Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop started the day Thursday by threatening to sue Hoboken over an increase in the allowable height of future buildings in the Mile Square City.

By midday, though, the prospect of a protracted legal war between Hoboken and two of its neighbors in Hudson County had cooled.

The heightened tensions came after Hoboken’s City Council amended a redevelopment plan for a northwestern section of the city last week, allowing developers to add 50 feet to a hotel in exchange for financial support for a new community center.

In a Facebook post that he deleted within hours of posting, Fulop said he and Union City Mayor Brian Stack would file a lawsuit over the change, hinting that the taller buildings would block the views of residents of the Jersey City Heights and Union City. Fulop added that if the legal battle that ensued were to last 10 years, “we are in for the long haul.”

Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop's Facebook post from April 23, 2020 that was soon deleted.

“This project will go well above the Palisade Cliff line," Fulop wrote. “There was no impact analysis, there are procedural issues, and overall - it is really unconscionable to sneak a massive zoning change during a pandemic let along one that will impact Union City, Hoboken, and Jersey City for decades.”

Upon deleting the post, Fulop said Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla had newly committed to working with him to achieve a solution they could both benefit from.

“Mayor Bhalla and I spoke again this afternoon and I feel more optimistic as we are in a better place,” he wrote in a text message. “We all share a goal of avoiding litigation and Mayor Bhalla committed to working together to find common ground on changes that both meets Hoboken’s community benefit goals but also respects the importance of the Palisades.

"Mayor Bhalla is going to follow up with Mayor Stack and I on next steps and I’m thankful Mayor Bhalla was willing to listen to our concerns.”

Stack, who also represents the area as a state senator, said he had been speaking with Bhalla regularly about the redevelopment plan and that they had agreed to work together to find a compromise.

“A lawsuit is a means of last resort and our approach is to work cooperatively to resolve this matter,” he said.

The Western Edge Redevelopment Plan was originally passed in 2015 and applies to several blocks between Ninth Street and 14th Street, west of Jefferson Street.

In the most recent amendment passed last week, the allowable height for a future hotel within the redevelopment was raised from 166 feet to 216 feet. The amendment also increased the potential height for mixed-use buildings with residence to 186 feet and 196 feet for those without.

In March when the amended plan was first introduced, Councilman Ruben Ramos explained that the city wants to build a new multi-service community center on a piece of public property on 13th Street. To fund it, the city would allow a neighboring developer to increase the height of its project in exchange for millions of dollars.

Before the final vote last Wednesday, there was a failed vote to table the amendment to allow time for a public meeting on the matter.

“Now that the City Council, the redevelopment entity for the City of Hoboken, has determined the parameters of the Redevelopment Plan, Mayor Bhalla looks forward to negotiating a redevelopment agreement that provides important amenities to improve that quality of life of Hoboken residents," Hoboken spokesman Vijay Chaudhuri said in a statement. "We appreciate the input and collaboration from any and all stakeholders, including Mayor Stack and Mayor Fulop, as this process continues over the coming months.”

Councilman Ruben Ramos was less measured when responding to the earlier threat from Fulop.

“I get they’re concern but I mean when Jersey City’s building 40-story buildings on our southern border we’re not going over there and throwing eggs on their side either," Ramos said.

“At the end of the day we want to save taxpayer dollars in the long run and deliver amenities and I think that’s what we’re able to do here.”