As NY Waterway Gets Cozy at Union Dry Dock, Hoboken Issues Stop Work Order

(ABOVE: Photo via Ravi Bhalla)

Hoboken residents noted a bit of activity at the Union Dry Dock site on Monday. Of course, two ferry boats unloading construction material at a spot along the scenic waterfront in this mile-square city of nearly 60,000 residents will hardly go unnoticed.

via “apolitical blog” @HobokenInc:

There’s now 2 ferries at UDD, a black tarp erected, and even workers unloading materials. They don’t have permits yet – they are disregarding Hoboken law! @RaviBhalla @GovMurphy @SenatorMenendez @CoryBooker @mike_defusco @Hoboken_FBW @HobokenEmily @MichaelRussoNJ Please help. pic.twitter.com/3pM3GQwPZS

— Hoboken, Inc. (@HobokenInc) February 13, 2019

To date, the battle for Union Dry Dock—the 3.15 acre parcel of land that housed the last functioning maritime business on Hoboken’s once-bustling working waterfront—has been contentious, to say the least. In November 2017, ferry company NY Waterway bought the property for $11.5 million with the intention of using it for a ferry dock and repair station. The City of Hoboken had eyes on developing the property as a park, making for contiguous public access along the entirety of the city’s waterfront.

The fight has gotten ugly since then, with numerous public rallies and calls to the Governor for intervention, as residents are concerned about “quality of life issues” stemming from a large diesel depot smack dab in the middle of the densely populated city.

Back in December, Hoboken Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla stated that the City is, “100% committed to redoubling our efforts to fight Union Dry Dock from ever becoming a refueling station.” On Wednesday, sporting his embroidered Mayor’s tactical jacket and a roll of scotch tape, he followed through on that—affixing a “Stop Work” notice on the gates outside the former dockyard.

“Thanks to the assistance of Governor Phil Murphy’s office, NY Waterway agreed to temporarily cease ferry maintanance [sic] operations on the Union Dry Dock site in response to the stop work order issued today. We look forward to working cooperatively with the Governor’s team to find solutions that advance the best interests of Hoboken residents,” said Bhalla, in a statement on social media.