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Marshall Street Substation

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Marshall Street Substation

Status

PSE&G (Public Service Electric and Gas Company) has indicated that it will begin to decommission the Marshall Street Substation in December of this year, clear and restore the site, then turn the property over to the City in early 2021. The terms of the conveyance of land at the Marshall Street Substation, including required environmental remediation work, are provided for in a 2017 Land Transfer Agreement between PSE&G and the City, as Amended.

The Marshall Street Substation, located in the southwestern portion of the City, will come off-line once it is fully consolidated into a single, expanded electrical substation at the existing Madison Street facility ("Expanded Madison Street Substation"), which is located in the Northwest Industrial Redevelopment Area of the City. The Expanded Madison Street Substation is currently being constructed in accordance with a 2017 Redevelopment Agreement between PSEG and the City, as Amended. The hardening and expansion project will raise the Madison Street Substation to an elevation that makes it resilient against flood waters.  The project should significantly improve the reliability of electricity service in Hoboken and prevent electrical outages caused by flooding such as experienced during Hurricane Sandy.

With the transfer of ownership on the horizon, the City is now focused on determining how best to re-purpose the Marshall Street Substation site.  

Master Plan Recommendations

The 2018 City of Hoboken Master Plan Reexamination Report considers the Marshall Street Substation as a possible location for a number of desirable community facilities that would complement and serve residents of the nearby Hoboken Housing Authority; specific recommendations for this site from the Reexamination Report (pages 73-74) include:

  • Create a community center to house performances, community meetings, and art exhibits. Such a space is envisioned to be incorporated into the Hoboken Yard Redevelopment project. A community space could also be developed as a component of other multi-use projects, such as: part of the northerly lot of the Northwest Resiliency Park; a renovated Multi-Service Center or the former YMCA building; as part of a library expansion; part of the Marshall Street Substation property re-purposing; or within a portion of the Western Edge Redevelopment Plan Area.
  • Develop incubator/accelerator space, adult education and training center facility. Integrate uses such as community space and a cafe to attract a wide variety of people and purposes. Consider the Marshall Street Substation as a potential location where the Hoboken Housing Authority residents would also benefit from close proximity to such a facility. Bring in employers located in Hoboken to serve as trainers or guest speakers.
  • Work with Hudson County Community College to identify a satellite location in Hoboken. Options include within a building on the Marshall Street Substation property (close to the Hoboken Housing Authority), or within a revamped Housing Authority Campus building.

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Status

PSE&G (Public Service Electric and Gas Company) has indicated that it will begin to decommission the Marshall Street Substation in December of this year, clear and restore the site, then turn the property over to the City in early 2021. The terms of the conveyance of land at the Marshall Street Substation, including required environmental remediation work, are provided for in a 2017 Land Transfer Agreement between PSE&G and the City, as Amended.

The Marshall Street Substation, located in the southwestern portion of the City, will come off-line once it is fully consolidated into a single, expanded electrical substation at the existing Madison Street facility ("Expanded Madison Street Substation"), which is located in the Northwest Industrial Redevelopment Area of the City. The Expanded Madison Street Substation is currently being constructed in accordance with a 2017 Redevelopment Agreement between PSEG and the City, as Amended. The hardening and expansion project will raise the Madison Street Substation to an elevation that makes it resilient against flood waters.  The project should significantly improve the reliability of electricity service in Hoboken and prevent electrical outages caused by flooding such as experienced during Hurricane Sandy.

With the transfer of ownership on the horizon, the City is now focused on determining how best to re-purpose the Marshall Street Substation site.  

Master Plan Recommendations

The 2018 City of Hoboken Master Plan Reexamination Report considers the Marshall Street Substation as a possible location for a number of desirable community facilities that would complement and serve residents of the nearby Hoboken Housing Authority; specific recommendations for this site from the Reexamination Report (pages 73-74) include:

  • Create a community center to house performances, community meetings, and art exhibits. Such a space is envisioned to be incorporated into the Hoboken Yard Redevelopment project. A community space could also be developed as a component of other multi-use projects, such as: part of the northerly lot of the Northwest Resiliency Park; a renovated Multi-Service Center or the former YMCA building; as part of a library expansion; part of the Marshall Street Substation property re-purposing; or within a portion of the Western Edge Redevelopment Plan Area.
  • Develop incubator/accelerator space, adult education and training center facility. Integrate uses such as community space and a cafe to attract a wide variety of people and purposes. Consider the Marshall Street Substation as a potential location where the Hoboken Housing Authority residents would also benefit from close proximity to such a facility. Bring in employers located in Hoboken to serve as trainers or guest speakers.
  • Work with Hudson County Community College to identify a satellite location in Hoboken. Options include within a building on the Marshall Street Substation property (close to the Hoboken Housing Authority), or within a revamped Housing Authority Campus building.

