Hoboken Police and Stevens Police to Host Annual Night Out Against Crime Event in Church Square Park
July 19th, 2017
On Tuesday, August 1, 2017, The Hoboken Police Department and Stevens Police Department will be hosting “National Night Out in Hoboken.” National Night Out, also known as “America’s Night Out Against Crime,” is an annual, nationwide event that allows the community workers to give back to their community. The annual event will take place in Hoboken’s centrally located Church Square Park (4th St & Garden St), where a large slate of family and youth-oriented activities is scheduled to take place from 5pm until 9pm.
The Hoboken Police Department’s new Emergency Services Truck will be on display and Disney princesses will be making a visit to take pictures with everyone in attendance. The event will include bounce houses, water slides, and other entertainment for children, a photo booth, free food, and giveaways throughout the night. The Callahans Hot Dog truck which will be giving out hot dogs and Birch Restaurant will be giving out free milkshakes. Giveaways include baseball tickets, gift cards, and autographed sports memorabilia. Free child car seat inspections will be conducted from inside the parking lot of the A J Demarest School (158 4th Street). People of all ages are encouraged to attend.
National Night Out is designed to: (1) Heighten crime and drug prevention awareness; (2) Generate support for, and participation in, local anticrime efforts; (3) Strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships; and (4) Send a message to criminals letting them know neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.
In addition to the participation of various police agencies, several local businesses will be out in full support of this night out against crime.
The National Night Out event is celebrated by over 37 million participants and over 16,000 communities across the United States.
For further information or to set up a table or make a donation for the event please contact Sergeant Melissa Gigante at gigantem@hobokenpd.org or visit our website, www.Hobokenpd.com.
The HPD and SPD hope you can come out and help us fight against crime!
Hoboken Awarded $451,000 Grant for Newark Street Safety Improvement Project
July 13th, 2017
The City of Hoboken has been awarded a $451,000 Transportation Alternatives Program grant for the Newark Street safety improvement project.
In addition to a new All-Way Stop sign recently installed at Grand Street, the project includes curb extensions at corners to reduce pedestrian crossing distances and vehicle turning speeds and enhance visibility at conflict points, the addition of loading zones to accommodate deliveries, additional crosswalks including a mid-block crosswalk with a pedestrian refuge island between Jefferson Street and Adams Street, a physically separated eastbound bike lane along the south side of the street, and Rectangular Rapid Flash Beacon (RRFB) signs to enhance the frequency of drivers stopping for pedestrians at crosswalks.
Thank you to the NJDOT and the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority and all of the residents and community groups who wrote letters of support for the grant application.
The full concept plan can be viewed at: http://www.hobokennj.gov/docs/transportation/Newark-Street-Concept-Plan.pdf.
Mayor Zimmer Announces New Suez Water Agreement With Over $40 Million Benefit to Hoboken
July 12th, 2017
Mayor Dawn Zimmer announced that her Administration and Suez Water have agreed on the terms of a renegotiated water service contract that would provide more than $31 million in infrastructure investments and a total of over $40 million in benefits to the City of Hoboken through 2034. The agreement requires City Council approval.
“Our aging water system is in need of expensive capital upgrades, yet the $350,000 provided annually by our existing water agreement from 1994 is not even enough for emergency repairs,” said Mayor Dawn Zimmer. “I am thrilled that our proposed agreement would provide on average over $1.8 million per year for capital investments. The City has already begun the process to invest $12 million in water main improvements, and this agreement will allow us to make the investments we need to modernize our water system.”
In addition to the investment capital for water main upgrades, the renegotiated agreement will forgive $10 million owed by the City to Suez under the terms of the existing agreement for excess repair and bulk water costs. The agreement would extend the contract from 2024 to 2034.
If the new agreement is not approved, the City will remain under the terms of the existing agreement, which ends in 2024. Under those terms, Suez will be required to make only $350,000 per year in emergency repairs for the next 7 years, while the City of Hoboken would continue to be responsible for all repair costs over $350,000 annually. The City would receive no funds for the needed modernization of the water main system. In addition, the City would be responsible for the approximately $10 million that would be forgiven in the renegotiated agreement for excess bulk water and repair costs.
A memorandum of understanding agreement is expected to be presented to the City Council for its approval at the August 2nd City Council meeting.
Update on City Council Meeting: PSE&G Substation Resiliency Upgrades, Free Gigabit Public Wi-Fi & Rebuild by Design
July 5th, 2017
Several significant items will be considered at the City Council meeting scheduled for this evening:
- PSE&G Substation Resiliency Upgrades – A resolution to approve a Redevelopment Agreement with PSE&G would advance a $170 million project to ensure that Hoboken has the most modern, resilient, and reliable energy distribution system into the future. The project will consolidate the Marshall Street and Madison Street substations into one station at the Madison Street site, would elevate the station to protect it from flooding, and make upgrades to improve the reliability of the distribution system.
