Back in June, a small newsstand near the Hoboken PATH station that has gone unused for several years was suddenly torn down. Now, Jersey Digs has learned that a new coffee shop will be opening at a building that’s currently under construction at the site.
The property, at 1 Hudson Place, sees thousands of commuters pass through daily on their way to New York City. Details about the new coffee shop, dubbed Jo’boken, have thus far been scarce, but brick stucco has started to go up on the building’s exterior this week. NJ Transit owns the land and is managing the project.
Jo’boken is the latest in a line of modest upgrades that have been made in and around Hoboken Terminal recently, and more could be coming next year in the form of a Lackawanna Terminal marketplace. But the construction of Jo’boken has left some confused, as the city seemed to have a different vision for the land earlier this year.
Back in May, Hoboken’s Council voted 7-2 to pass an ordinance designating the area around the Terminal the ‘Railhead District.’ New signs and banners were called for on the surrounding blocks, and painted murals on the sides of buildings were floated for the neighborhood.
An information kiosk next to the PATH station on the land where Jo’boken is now being built was included in the ordinance’s documentation. Councilmembers Ravi Bhalla and Jen Giattino, both of whom are currently running for mayor, co-sponsored the ordinance and neither returned a request for comment about Jo’boken and what it means for the kiosk element of the Railhead District.
Regardless of the area’s future revitalization, caffeine junkies should look forward to Jo’boken opening their doors later this year.
