New Jersey's urban areas hold the key to Hudson waterfront development

In the past six months, the Hudson River Property Owners and Conservators Association (HRPOCA) has voiced its support for two major initiatives aimed at improving urban areas throughout New Jersey to encourage economic development along the Hudson River Waterfront.

First, we voiced support for Governor Christine Whitman's position that state government must take an aggressive stance to prevent further decline of New Jersey's urban areas.

Second, we lent our support to a proposed amendment by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) which would install new parking regulations for urban municipalities bordering the Hudson River waterfront.

In her urban program, Governor Whitman pledged to allocate an additional $15 million to revitalize distressed Brownfields. She also vowed to encourage the development of regions which have historically supported dense communities.

We believe that Governor Whitman's commitment to the state's urban areas will play a crucial role in our own ongoing efforts to develop sites which will serve as both an environmental and economic boost to municipalities throughout New Jersey. Like the Governor, we feel that by upgrading the infrastructure and redeveloping abandoned properties, population growth can be redirected back to the cities thereby maintaining the state's supply of open land.

The revision to the DEP's Coastal Zone Management Rules would exempt Hudson County riverfront communities from the 2:1 ratio of parking spaces per residential unit currently required for all coastal development -- riverfront and oceanfront alike.

For the past several years, new development projects designed to improve the waterfront have been restricted by an array of contradicting regulations, such as the 2:1 parking ratio, which fails to recognize the differences between shoreline and riverfront properties.

It is our belief that this requirement for two parking spaces per residential unit is not only unnecessary, but also counter-productive as it discourages mass transit being developed to service the waterfront area.

By eliminating the parking ratio, the DEP would encourage developers to undertake new projects in areas which have historically experienced economic distress, thus provide urban areas along the waterfront with additional housing and jobs, as well as promote economic development.

At a time when 11,000 residential units are proposed for New Jersey's Gold Coast, it is crucial we have new regulations which consider the unique characteristics of Hudson County's waterfront.

COPYRIGHT 2000 Hagedorn Publication
COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group