- Free Gigabit Public Wi-Fi – Two resolutions on the agenda would award contracts to Intersection (a subsidiary of Google spinoff Sidewalk Labs) and Verizon, subject to final negotiation of terms, for the installation of digital kiosks as part of Hoboken’s Smart City Initiative. The kiosks would provide free phone and video calls, USB charging, wayfinding and local business and civic information, and free high-speed gigabit public Wi-Fi at no cost to the City.
- Rebuild by Design – A resolution to enter into an agreement with the NJ Department of Community Affairs (DCA) would give the City of Hoboken a stronger voice and greater input in the process of protecting historic buildings and resources within Hoboken as the Rebuild by Design process continues. The DCA has invited Hoboken, Weehawken, and Jersey City to be signatories to the agreement.
Update on Neumann Leathers Redevelopment Plan
July 3rd, 2017
At Wednesday night’s City Council Subcommittee meeting on the Neumann Leathers Rehabilitation Area, Subcommittee members reached consensus on an architectural design solution for the project that would not require a significant amendment to the Neumann Leathers Redevelopment Plan. The Subcommittee will be making its recommendation to the full Council during new business at the July 5th City Council meeting.
City Council Subcommittee members, including Chair Dave Mello, Councilman Doyle, Councilman Defusco, and Councilman Ramos met to discuss a series of concepts for the redevelopment of the Neumann Leathers Rehabilitation Area, and the comments received by local residents and businesses that expressed their concerns and preferences with regards to the concepts. At issue for the Subcommittee was whether the City should consider a substantial amendment to the Neumann Leathers Redevelopment Plan that would allow some residential development to be located on the easterly portion of the site, whereas the Redevelopment Plan requires that all residential be located along the westerly side of the site, separated from the industrial arts uses. The prospective redeveloper (and property owner) of the subject Neumann Leathers properties is working with local architect, John Nastasi of Nastasi Architects, who prepared the development concepts now under consideration. The property owner, Mr. Nastasi and counsel attended the Subcommittee meeting, as well.
At the meeting, Mr. Nastasi presented an alternative that would make some architectural changes to the design of the “Revision 3” concept. The changes would keep the residential building entirely on the westerly side of the site, as required by the Redevelopment Plan, but would “re-shape” and narrow the upper stories of this building in order to minimize the visual impact to the residents at the adjacent 415 Newark Street building, and to open up the eastward view corridor.
Subcommittee members were pleased with this consensus concept and feel that it can help address the neighbors’ concerns, while keeping intact the intent of the Redevelopment Plan to maintain historic buildings, provide public plaza/courtyard space, and retain the light industrial uses. The consensus concept changes to Revision 3 proposed by Mr. Nastasi are included below and will be shared by the Subcommittee Chair David Mello during new business at the July 5th City Council meeting.
The Administration and Subcommittee would like to thank everyone who took the time to voice their concerns, which greatly assisted in reaching this consensus concept.
Background:
In a presentation given by City Planning staff at the previous City Council meeting on June 21st, a number of Nastasi’s concepts were shown to the public and the entire City Council. The concepts were narrowed down to the three (3) scenarios that would not demolish any of the existing Neumann Leathers buildings that the Redevelopment Plan requires to be retained and rehabilitated. Preserving these historic buildings, and allowing the successful continuation of the industrial arts uses within them, are two major goals of the Redevelopment Plan, and are top priorities for the Administration. After the presentation, Hoboken citizens were asked to email the Subcommittee members with their comments and preferences for the three concepts.
Hoboken Public Library Newsletter for July
July 3rd, 2017
The Hoboken Public Library newsletter for July, 2017 is now available.
City auctioning abandoned bicycles
June 28th, 2017
The City is auctioning off abandoned bicycles via www.govdeals.com starting today and ending July 17th. Bikes can be viewed by:
- Going to www.govdeals.com
- Clicking “Searches” then “Location Search”
- Entering in Hoboken’s zip code (07030)
- Clicking the “Seller Name” “Hoboken, NJ”
Paving and Striping Work Scheduled for Saturday, July 1st in Southwest Hoboken
June 23rd, 2017
Crews are scheduled to conduct milling, paving, and striping work on Saturday, July 1st on various roads in Southwest Hoboken as part of the Southwest Traffic Circulation Plan.