Rutgers Graduate Studio: Alternatives Analysis and Public Survey

The City of Hoboken tasked a team of graduate planning students at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University to prepare an Alternatives Analysis for the Marshall Street Substation as part of their Spring 2020 studio course.  The primary objective of the Alternatives Analysis was to provide the City of Hoboken with multiple options as to what can be developed on the site.

Throughout the course semester, City staff within the Hoboken Department of Community Development coordinated with the Studio class as they visited the substation site, conducted a public survey, identified re-use opportunities, and refined their proposals.  The project kicked-off with a public meeting of Hoboken residents on January 30, 2020 in the Ground Floor conference room of City Hall. With the emergence of COVID-19 and the subsequent State of Emergency and shutdown, Rutgers closed its in-person classes partway through the Semester, and moved all coursework online.  As such, the Graduate Studio continued working on this project together in a remote capacity.  

Public Survey Results

To understand resident needs and preferences, the students developed a public survey that ran from March 11 through April 15, 2020. The online survey was published to the City of Hoboken’s website, Facebook and Twitter pages, as well as a number of Hoboken community Facebook groups.  The survey received 354 responses, with highlights as follows:   

  • 80% of respondents live in the southern part of Hoboken (4th Street to Observer Highway)
  • When asked what type of facility should be built on the site, 76% of respondents reported retail options, including a grocery store, and 56% reported an indoor recreation center should be built on the site
  • When asked what amenities are most needed in the area, 65% of respondents indicated a supermarket, followed by 56% choosing retail, and 49% choosing park space/Entertainment
  • When asked for their number one concern for the area surrounding the project site, 28% of respondents selected traffic congestion, followed by 21% reporting lack of food options
What would you like to see built at the Marshall Street Substation?
Alternatives Analysis

The Alternatives Analysis conducted by the Rutgers Studio Class recognizes the opportunities inherent in the site’s location, and explores its development potential in the context of citywide planning goals.  By examining existing conditions, and demographic data and conducting a public survey, the studio team confidently developed three (3) viable development options with supportive uses for the community. These three conceptual development options include:

  • Mixed-Use Retail and Inclusionary Residential Development
  • Health and Fitness Wellness Center, including a swimming pool
  • Work and Play Center that includes a Children’s Museum, Incubator Space and Senior Center

Each of the three conceptual development options took into consideration five specific areas of concern: Land Use, Design, Market Demand and Financial Feasibility, Transportation, and Resiliency. The structure of the report enables a comparison of the three alternatives through the employment of these five common criteria.

The Rutgers Planning Studio Team presented their final Alternatives Analysis Presentation of the Marshall Street Substation virtually to City representatives in early May 2020, and soon after submitted their final Alternatives Analysis Report.

"The City is grateful to the Rutgers Class for their hard work on this project and is impressed by the quality of work and deep dive they were able to achieve in just a few short months!" 

Next Steps

The City's Redevelopment Counsel and LSRP consultant (Licensed Site Remediation Professional) are working diligently with the Administration and our counterparts at PSE&G to ensure that the terms of the 2017 Land Transfer Agreement for the Marshall Street Substation and the Redevelopment Agreement for the Madison Street Substation are fully executed prior to the transfer of ownership of the Marshall Street Substation site to the City of Hoboken.  

The Administration looks forward to involving the community in planning for the reuse of this important property. Options the City may consider include proceeding with a Redevelopment process or re-zoning initiative, for example. Information will be communicated to the Hoboken community as to future public meetings or other opportunities to engage on this project.

In the near term, we invite all residents to review the in-depth Rutgers Studio Alternatives Analysis Report and Final Presentation and submit any questions or comments to Principal Planner Jessica Giorgianni, PP, AICP at jgiorgianni@hobokennj.gov.

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