NJ Transit to vote on purchase of Union Dry Dock in Hoboken, a move opposed by the city

The NJ Transit Board of Directors will meet next Wednesday to vote on a controversial purchase of waterfront property in Hoboken that the city's mayor and council oppose.

The board had previously planned to vote on the purchase of the Union Dry Dock property in its January meeting, but it pulled the item from the agenda after Mayor Ravinder Bhalla and dozens of residents packed the meeting room in Newark on the Martin Luther King holiday.

That meeting was a day before Gov. Phil Murphy was sworn in, and some interpreted the timing as a last-minute effort by the outgoing administration of Gov. Chris Christie to finalize a deal it supported. Murphy had urged the board to postpone the vote.

"Giving away millions of dollars on the way out the door, when the current system isn’t even adequately funded, is simply irresponsible," Murphy said at the time, criticizing the deal as an example of how NJ Transit had become what he called a "national disgrace."

On Thursday, however, Murphy appeared to be trying to forge a compromise solution between NY Waterway, which wants to lease the site for a ferry maintenance terminal, and Hoboken residents who'd prefer the site be incorporated into an existing park.

"The governor’s office continues to coordinate with all parties involved to determine an ultimate solution that both respects the voices of the local community and the needs of one of our most vital transportation partners," said spokeswoman Alyana Alfaro.

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The state authorized $12 million for NJ Transit to purchase the the Hoboken site and lease it to NY Waterway for a ferry maintenance hub.

The city of Hoboken wants to incorporate the property into its waterfront greenway and has taken steps to acquire it through eminent domain.

Bhalla urged lawmakers in Trenton in January to stop NJ Transit from buying the site.

"This was a real-estate transaction that was trying to be rushed through in the dying days of an outgoing administration," Bhalla said at the time.

But Murphy is now governor, and he has the power to veto the minutes of the agency's board. It is unlikely that the Union Dry Dock item would have appeared on the board's agenda without his support.

Jeff Tittel, executive director of the NJ Sierra Club, said he was disappointed that the governor allowed the item to return to the agenda.

"They can’t take this piece of public waterfront that belongs to all of us and give it to NY Waterway," Tittel said. "It’s supposed be held in trust by the government for the people."