit the opportunity, under the leadership of the incoming Murphy administration, to begin a deliberative and transparent planning process that considers input from all stakeholders, including the public,” Bhalla said. “Any further attempts to subvert this process will be met with fierce resistance from me, and I pledge to use every resource at my disposal to protect Hoboken’s interests.”

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In November, the Hoboken City Council greenlighted an ordinance on second reading to authorize the use of eminent domain for the acquisition of the Union Dry Dock site at 901 Sinatra Drive to use as "open space."

The ability to wield eminent domain – which allows government entities to force the sale of land at a "fair price" for the public good – may prove important in the city’s struggle with NJ Transit and its current owner, NY Waterway, over the Dry Dock property.

• See related article: Hoboken Council Greenlights Eminent Domain For Dry Dock

State-owned property is immune to seizure by a municipality, so NJ Transit's purchase of the property from NY Waterway would trump the city's effort, NJ.com reported.

NY Waterway executives have blasted the city’s attempts to block the transaction, charging that there is a vital public interest in the plan to use the property as a ferry maintenance and refueling facility.

"We carry more than 30,000 passengers a day across the Hudson River on a fleet of 33 ferryboats,” NY Waterway Chairman of the Board Armand Pohan said following the city council’s authorization of eminent domain.

“Approximately 2,000 of those passengers are Hoboken residents who use our terminal facilities at the Hoboken train station and at 14th Street,” Pohan said. “And when the public systems fail, we are the go-to option, cross-honoring PATH and NJ Transit tickets when requested under agreements with those agencies.”

• See related article: Should Taxpayers Subsidize Ferry Rides Across The Hudson River?

According to Pohan:

"For the past 30 years, we have maintained our fleet of ferryboats in Weehawken. This has been possible because undeveloped upland has been available for our use. The last undeveloped piece of upland, however, is about to be developed by its owner, Lennar Properties, and has created for us an urgent need to find a new location. When you look at a map of the ferry system, the most logical central location for a marine maintenance facility is that which already exists at the Union Dry Dock property. What could be better than a waterfront property that has existed as a shipyard for at least 130 years?”

• See related article: Should Hoboken Authorize Eminent Domain For Union Dry Dock? (Zimmer Thinks So)

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Photo: City of Hoboken