What’s Going to Happen Down by the PATH?
Categories: Hoboken Condos
Development Plans for 52 acres of Downtown Hoboken
I often take buyers to see properties in buildings like 82 Clinton or 415 Newark and they ask me about the train yards or the view. This is the area under discussion. You can see from this picture, that what happens on this land is going to have a huge impact on Hoboken.
If you would like to know what is going to take place in the downtown Hoboken area – specifically the area around the rail yards, the PATH station, and the bus station, here is a partial answer. There was a second community meeting on November 10th. This plan is the result of that meeting.
I took a look through the document – it’s pretty thick – and a few things stuck out. First of all, where did they get the name “Warrington Plaza” for the area down by the old ferry terminal? A quick google search uncovered that the late George Warrington was the NJ Transit Executive Director responsible for the renovation of the ferry terminal. A few other important observations –
- Observer Highway is going to become Observer Boulevard. A planted median strip, bike lane, proper sidewalk and reduced traffic lanes are proposed.
- The intersection Newark Street & Observer is slated for improvement to add bike lanes and make them more pedestrian friendly. I love Option C on page 24 – the addition of a traffic circle – these work amazingly well in Europe – no reason why it can’t work in Hoboken.
- There are three options for the bus/taxi/path shuttle mess. I can’t tell from these drawings which makes the most sense but I think I like Option D which moves the bus terminal away from the other transport modes.
- Building Development – all three options are too large and massive. I think A is the least harmful of the three since the two huge towers are not in the same area.
There will be more community meetings and public meetings so these plans are sure to change. Now is the time to get familiar with the project and eventually get involved. The only certainty here is that the development is going to happen. Let’s make it right for Hoboken.
I think a reduction in the amount of traffic volume that Observer will be able to handle will be a very bad idea. During the morning/evening rush, Observer can become a total wreck, if anything, it needs to be expanded.