Construction will require the closure of streets including New York Avenue, Observer Highway, Jackson Street, and Harrison Street. Work will also take place on Jersey Avenue and Newark Street, however Jersey Avenue and Newark Street are expected to remain open to traffic. In order to minimize traffic disruptions, work has been scheduled to take place in Hoboken on Saturday, July 1st from 8:30am until the work is complete at approximately 4:00pm.
The work will include the milling, paving, and striping of the intersections of Jackson Street and Observer Highway and Harrison Street and Observer Highway as well as Jackson Street from Observer Highway to Paterson Ave and Observer Highway from Harrison Avenue to the Jersey City boundary. In addition, striping work will take place on Jersey Avenue and Newark Street from 18th Street to Jackson Street as well as on Jackson Street from Newark Street to Paterson Avenue.
The City of Hoboken is coordinating the project with Jersey City. The portion of the work in Jersey City on Jersey Avenue will commence at 6:00 a.m. and is expected to be completed by 9:00 a.m. The striping work on Jersey Avenue is not anticipated to require closures.
To coincide with the planned repaving and striping, the City of Hoboken has begun installing the poles and signal heads for two new traffic signals at Jackson Street and Observer Highway and Harrison Street and Observer Highway. The work is expected to last a few weeks, weather permitting.
City Council Seeks Additional Input on Neumann Leathers Plan Concepts
June 22nd, 2017
The City Council meeting on Wednesday, June 21st included a presentation, public comment, and Council discussion on various concepts for the Neumann Leathers Redevelopment Plan. The presentation slides can be viewed at: www.hobokennj.gov/docs/communitydev/Neumann-Leathers-Council-Presentation.pdf.
The Hoboken City Council Community Development South Subcommittee will be meeting next week to discuss the Neumann Leathers Redevelopment Plan and is requesting additional public comments and preferences on concept alternatives for the project.
Members of the public are invited to review the three concepts under consideration and provide their feedback to the members of the subcommittee. The subcommittee has requested that feedback be provided via email by Sunday, June 25th:
Community Development South Sub-committee
Councilman David Mello (chair): melloforhoboken@gmail.com
Councilman Ruben Ramos: councilmanramos4@gmail.com
Councilman James Doyle: jimdoylehoboken@gmail.com
Councilman Michael DeFusco: mdefusco@hobokennj.gov
The three concepts are:
“Official Submission – Revision 3” (Latest Official Submission to the City): This is the latest proposal officially submitted to the City by the property owner, as part of the formal application process to be designated redeveloper. This option would position the residential portion of the development consistent with the adopted Redevelopment Plan and meets the goals of separating the residential and light industrial areas and providing public open space. This submission was prepared by the applicant to respond to the City’s concerns about preserving the existing historic Neumann Leathers buildings and is consistent with the major components of the Redevelopment Plan.
(click image to view full size)
“Residential East” (Not officially submitted to the City): This concept was recently prepared by the property owner’s architect (March 2017) to try to respond to residents’ concerns as to the location of the residential uses while also preserving the existing Neumann Leathers buildings. This option would include a separate, 18-story residential building within the commercial/light industrial building area. This option would also reduce the amount of public open space and would require redevelopment plan amendments.
(click image to view full size)
“Option C – Historic Building Preserved” (Not officially submitted to the City): This concept was most recently prepared by the property owner’s architect (June 2017) to try to respond to residents’ concerns as to the location of the residential uses, while also preserving the existing Neumann Leathers buildings. One residential building would be built to extend over the existing historic Neumann Leathers building, and a separate residential building would be constructed in the eastern portion of the site, so that it is mixed in with the existing commercial/light industrial buildings. This option would also reduce the amount of public open space and would require redevelopment plan amendments.
(click image to view full size)
“I thank all of the residents who came out to last night’s Council meeting and invite our community to provide additional feedback to the Council subcommittee as they continue this discussion and work to reach consensus on a path forward,” said Mayor Dawn Zimmer.
Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Rebuild By Design Hudson River Project Available for Public Comment
June 16th, 2017
Summary: The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), on behalf of New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (NJDCA), announces the release of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Rebuild by Design (RBD) Hudson River: Resist, Delay, Store, Discharge Project (Proposed Project).
The Proposed Project has been allocated HUD Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) grant funds. The NJDCA, as the recipient of U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grant funds and “Responsible Entity,” designated the NJDEP as the Lead Agency to prepare the EIS for the Proposed Project in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The Proposed Project is located throughout the City of Hoboken and extending into Weehawken and Jersey City, New Jersey.
