Hoboken Hearing About Demolishing Rent Controlled Buildings To Continue Wednesday

HOBOKEN, NJ — A recent hearing about tearing down three rent controlled buildings in Hoboken ended early on April 3 because the Zoning Board attorney had to leave. It will be continued this Wednesday, April 17, at 5 p.m. The links to watch are below.

(UPDATE: Five of the nine council members voted to affirm the Zoning Board's decision to allow demolition of the three buildings, which drew criticism from the audience. Three council members did not attend the meeting. Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher voted against the affirmation. Watch for further coverage later.)

The owner of 325-329 Grand St. had gotten permission from the Hoboken Zoning Board in January to demolish the three buildings — containing 16 units of housing — and build 20 new market-rate units in their place, as well as two (10 percent) affordable housing units.

But a Hoboken resident, backed by tenant advocates, has appealed the demolition, making several arguments — including saying that the city should make sure existing tenants aren't forced out unfairly, as has happened in the city's past.

At the April 3 meeting, some testimony was heard before the meeting ended.

Hoboken resident Michael Evers, who appealed the ruling, explained why he believes the buildings shouldn't be torn down.

Evers had said, in his written appeal, that the zoning board, in approving the application, adopted a "cavalier attitude" toward making sure the tenants aren't illegally displaced.

He asked the City Council to implement some kind of rule stating that before anyone else gets zoning approval to tear down occupied, rent controlled buildings, the landlord had to present signed letters from tenants saying they had moved out willingly.

Hoboken has a history of tenant displacement due to fires, and as recently as last year, tenants in buildings slated for demolition told Patch that the landlord had been pressuring them to leave.

In addition, in an NJ.com story, a tenant told the reporter that her Hoboken landlord had tried to get her to leave her building without following proper procedures. New Jersey has strict laws about why and how a tenant can be removed, and selling a building doesn't necessarily mean a tenant has to leave.

"No residential landlord may evict or fail to renew a lease, whether it is a written or an oral lease without good cause," says state law, in part.

Evers told the council at the meeting that at least one resident of the buildings was in the audience, but didn't want to speak "because she's afraid of what her landlord will do to her."

He said that it should be "a condition of completion of the application...demonstrating that you have gotten the tenants out
voluntarily."

Tenant advocates have also argued that once reasonably priced housing is lost, it will never come back.

Rents in the mile-square city have risen to a median of more than $4,000 a piece, leaving few options for a longtime tenant who has to leave a stabilized building. READ MORE: Rents In Jersey City, Hoboken Highest In Country. But Are They Legal?

The city's Rent Control Ordinance keeps rent increases to the Cost of Living Adjustment (around 5 percent), but allows landlords to pass along certain surcharges and other costs. The measure allows tenants to budget for stable rent increases, keeping a mix of socioeconomic groups in town.

The Rent Control Ordinance mainly applies to many buildings constructed more than 30 years ago, although it applies to newer buildings that didn't apply for a state exemption, as well.

Tenant advocates came to the April 3 meeting carrying signs saying, "I rent and I vote."

What Happens Next?

Zoning board members are instructed to make decisions in which the good to the community outweighs the detriment. Evers has said that the board was "failing to address the destruction of rent-controlled housing as a negative criteria in making their decision."

He and others are likely to testify this Wednesday.

See the agenda and documentation for the coming Wednesday, April 17 meeting here.

You can watch a recording of April 3 meeting here.

• To attend Wednesday's council meeting, head to City Hall at 94 Newark St., watch on the city's Facebook page, or watch on YouTube.
• See the agendas for other meetings here.

RELATED: Hoboken Landlord Group Pushes For Rent Decontrol Referendum; Mayor Calls It 'Offensive'