Statement from Councilman DeFusco on Wednesday Night’s Monarch Settlement Vote

HOBOKEN, N.J. — Councilman Mike DeFusco is releasing the following statement on tomorrow’s City Council vote to approve a settlement agreement pertaining to the Monarch development project:

“I have long believed that the litigation at the privately owned Monarch site was a drain on city resources and delayed connecting our waterfront, so this settlement is long overdue.  As part of this, I am proud to have successfully advocated to move the DPW garage to a new location out of my neighborhood. This will be a great improvement to the quality of life downtown — reducing noise, pollution and carbon emissions, and ultimately paving the way for a more positive gateway to our transit hub. However, it is not to say this agreement is without flaws. Currently, the garage is planned to be temporarily housed next to the new northwest park with no plans yet in place for a new, permanent garage. Further, the affordable housing component is woefully inadequate at a mere 11% and if the mayor and his allies are serious about affordability, this is our opportunity to make a meaningful difference. This has been a decade long community conversation and while I support the agreement, I think it is fair to ask for more time to receive community feedback before a vote tomorrow.

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