Hudson River Waterfront Conservancy
Walk the Walkway
October 5, 2014
Weehawken
On cool day with bright sunshine, clear skies and temperature in the 60’s, 16 walkers including 3 Hudson River Waterfront Conservancy (HRWC) Board members, some very experienced Walk the Walkway walkers, some first time walkers and the historian of Weehawken, walked the Walkway along the Weehawken waterfront. The group gathered at the Sheraton Lincoln Harbor parking lot between 9:00 and 9:30 am. Walkers came from Branchburg, Tewksbury and Manalapan as well as Weehawken and other communities along the Hudson River. It is rewarding to see walkers, who don’t live near the river, walk with the HRWC and learn about the Walkway and the wonderful benefit it provides to the general public.
At 9:30, the group gathered water, Walkway maps and sunblock and headed north from Weehawken Cove, the former location of Todd’s Shipyard in the 1960’s. The initial portion of the Walkway in Weehawken is called Lincoln Harbor and has been developed by Hartz Mountain Industries. Originally developed to be a large commercial office complex, Lincoln Harbor is now being converted to a residential community with several commercial buildings being converted to residential homes. Hartz Mountain has recognized that waterfront property is more valuable as homes rather than office buildings. The group walked past Riva Pointe Condominiums which are built on a pier in the Hudson River. The Walkway extends down the middle of the Riva Pointe pier and ends with a small park at the river’s edge. Riva Pointe holds an exemption from the NJDEP that allows the pier to be closed to the public from midnight to sunrise.
Leaving Lincoln Harbor, the group proceeded to Weehawken Park. Previously a railroad yard, this park was built by Roseland Properties as part of the development of their waterfront property. The park includes tennis courts, soccer fields, a little league field and playgrounds. Can you imagine playing Little League baseball with the NYC skyline in the background? A second section of the park remains undeveloped but plans call for a swimming pool, kayak launch and a skating rink pavilion. The Walkway was somewhat overgrown in the park but many of the shrubs were tagged and will likely be cut back before the winter arrives.
Next the group entered a section of the Walkway that demonstrates that excellent planning makes integration of varying interests possible. The entire Walkway through the remainder of Weehawken and all of West New York is built in front of high end condominiums. Weehawken and West New York required the developers to construct the Walkway with a common standard design and required that it be constructed before the condominiums were built. As a result, the public has had the Walkway to enjoy while the developments are being built. Henley on Hudson, the first Condominium, has constructed the Walkway in a manner to visibly separate the Walkway from the residential units and provide privacy to the residential units. The walkers stopped here while Willie, the local historian, described the location of the Hamilton/Burr duel in the 1700’s. The next condominium, the Brownstones, unfortunately have built the Walkway immediately adjacent to the condominium units increasing the conflict between condo owners who want privacy and the public who enjoy the Walkway.
After the Brownstones, the Walkway proceeds through Pershing Park, a small pocket park and continues to the Weehawken 9/11 Memorial. The Walkers stopped for a few minutes to pay respect to those lost in 9/11.
The final section of the walk passed The Avenue, a condominium being built right across from mid-town Manhattan. It is rumored that this condo is the most expensive condo on a $/sq.ft basis along the entire waterfront.
The walk ended at the Port Imperial Ferry Terminal at 11:30 am and the group returned to the starting point at the Sheraton.
With the exception of a small section of Walkway near The Avenue which is being reconstructed, the Walkway in Weehawken is in excellent condition with no significant maintenance issues.
The final Walk the Walkway for 2014 will be next Sunday, October 12 when the HRWC will walk along the northern side of the Morris canal in Jersey City.