Who Are We?

The Quality of Life Coalition (QLC) is exactly what its name implies. It is a coming together, a coalescing ,of various groups and individuals concerned about the air, earth and water, about the density of development, the need for open space, the lack of parking, the flooding, and the host of difficulties that militate against a good and healthy living environment in this densely populated urban city.

The Hoboken streetscape and the city’s old and historic buildings are the charms that make Hoboken unique and desirable. Preservation of those gifts from the past is among the Coalition’s objectives in its continuing efforts to keep Hoboken as “a special place on the Hudson” as described by the Regional Plan Association (The Lower Hudson, RPA 1966)

What has QLC done?

The Coalition came together in 1998, formed by the four groups that had just succeeded in convincing NJ Transit (after a two year effort) to move the route of the Hudson/Bergen Light Rail Line to the western side of Hoboken.
Next was the prevention of the Devils Hockey team from constructing a huge arena over the Erie Lackawanna train yards.
The coalition joined several other groups in fighting high rise development on 1600 Park (now scheduled as park space)
Prevented building on piers in north Hoboken, with the Fund for a Better Waterfront
With seven other groups, fought mid-rise development at 800 Jackson adjacent to the light rail station (lost this one)
Joined with Hoboken Parks in a court case regarding 900 Monroe.
Joined the People for Open Government (POG) in two successful campaigns for passage of anti pay-to-play and other restrictive measures on developers and those doing business with the city.
Protested the use of eminent domain on Grand Street
Held public meetings regarding the St. Mary Hospital ownership by the city.
Interspersed with all of these matters, QLC attempted to save historic buildings at the Maxwell House site and the old Clam Broth House. We are currently working to preserve as much of the Holy Innocents site as possible.
The Coalition every year presents the Hoboken Thanksgiving Awards, now in its third year, to citizens and groups that have participated in making Hoboken a better place.

The Purposes of the Coalition are:

• To bring together non-profit, non-political groups and individuals who share the goals and objectives of the Coalition by utilizing their many talents in preserving the best of the city and seeking sensible redevelopment.

• The Coalition seeks to contain real estate development within the limits of the city and county’s finite physical and fiscal resources.

• It works to preserve and protect the historical, cultural and architectural attributes of Hoboken and environs.

• It focuses on attaining a clean and safe environment.

• The Coalition reaches out to and supports the efforts of groups within the city that try to contain development that could rob their neighborhoods of light, air and views of the waterfront and the Palisades.

• It works to preserve the neighborhood environment which defines Hoboken’s unique character.

• It acts as a watchdog to prevent overdevelopment and lapses in planning and zoning regulations which inevitably lead to the loss of the quality of life in Hoboken.

What's Been Happening - Track Record To Date

• Brought together the efforts of numerous organizations and individuals who succeeded in sending over 2,000 signatures on petitions to Governor Christine Whitman who denied the grant of air rights for the development of a huge hockey arena over the rail yards in southern Hoboken.

• Participated in the movement, spearheaded by The Fund for a Better Waterfront, to prevent building on piers. A resolution was passed by the City Council noting its intent to prevent such construction.

• Supported the protest of construction at 1600 Park Avenue of several high rise buildings on the site between the Willow and Park Avenue bridges. The effort was led by a neighborhood group, Citizens for Responsible Development. That group and HobokenParks.org along with numerous other groups, including QLC, collected hundreds of signatures on petitions and mounted a march on City Hall. Quietly, HobokenParks met with Toll Brothers (the most recent owner of the property) and along with pressure from Mayor Roberts, the 1600 block was identified as parkland. After three years of protest and lobbying, HobokenParks.org, the citizen's group, succeeded in getting Toll Brothers to agree to parkland on the site, The City Administration is currently seeking funding.

• The Coalition fought to save at least two of the Maxwell House factory buildings from demolition, and succeeded in obtaining a statement from the State Historic Preservation Office that all seven of the 1939 buildings were eligible for National Historic Register Designation. Unfortunately, the Hoboken Planning Board would not consider the historic nature of the buildings, and the state office declined to take a proactive stand to protect even one of the buildings. Though George Vallone who with his partner Danny Gans had acted on behalf of the developer and had promised a meeting with Toll Brothers to discuss possible alternatives, a Toll Brothers’ representative refused to even meet with QLC members and its national supporters saying that Gans and Vallone were not involved as negotiators for the project, and had no role in the matter. The project, minus even the facade of the historic building is now under development.

• Banded together with three other groups and Common Cause to form People for Open Government which has successfully attained the passage of an electronic access and two anti pay-to-play ordinances. The third and strongest of the anti pay to play ordinances was rejected by the majority of the City Council. POG supported by QLC and other groups, took the matter to court where the judge found for POG, a referendum followed and 90 percent of the voters passed the anti-pay-to-play ordinance. The ordinance became law. In 2006, two more ordances regarding restrictions on developers' donations to political parties and politicians were unanimously approved by the City Council.

• Working with other non profit groups, has raised concerns that the recently adopted Master Plan will be sidelined. This effort is on going.

• In union with six other non profit groups (one from Jersey City), has initiated an effort to prevent the construction of a 14 story building at 800 Jackson Street which would obscure the Palisades and place the newly opened Light Rail station at 9th Street in a shadow that would be fertile ground for muggings and worse. After receiving numerous promises from Mayor David Roberts concerning his support for a park at the site, we lost this one. Construction is under way.

• Among the next concerns are the efforts on the part of the administration to create several more Redevelopment Zones, this time for the northern part of the city and the southwestern area. The Planning Board has already authorized studies (as required by the Redevelopment Law) to examine the feasibility of such zones. Both areas contain the last remaining parcels for possible open space in the city.

The QLC Board Members

Unlike many other organizations who seldom if ever let us know who sits on their boards, the QLC wants you to know so that you have a sense of the talent involved with QLC decisions. Here are the QLC board members.

Melissa Abernathy, Media Consultant

Joan Abel, architect

John Branciforte, former member of the Hoboken Planning Board

Bob DuVal, Esq., president of law firm

Ann Holtzman, housing rehabilitation expert

Ines Garcia Keim, airline representative and board member of the Hoboken Historical Museum

Helen Manogue, retired bank examiner and board member People for Open Government

Paul Neshamkin, principal, computer software consultancy and board member of the Hoboken Historical Museum.

Bill Tobias, financial analyst and board member of the Hoboken Historical Museum

The Coalition was initiated in 1999, incorporated in 2000 and granted tax exempt
Status by IRS in 2006.

Hoboken Quality of Life Coalition, Inc.
P.O. Box 1195
Hoboken, NJ 07030
201-963-3511

Last revised on January 18, 2008

The Quality of Life Coalition
P O Box 1195
Hoboken, NJ 07030
Phone - 201-963-3511