Click here to learn more about the hotel.
Click here to learn more about the redevelopment plan approval process.
We expect to close on the property by Fall of 2021. Construction is anticipated to start around June 2022. and be complete by fall of 2024.
Yes. The Post Office will remain open. An important part of this project is that it allows the Postal Service to fund greatly needed improvements to their facility. Proposed renovations include the replacement of mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, the addition of another service elevator, creation of additional work space and a new 7-bay interior loading dock off 1st Street. The changes will allow the facility to more efficiently serve the community and accommodate continued volume growth. The River St. and Newark St. facades and the interior public spaces remain as-is.
While the Post Office is not on the National Register of Historic Places it is a contributing resource to the National Register-eligible Southern Hoboken Historic District. This means the Postal Service has to follow a special process before proceeding. As a quasi-federal agency the United States Postal Service is required to follow what’s known as the Section 106 Historic Preservation Review Process before embarking on an endeavor which may have an adverse impact on such a facility. The process includes a detailed collaboration with the NJ State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), public/interested party notice, and ultimately the execution of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the Postal Service and SHPO. The MOA details measures required to mitigate possible effects of the hotel construction and post office renovations. This process is nearly complete with an MOA approved and drafted. In addition a subsurface archeology study has been completed and it determined that there is no evidence of the presence of any archeologically significant material on the site.
We’ve worked hard with a prominent local waterfront advocacy group and project stakeholders to put together a plan which we believe actually improves parking, traffic flow, and pedestrian movements around the site. Currently there is no sidewalk on the Post Office side of Newark St., no sidewalk on the Post Office side of Sinatra Drive and the corner of Sinatra Dr. and Newark St. is very awkward with a 2-way Newark meeting a very narrow 1-way Sinatra. And this is also where the main entrance is to the Post Office parking lot and loading dock. Our plan adds sidewalks, reconfigures Sinatra Dr., adds 8 on-street parking spaces, improves traffic flow and redirects Postal vehicle traffic away from Newark St and Sinatra Drive. In addition – the site is ideally located close by to myriad public transportation options at the Hoboken Terminal. We expect many guests and visitors to use public transportation. Click here to learn more.
KMS has commissioned independent hotel market and feasibility studies indicating that with only the luxury W Hotel - Hoboken is in fact underserved. It’s important to note that the proposed Hilton Hotel is not in that same market segment and is not intended to compete with as much as complement the W. The city recognizes this need and the city’s own Master Plan specifically encourages the development of hotels in this area near the Hoboken Terminal as well as diversifying uses at the Post Office including moving the more “industrial” operations. The site is also zoned for a hotel.
The proposed plan has been thoroughly reviewed and is supported by the Fund For A Better Waterfront. The Hudson County Building Trades have written a letter and spoken out in support of the project. KMS is meeting with other community groups as well.
With a sidewalk and trees added on the north side Newark St., a new extra-wide sidewalk and landscaping in front of the hotel on Sinatra Drive, the proposed Sinatra Dr. reconfiguration and a newly animated and well-lighted streetscape the project will greatly improve the appearance of the property in front of the park and access to the park. We believe the quality, visual transparency and scale of the building and will be an exciting complement to the park and provide a worthy backdrop. We’ve also done shadow studies to show how the proposed building will have only a nominal shadow impact on the park and only at certain limited times. Click here to see the shadow study