Council Approves Eminent Domain as Negotiating Tool

The Hoboken city council supported eminent domain on first reading, as a tool in negotiations to acquire property in the Southwestern part of town on Wednesday night, in a 7-1 vote. 

The ordinance needs to be voted on again at the next council meeting, to make the ordinance an official law.

Third Ward Councilman Michael Russo voted "no" and Councilwoman Theresa Castellano was absent.

The city has until the end of the summer to from the county on the acquisition of a park in the Southwest. If the money isn't spent on parkland in the Southwest, the city loses the money. 

Mayor Dawn Zimmer addressed the city council on Wednesday night, urging them 

"It’s been a long road for our fight for a park in southwest hoboken," Zimmer said. "This council needs to fully understand that a no vote means risking 3 million dollars in county grant money."

This step is supposed to lead to "more productive negotiations," Zimmer wrote in a letter to Council members before the meeting, adding that the threat of eminent domain would make "the actual use of eminent domain unecessary."

The city , but an agreement has not been reached with the owner. The piece of land in question—Lot 12—is across the street from the former  and serves as a surface parking lot.  

Zimmer called the parking lot between Jackson and Harrison Streets as an "ideal" place for a park, in line with the city's master plan. 

The "parties remain far apart, making it appear that we may be unable to negotiate a mutually agreeable price," Zimmer wrote.