Amendment Frees Hoboken From Potentially Unchecked Pier Development

Hoboken will retain control over the destiny of its piers even if a bill that would override federal regulations and permit residential and commercial development on piers in high-risk flood zones passes the legislature.

Assemblyman Vincent Prieto (D-Secaucus), one of A-3933's primary sponsors, proposed an amendment to the bill Thursday that makes it applicable only to municipalities that first pass an ordinance permitting development on a pier in a coastal high hazard area. As a result, Hoboken can choose not to opt in to the changes proposed in the bill, which has already passed the Senate and appears likely to pass the Assembly in short order.

Mayor Dawn Zimmer, a staunch opponent of the bill, who had written both Prieto and his Assembly colleague Ruben Ramos (D-Hoboken) asking them to amend the legislation to exempt Hoboken, said she was pleased that her voice had been heard.

"A huge thank you to Senator Sacco and Assemblyman Prieto for listening to my concerns and working with me to craft an amendment that will help protect Hoboken's waterfront," Zimmer said Friday.

The mayor wrote Prieto last Monday asking that Hoboken be formally exempted from the legislation, noting her opposition was "based on our experience with the numerous infrastructure problems and costs associated with waterfront development and our experience with Hurricane Sandy and other flood events."

Zimmer also said Hoboken's economic vitality did not necessitate it opening up development on waterfront piers.

"While some municipalities might arguably need to expand their waterfront development in order to revitalize their communities, Hoboken very clearly does not," she wrote. "Developers are anxious to build throughout our mile square City, including in several redevelopment and rehabilitation zones near our Western border far from our waterfront. Hoboken therefore will receive no benefit whatsoever from the legislation which would deprive our city of the ability to make its own decisions in the best interest of our residents."

Ramos, who is contesting Zimmer in this year's mayoral race but agrees with her on this issue, was the only member of the Assembly's Environment and Solid Waste Committee who opposed the bill in a pre-amendment committee vote last week. His chief of staff, Margaret DeVico, said the assemblyman had also pushed Prieto to amend the bill to exclude Hoboken.

Ron Hine, executive director of the Fund for a Better Waterfront, which opposes privatization of Hoboken's waterfront, applauded the amendment for its wide-reaching impact that extends well beyond the Mile Square City's waterfront.

"The amendment dramatically narrows the scope of this thing. It certainly has made a huge difference," he said Friday. "We thought it was just going to carve out Hoboken, but it’s much broader than that...The way they rewrote it was really quite clever."

The amended version of A-3933 is expected to to come up for a final vote in the Assembly next week.