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(erielack) NJT Hoboken Terminal plans

I received this on the Railroad Station Historical Society list just now.

Henry

- ---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 13 Oct 2005 17:10:09 EDT
From: I95BERNIEW_@_aol.com
To: rshsdepot_@_lists.railfan.net
Subject: (rshsdepot) Hoboken, NJ

From today's Star-Ledger.
 
Bernie Wagenblast
 
 
 
 
NJ Transit envisions upscale revival for Hoboken Terminal
Study to explore adding shops and eateries, as well as  improving access for 
commuters 
 
Wednesday, October 12, 2005  
BY RON MARSICO
Star-Ledger Staff 
For decades, the exterior of the nearly century-old Hoboken Terminal has  
continued to deteriorate, leaving an eyesore amid the New Jersey waterfront's  
mix of new commercial, residential and recreational development.  
But today, NJ Transit officials are expected to authorize a massive study to  
renovate the historic structure to add retail and restaurant complexes, while 
 improving access for travelers shuttling between the station's trains, light 
 rail, ferries, buses and taxis.  
"You've got lots of opportunities to locate commercial activity in that  
building and really transform it into a destination that also works well for  
transportation passengers," said George Warrington, NJ Transit's executive  
director.  
Transit officials envision a terminal with the type of upscale shops and  
eateries that have turned carefully restored rail stations like Grand Central  
Terminal in Manhattan and Union Station in Washington, D.C., into bustling  
tourist attractions, as well as reinvigorated transportation hubs.  
Much of the retail and restaurant space likely would be located near the old  
ferry slip portion of the terminal that has superb views and a long,  
second-floor grand concourse that offers a promising setting.  
The study also will explore whether additional development above the tracks  
is feasible or if residential and commercial space can be built on a roughly  
10-acre tract along Observer Highway west of the terminal.  
"Hoboken Terminal is living history. If NJ Transit keeps that history alive  
it's good for preservation, good for business, good for passengers," said Doug 
 Bowen, president of the New Jersey Association of Railroad Passengers.  
"Certainly, I know NJ Transit wants to maximize its existing assets. Hoboken is  
trendy. It would be foolish to ignore that."  
The study will be done under a contract set to be awarded today to LCOR, a  
nationwide real-estate and investment firm, which will be the site's master  
developer. LCOR would work with a team that includes Skidmore Owens and Merrill, 
 William Jackson Ewing, Loheed Design and DMJM+Harris. Members of the team 
worked  on the Grand Central and Union Station redevelopment projects, as well 
as one at  John F. Kennedy International Airport's International Terminal.  
LCOR's team will provide the study at no cost to NJ Transit, a value the  
agency places at between $1.5 million and $2 million. In return, if the plan is  
approved, the firms will gain development rights and fees for the venture over 
 the next 15 years under the contract, which was advertised under a 
competitive  request for proposals, said Warrington.  
Warrington said he eventually expects a "positive cash contribution" for NJ  
Transit from the projects, but said he could not offer income estimates. He 
also  stressed that NJ Transit will work cooperatively with Hoboken and Jersey 
City  officials on the redevelopment plans.  
The defunct Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad constructed the Hoboken 
 Terminal in 1907, with ferries serving as the key transportation link 
between  New Jersey and Manhattan.  
But the building of the Hudson River car and rail crossings later in the  
century led to the 1967 shuttering of the ferry slips. When ferry service was  
restarted in the late-1980s, temporary floating barges adjacent to the terminal  
were installed to accommodate passengers.  
Two years ago, NJ Transit and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey  
collaborated on a $100 million plan for terminal restoration work, including  
repair of copper work and lighting outside the structure. A demolished 
240-foot  clock tower that once was part of the facility also will be rebuilt.  
Years earlier, the NJ Transit waiting room was restored to yesteryear's  
luster.  
Warrington also said he would like to see better integrated passageways  
between NJ Transit, the PATH line, ferries, light rail, buses and taxis to  
improve the terminal's passenger flow. The half-century-old bus area would be  
redone as well, he said.  
"It sounds like a good thing," said Damien Newton, New Jersey coordinator for 
 the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, an advocacy group. "Making it easier 
for  people to make better use of all the different options at the station is 
a good  idea. It is a little difficult to get from one to another right now."  
For Warrington, interest in the Hoboken Terminal dates to the early days of  
his transportation career in the 1970s, when he worked for the state 
Department  of Transportation. At the time, he was dispatched to Washington with a 
$322,000  check to purchase the terminal for the state from the federal 
government.  
When he got the top job at NJ Transit in 2002, he returned to assess the  
site.  
"I cringed a bit when I came to the realization that very little had been  
done with that asset over 25 years or so," recalled  Warrington.

=================================
The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org


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