After a meeting run time of nearly five hours, the Hoboken Zoning Board voted 4-3 to deny the request for an application that would have granted Matthew Testa certification of non-conformity to re-open Grube’s deli at 207 12th St.
More than 40 neighbors were on the Zoom call to demonstrate support and opposition for the request.
At the core of the discussion was whether the structure should be able to operate in what’s called an R1 district, a designation intended to reinforce the residential character of the district. Also central to the argument was if the previous owner, Karen Grube, had either abandoned the business or if the deli was even operating legally as a commercial space before it shuttered in 1996 after opening as Grubes in 1966.
Attorneys who filed for Testa tried to demonstrate that the building was clearly a commercial building and should be granted access to operate again as a commercial building. They argued that the previous owners had hoped to reopen the deli but couldn’t once the husband Tom Grube passed away last summer after being sick for years.
Attorneys representing two Park Avenue couples whose yards are adjacent to Grube’s and contested the application for non-conformity, tried to demonstrate that the building also housed an apartment where Karen Grube had purportedly lived. They argued that the building should not be granted commercial status since it had served as a residence.
Testa bought the building in December and had ambitious plans for a restaurant with a roof deck before scaling it back to a “creative/culinary collaboration” with Jersey City restaurateurs, according to a flier he distributed to neighbors just hours before the Zoom call.
The Zoning Board of Adjustment Commissioner, John Branciforte, shared his view at the start of the meeting that Zoom calls were better than in-person meetings because it allowed for greater public attendance. Yet, 20 minutes into the meeting Zoning Board members were experiencing technical issues.
