Studies Support NY Waterway In War Over Hoboken Ferry Facility

HOBOKEN, NJ — For those wondering if NY Waterway has given up its quest to build a controversial ferry facility on the Hoboken waterfront, the company offered a telling glimpse into their plans for the Union Dry Dock last week.

“We will fight for our God-given right as Americans to protect our property,” said Arthur Imperatore, founder of NY Waterway.

A pair of recently released studies from NJ Transit gave some new weight to NY Waterway’s claims that the best location for a proposed ferry repair and maintenance facility on the Hudson River is the Union Dry Dock in Hoboken.

The project has seen staunch opposition from local residents and environmental groups.

NY Waterway wants to turn the Union Dry Dock property – 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.

In addition to 15 local environmental advocacy groups, the fight to keep a ferry facility from the Dry Dock property has attracted the support of Hudson County elected officials such as Senator Brian Stack, Senator Nick Sacco, County Executive Tom DeGise and Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop.

The Hoboken City Council recently gave a tentative OK to Mayor Ravi Bhalla’s request to use eminent domain to force the sale of the property in the name of the public good.

• See related article: Hoboken Council Makes 2 Big Moves On Waterfront Development

But NJ Transit’s recent studies bolstered the company’s position that the Dry Dock is the logical and practical choice for the new facility.

“These studies ignore politics and tell the truth, despite the lies and abuse our opponents have been spouting,” Imperatore said. “They confirm what we have said for 10 years: Union Dry Dock is the only suitable location for a ferry repair and maintenance facility.”

Imperatore continued:

“We look forward to working with the people of Hoboken to create an attractive facility at Union Dry Dock; to add amenities to make Hoboken Cove more welcoming to recreational boaters and to create a safe and beautiful walkway/bikeway next to the site. If Hoboken politicians, however, persist in their ill-conceived plan to seize Union Dry Dock, they should know that we will fight for our God-given right as Americans to protect our property, our company and especially the 32,000 New Jersey commuters we serve every day.”

Mayor Bhalla criticized the recent studies from NJ Transit, saying that the reports “benefit NY Waterway’s corporate greed at the behest of their multi-millionaire CEO.”

However, Bhalla added that the studies also indicate that Bayonne could support a ferry maintenance facility, a sign that there are other “viable locations” besides the Dry Dock.

“Since we agree that there are other viable locations NY Waterway could use, the only reason for NJ Transit to intervene would be to use taxpayer money to pad the profits of a private company that makes millions off of our commuters,” Bhalla said.

The mayor pointed to a different study done by NJ Transit in 2009, which said Hoboken Terminal and the Bayonne Peninsula are both better suited for a ferry facility than the Dry Dock.

NJ Transit says that “conditions have changed” since the 2009 study was done, including the discovery that piers and pilings at Hoboken Terminal have “degraded” in the past decade. In addition, Jersey City officials have objected that a ferry facility in South Hoboken would adversely affect plans for residential high-rise developments in the area.

• See related article: Hoboken's Pier A Needs Repairs, Has 'Degradation'

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WHAT’S THE BEST SPOT FOR THE FERRY FACILITY?

The NJ Transit-sponsored studies released last week are a big departure from a city-sponsored study released in November 2018.

• See related article: Study Names Best Spots For Proposed Ferry Station In Hoboken

That study – done by Boswell Engineering – analyzed 24 properties from the George Washington Bridge to the New York Bay in Bayonne, ultimately focusing on the five “most feasible locations”:

• Hoboken South (Lakawanna Terminal)
• Bayonne Peninsula
• Binghamton Ferry Site
• Union Dry Dock
• Port Imperial Ferry Terminal

But NJ Transit’s recent research suggests the best spot for the ferry facility is the Union Dry Dock, after all.

In addition to its “degrading” piers, one alternate site for the ferry facility – Hoboken Terminal – would create a security risk to terrorist attacks and is too vulnerable to storms, the studies say.

“An accident at the proposed location could shut down every mode of public transportation and create safety and congestion issues throughout two states,” the study claims.

The 80-acre property, one of New Jersey's busiest multi-modal transportation hubs, is owned by NJ Transit. (Read the full report)

The second study – done by the New Jersey Department of Transportation, WSP Inc. and KPFF Consulting Engineers for NJ Transit – throws water on the idea of locating the proposed facility in Bayonne.

That location would be too expensive to build, coming in somewhere between $34.3 million and $47.9 million. It would also saddle NY Waterway with an additional $2.8 million to $3.3 million in annual operating costs, the study says.

Building the proposed ferry facility at the Union Dry Dock would cost NY Waterway from $9.3 million to $10.6 million, and have zero additional operational costs, the study says. (Read the full report)

“In 2010, the region hosted eight drydock facilities,” researchers wrote. “Three have closed and a fourth (NYWW Weehauken) will close soon.”

According to the study, ferries require specialized facilities that can’t be handled at larger shipyards like the Bayonne Dry Dock. In addition, most remaining undeveloped waterfront land in the area is targeted for commercial or residential use.

“Preserving and improving historic industrial marine properties is best available option,” researchers stated.

HOBOKEN CITY OFFICIALS: NOT SO FAST

On Tuesday, Boswell Engineering released a new report responding to the claims in the NJ Transit studies. (Read the full report)

According to city officials, Boswell’s updated report notes the studies did not analyze several factors that could make Hoboken Terminal or Bayonne viable compared to Union Dry Dock. For example, the studies didn't account for resiliency planning efforts at Hoboken Terminal and noted unsubstantiated claims of a “homeland security threat,” among other conclusions.

"As the Boswell report once again indicates, Hoboken Terminal and Bayonne are viable alternatives and far better suited than a location in the middle of a residential neighborhood," Mayor Bhalla said.

"Locating Union Dry Dock for a ferry refueling and maintenance facility would go against the professional advice of engineers, environmentalists, and the wishes of thousands of Hoboken residents who overwhelmingly want a waterfront park at the location."

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