Last night something remarkable happened at the Hoboken City Council Meeting. All parties, including council members, attorneys, government officials, developers and the public, agreed that this proposed new performing arts center was a much needed addition to our fair city. Several council members expressed how they wished every proposal and vote could come off this smoothly. This flow of cooperation and consent is a rarity in city politics.
The only real debate to surface addressed the fear that other developers would want to take advantage of an exception that was being granted to Water Music. In fact it was the very thing that last night’s vote hinged upon. You see, in order to facilitate the needs of the new arts complex and comply with the city’s need—or rather want—for residential space, this building would be a good deal taller than current zoning allows.
Some council members worried that other developers would come along and attempt to also go beyond the height restrictions. Another worry came from artists who feared that a developer could come in, buy the building and we’d lose it all to a condo development. According to City Planner Elizabeth Vandor however, only a building that is being constructed to the exact plans as the new Water Music complex can take advantage of this new variance. Also, the lease with the city would protect the property for a minimum of 50 years, possibly 99.
Following the presentation by the architect John Nastasi and others, the council agreed to put the issue to a public hearing and a final vote which would take place about an hour later. This was a vital hurdle that needed to be cleared. Still many involved felt that the upcoming vote was just a formality and an approval was inevitable. Despite appearances, this is still city politics so one never knows. The crowd grew larger as we eagerly waited in the lobby until being called back in for the hearing and vote.
Once back inside, we were all armed with signs of support that read ‘Hoboken Arts Center’ and ‘We Love Water Music (Here in Hoboken)’. The rules of order were suspended so the Water Music issue could be dealt with quickly. Well, as quickly as it could be. Several folks got up to speak about the proposal. All were in favor. There were moving speeches from Chris O’Connor (Founder of Mile Square Theatre), Geri Fallo (Director of Cultural Affairs) and Ted Young (Water Music’s Chief Engineer) who read a letter of support from Cyndi Lauper.
Two others that stood out for me were Zach Green who is an actor and a teacher. He mentioned how he has taught all over the state of NJ and, despite being located in Hoboken, has never had the chance to teach here. Others made similar claims driving home the ironic point that Hoboken is chock full of actors, artists, dancers and musicians but has not one single theater or public performance space available for continuing programs.
Another touching moment came from Cindy Boyle of the Jersey City Shakespeare Company. That group actually used to be located in Hoboken but had to move due to the lack of a place to perform. She addressed concerns that some citizens have regarding graffiti by local youth. Her voice began to crack a bit as she said, “Children are tagging the walls in Hoboken because they have no place for an artistic outlet. Build this place and they will not tag the walls.”
All in all the words of the people brought to light a very disturbing fact. How sad is it that this town doesn’t even have a movie theater? Let alone a place for plays or dance recitals. There’s the DeBaun Auditorium at Stevens but they’ve cut back on public performances. And from a musician’s point of view, there are but a few quality live rooms left in town where there used to be scores. Oh sure, we do still hold the record for having the most bars per square mile, but is that all we want to be? A place to eat, drink, sleep and catch the train or bus to work?
Hoboken cannot suffer the same fate as other area towns that have become nothing more than NYC’s bedroom communities. It needs to be more than just a nice place to live. It should be a nice place to be alive. Nothing makes you feel more alive than the arts. The rush of creativity for the artists, the satisfaction of seeing a great performance for spectators and the educational opportunities to nurture fertile young minds. That latter point was another that was being driven home time and time again last night.
Those of us who’ve been involved in the Hoboken music and art scene for the past couple of decades have seen many drastic changes. Some good, a lot not so good. One of the changes that played a big part in the fall of culture was the influx of young, upwardly mobile professionals during the nineties. Their want for nothing more than bars and a place to sleep combined with the greed of realtors and developers drove out many artists who could no longer afford it here.
Now that those same people are starting families, there is a need to try and keep them here rather than losing them to so-called ‘better places to raise kids’. What makes them ‘better’? Well, communities that have a rich cultural identity tend to also have fine educational systems and higher quality of life standards. Improving these things in Hoboken could very likely convince these young families to stay. After all, it’s already clear that they can afford it here.
In the end the council agreed unanimously to allow the new performing arts center to be built as planned. According to architect John Nastasi the project should be completed in about 18 months. It was well worth the aching fatigue in my lower back and legs for having to stand and sweat for over two hours.
See Also:
Help Hoboken’s Water Music
Water Music
