Will Hoboken Public Safety Complex Be Built On Poggi Property? Meeting Wednesday

HOBOKEN, NJ — The city of Hoboken has scheduled a Zoom meeting for 7 p.m. Wednesday to discuss a potential public safety/recreation complex at the city's northern end. The project would involve acquiring a private property whose owner said he doesn't want to sell.

The facility would include a new headquarters for the Hoboken Police Department and Hoboken Fire Department, a community center, and an uptown branch of the Hoboken Public Library.

The city would also build a public works garage and recreation complex.

"An uptown library branch would bring people together in a fully accessible, flexible, modern space for all-age events, classes, and community services," noted a newsletter from the Hoboken Library this week, encouraging people to attend the Wednesday meeting.

The mayor told the City Council last week that "1501 Adams St. is an ideal location for a modern public works facility, community center, and public safety headquarters."

The mayor has said that the older police and fire departments cost the city millions of dollars per year in upgrades and repairs.

A new public works facility will be needed in the next few years. Open space fans were relieved last year when the city negotiated a complex settlement with Ironstate Development, a private developer, to keep Ironstate from building residential towers on the northern waterfront. In exchange, Ironstate will get to build housing on the site of the city's present municipal garage near the city's southern border — and the city will have to build a new garage elsewhere.

But should that new garage be built on the site of the former Poggi Press? Charlie Poggi said his grandfather started Poggi Press on 15th Street in Hoboken in 1928. He said he was in talks with the city last year, and then those talks stopped. He said he doesn't want to be left out of the process.

The city hopes to get feedback on the project at the meeting Wednesday.

Mayor Bhalla gave a long briefing to the City Council, explaining the process, what the city hopes to build at the site, and why. See the mayor's communication here.

To register for the meeting, go to https://bit.ly/3vTYFRO.

Learn more about the development settlement here.

Did you know? You can input your zip code and email to get breaking news alerts in Hoboken or for a daily 6 a.m. email with local news. Sign up with your zip code here and you'll get an email asking for your preferences.

Get a free 6 a.m. newsletter with news in Hoboken: https://patch.com/subscribe