Politics & Government

Local Business Owner Sues City

Holds a lease to the city's temporary garage on 1714 Willow Ave.

One more lawsuit related to the municipal garage is looming for the city. 

Mike Stigliano, the co-owner of doggy day care Hoboken Unleashed, filed suit against the city on Friday afternoon. Stigliano's goal is to remove the city's municipal vehicles from the property on 1714 Willow Ave.—which Hoboken currently occupies as a temporary public works garage—because he already holds a long term lease to that property.

He's also asking the city to reimburse him, and his business partner Peter Lin, for damages and legal fees. It's still unclear how much that will be, Stigliano said. 

Find out what's happening in Hobokenwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"I make monthly payments that guarantee that no one else can lease the property without my consent," said Stigliano. He added that he had not given his consent to the city, or its attorneys. Stigliano wouldn't say how much his monthly payments are, or when he plans to move to the location, but said that the city's presence interferes with his timeline. 

"Everything about my business is location," said Stigliano, 31. "Everything we've built is in jeopardy."

Find out what's happening in Hobokenwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The city moved into 1714 Willow over the past week and a half, because it had to remove its vehicles from the Observer Highway location, as part of a $25.5 million deal with development firm S. Hekemian Group. The closing didn't go through, but the city still vacated the premises on Friday around 4 p.m.

Stigliano, who has lived in Hoboken for the past seven years, said he plans to create a pet resort 1714 Willow Ave. Before being able to move there, Stigliano needs the approval from the city's Zoning Board to create a pet resort there. 

"I'm just extremely wary that my business is in jeopardy here," said Stigliano. Stigliano said that if he doesn't get access to the building, he'll have to move his business out of town. 

The location on 1714 Willow, is owned by Willow Enterprises LLC and was recently listed on a commercial real estate website for $9,000 a month. The city, however, is paying $15,000 monthly.

The issue was first brought up at Wednesday's City Council meeting when one member of the public informed the council of the situation. Council still approved to use the site for shared services with Weehawken 8-0.

The agreement with Weehawken is initially for 60 days, with the option of two 180-day extensions (which amounts to about a year).  Weehawken has not moved into the property yet, but city officials have predicted that the township will use roughly 25 percent of the space, and pay a fourth of the $15,000 rent. 

During the meeting, Corporation Counsel Michael Kates acknowledged that the administration was aware of Stigliano's lease and reached out to him. Kates said that the city's current move to that site does not interfere with Stigliano's interest, because it's for 60 days only.

But, Kates said also that the city would be interested in a long-term solution at the location. That will have to be approved by City Council after the 60-day period. 

The option of the city's long term presence at the site is exactly what worries Stigliano. What he wants, he said, is "pursue my dream in the building." That dream is a full-on resort, where people can leave their pets in luxury when they go on vacation. 

"There are thousands of dogs in town," said Stigliano, "you'd figure the town would want to provide that."

Hoboken Unleashed is currently located at 716 Clinton St. Stigliano said that he will have to move out of that location in the near future, because his landlord has other plans (he didn't say when). Hoboken Unleashed has 17 employees and a total of about 1,000 customers, said Stigliano, who has owned the business for 3,5 years. 

Stigliano has been in meetings with city officials and participated in a conference call on Friday afternoon, but felt that the city was not responsive to his efforts to negotiate.

The city decided to move to 1714 Willow Ave., after City Council already approved the closing of Clinton Street between 15th and 16th to store its municipal vehicles. Willow Enterprises LLC did not cooperate in the Request for Proposal bidding process for a new site for the municipal garage.

Stigliano and the city (and both parties' attorneys), as well as the building's landlord, are scheduled to appear in court in Hudson Superior Court in Jersey City on Monday at 1:30 p.m.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here