Dear Editor:
In defending Mason’s field of dreams (nightmares?), Jeff Spenkman has not made a single substantive point in support of the merits of the project. Rather, he has wasted his words calling me “mysterious” simply because I decline to give my last name (as if I want Mason’s people harassing me), and insinuating that I have some sort of inside information about the Rockefeller Group’s plans, which I don’t (the details have been reported previously in this very newspaper). Then he drones on about Mason’s inclusiveness and her ability to save us with her eagerness.
I stand by my position that a minor league ballpark in Hoboken is economically wasteful and an inappropriate use of land. Our society spends billions and billions of dollars building sports and entertainment palaces with taxpayer money…and to what end? The fact is that these stadiums and arenas do little to enhance local community life. They are essentially big empty shells that get animated for a few hours a week. They create charmless superblocks, waste municipal resources and often times fail. I am surprised that Mason wants to see an additional 6500 cars streaming into Hoboken every time there is a game, clogging up our roads and increasing congestion. Have you ever gone to the Prudential Center in Newark to see a Devils game or concert? The place is a traffic nightmare and the available mass transportation options in that instance are far superior to a single light rail station in Hoboken.
In addition, let me remind Mason that Newark built a minor league baseball stadium in 1999 for the Newark Bears which opened to great fanfare and hoopla. Then less than 10 years later the Newark Bears had to file for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy as they owed over $4 million in back interest payments to creditors. I want to see a return to fiscal responsibility in Hoboken, not a half-baked economic boondoggle labeled a recreational opportunity.
Neither Spenkman, nor Mason, nor anybody else has put forth any compelling reasons why we should risk taxpayer money on this wasteful silliness. Hoboken needs more meaningful recreational space for its residents, offices that create well paying jobs and more affordable and workforce housing options. I will give Mason credit on one account, however, her vision is definitely minor league!
Sincerely,
Michelle
As one who actually attended the presentation, Miss Mason's vision is all about recreation space, which the plans distracters says it is completely void of.
Her proposal consists a small, 6,000 seat minor league ballpark, probably 4 to 5 stories in height, not a new Giant's Stadium. True, baseball has a specific season, about half the year, but that is stating the obvious and in fact, irrelevant. The presentation I saw included a hockey rink, art galleries, a theater, retail mall space, boutique hotels, a baseball museum, a convention center, small scale office buildings, a soccer field, gardens, parks, fishing piers, a fire station and a police station,(I took notes). I believe everyone of which will be open year round. Hardly animated for just a few hours a week.That's a little over a dozen points of merit.
The plan also creates a significant amount of recreation space and new job's for Hoboken residents. What more would you like to see? Two 30 story office towers? For anyone who has been following this recession, they should be quite aware that banks are not lending developers money to fund the construction of high rise towers, either commercial or residential. Look at the incomplete structures in Manhattan for evidence. The rent for commercial space is dropping on a daily basis. Office vacancy has hit it's highest level in decades. The other proposal on the table is to build more of these? For whom?
The same thing happened in New Rochelle, a community not much different from our own. They built it, but no one came. Why would anyone want to do the same in Hoboken? It's a knee jerk proposal that makes no sense.
What happens in the other proposal after all the office workers go home? It becomes a ghost town, much like Wall Street, one that I would not feel safe walking around at night. Mason's proposal creates an environment safe for families.
One of the distracters comments was that a baseball game will inundate the already congested roadways around the area. As opposed to all those potential thousands of office workers who would show up 5 days a week, coming and going in rush hour traffic. The nice thing about baseball is that it is not an everyday event like going to work is. Maybe there would be 2 games during the week and one on Saturdays all of which could be scheduled not to occur during the highest traffic times. Also, wouldn't a light rail system be also beneficial to the office tower plan?
The funding for this would come from developers not taxpayers. If anything, this proposal to create something beautiful would only increase the value of the homes and properties in Hoboken. I don't see how this hurts Hoboken, but feel free to educate me.
The great thing about this country is that everyone is entitled to speak their mind and stand by their position, no matter how misinformed. Miss Mason obviously did what most intelligent and successful people do; surround herself with professionals who are the best in their field. The architect she hired has a PhD in city planning and I for one think they did a fantastic job.
In closing, I too am curious as to the source of the venom to the reaction of this proposal. I am simply a dad of two who can't afford to take my kids to Yankee Stadium. They are big baseball fans and I couldn't think of anything more enjoyable than to take my boys to an evening game to watch real ball players, not steroid injected, overpaid, scandal ridden, egotistical men who behave like children. Attending a game that wouldn't cost me an arm and a leg would be a nice thing too. I'd prefer to give spend my money in New Jersey than New York, but that's just me.
If we learned anything in the past week is that Miss Mason is not a crook. To me that speaks volumes as to her intentions for this project. She is looking out for the well being of the Hoboken resident and trying to make our little town something better.
I think those are some compelling reasons.
Sincerely,
David of Hoboken