NJ Transit and developer LCOR says Hoboken Terminal & Rail Yard Redevelopment will include flood wall to protect Hoboken

Developers of the New Jersey Hoboken Terminal and Rail Yard Redevelopment say their development will provide a permanent flood barrier at the south end of Hoboken envisioned by Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer.

The Crossing at Hoboken Terminal Principals:

LCOR and NJ Transit have revised their plans, following Hurricane Sandy, adding new $15 million worth of flood prevention measures they say will help protect the city from flooding from the south,  including the Long Slip Canal.

The development would be built on New Jersey rail yards, with four blocks of residential development stacked above ground floor retail stores on the eastern end of Observer Highway. The tallest residential building would reach up to 265 feet high. 

At the western portion of Observer Highway there would be four blocks of office buildings anchored by a 348-foot tower above the PATH station at the Hoboken Terminal. There would also be retail space on the ground floor of each office building.

Kurt Eichler, executive vice president with LCOR, said raising the ground floor development by several feet, in accordance with the new FEMA hundred-year flood level, would create a half-mile barrier on the south side of Observer Highway from the Hoboken Terminal in the west to Marin Boulevard in the east.
The exact height of the wall would be decided once the FEMA maps are finalized, he said.Eichler said that the plan would “tie in” with Mayor Dawn Zimmer's larger solution to build permanent walls in the south and north of the city that would be developed by the city. The city is also proposing to install gates on streets that would lie at street level and rise would during a future storm.

Other changes include building a drainage system to divert rain water into a separate system from the North Hudson Sewage Authority's combined sewer system that serves Hoboken. The water would be pumped back into the Hudson River, officials said.Hoboken Rail Yards Task Force, a citizens group, has complained about the size of the 3 million square-foot project, saying they want it scaled back to 2 million square feet. 

Brent Jenkins, development director with LCOR, says the 3 million square feet of development is necessary to pay for the $100 million of proposed public infrastructure improvements, including flood prevention improvements, a new bus shelter, PATH entrance improvements and a plan to convert Observer Highway tree lined boulevard with central reservation and bike lanes.

Information Provided by Donna Antonucci

Prudential Castle Point Realty

201-240-6832

donna@donnaantonucci.com

www.Hudsonrealestatemonitor.com

www.donnaantonucci.com