Project Description: The NJDEP has prepared this FEIS for the Proposed Project located in the City of Hoboken, Township of Weehawken, and City of Jersey City, NJ. The Proposed Project consists of a four-part comprehensive strategy, including (1) hard infrastructure and soft landscape for coastal defense (Resist); (2) policy recommendations, guidelines and urban infrastructure to slow storm water runoff (Delay); (3) green and/or grey infrastructure improvements to allow for greater storage of excess rainwater (Store); and (4) water pumps and alternative routes to support drainage (Discharge). The Proposed Project has been allocated HUD Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG–DR) funds. CDBG– DR funding requires compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) as stated in HUD’s regulations as outlined in 24 CFR part 58. The Proposed Project is also subject to the Council of Environmental Quality (CEQ) NEPA regulations at 40 CFR parts 1500–1508. HUD has further outlined the project’s environmental review requirements in a Federal Register notice published on October 16, 2014 (79 FR 62182). The State of New Jersey, acting through the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, is the responsible entity that has assumed environmental responsibilities for the Sandy CDBG–DR programs in accordance with 24 CFR 58.1(b)(1). The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs has designated NJDEP to assist with the environmental review. NJDEP has prepared the FEIS in accordance with HUD’s procedures for NEPA found at 24 CFR part 58.
AVAILABILITY OF THE FEIS: The FEIS is available for public comment for a period of 30 days ending on July 17, 2017. Electronic copies of the FEIS are available for public review on the following websites: www.rbd-hudsonriver.nj.gov and www.nj.gov/dca/divisions/sandyrecovery/review. CDs and paper copies of the FEIS will also be available for review at the following locations during regular business hours:
- Hoboken City Hall: 94 Washington Street, Hoboken, New Jersey
- Hoboken Public Library: 500 Park Avenue, Hoboken, New Jersey
- Hoboken Housing Authority: 400 Harrison Street, Hoboken, New Jersey
- Jersey City City Hall: 280 Grove Street, Jersey City, New Jersey
- Jersey City Free Public Library – Pavonia Branch: 326 8th Street, Jersey City, New Jersey
- Weehawken Town Hall: 400 Park Avenue, Weehawken, New Jersey
- Weehawken Public Library: 49 Hauxhurst Avenue, Weehawken, New Jersey
FEIS: The FEIS includes a detailed project description and describes environmental impacts, including indirect and cumulative environmental impacts, associated with three Build Alternatives as well as a No Action Alternative. A range of reasonable alternatives (Build Alternatives 1, 2 and 3) was evaluated in the DEIS. Build Alternative 3 was selected as the Preferred Alternative in consideration of environmental, community, technical and other factors. The Preferred Alternative consists of a Resist alignment that begins near the HBLR Lincoln Harbor Station, travels south along Weehawken Cove. The alignment travels down Garden Street and includes the use of the alleyway between Garden Street and Washington Street and then travels one and a half blocks south on Washington Street. The southern portion of the Resist alignment extends along and within the north side of the Hoboken Terminal rail yard and includes two options before extending westward along the rail embankment. Option 1 features an alignment south of Observer Highway, within the rail yard (south of the proposed Hoboken Yard Redevelopment Area). Option 2 includes an alignment along Observer Highway from Washington Street to Marin Boulevard. Alternative 3’s Resist alignment travels primarily in inland areas to minimize impacts to waterfront open spaces and viewsheds and would provide enhancements to approximately 2.55 acres of open space or parks. The Delay, Store, Discharge (DSD) features in Alternative 3 include three large stormwater detention facilities and approximately 61 small tanks along the Right of Way that will include new and/or improved stormwater management techniques. The large stormwater detention facilities associated with the DSD features are planned to be developed for recreational use. Overall, the Preferred Alternative:
- Provides a high degree of flood risk reduction while integrating the flood risk reduction strategy with community values by considering public input, cost and urban amenities;
- Incorporates a Resist structure that can be constructed with available funds;
- Has the least impact to the built environment of the three Build Alternatives;
- Results in the lowest annual maintenance cost among the three Build Alternatives;
- Requires the fewest number of movable gates, which leads to having the lowest operation and maintenance costs and the highest level of reliability among the three Build Alternatives; and,
- Is most effective in minimizing impact to waterfront access and views among the three Build Alternatives.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FEIS identifies several potential environmental impacts associated with the Preferred Alternative including but not limited to, the following: noise, vibration and traffic associated with construction of the Resist feature, as well as potential impacts to architectural and archaeological resources.
In compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, NJDEP has consulted with the NJ State Historic Preservation Office to develop a Programmatic Agreement (PA) which outlines measures to document the presence or absence of Historic Properties within the project’s area of potential effect (APE). The PA defines avoidance, minimization, and mitigation measures and the development of a cultural resources management protection plan to manage and protect affected cultural resources. In addition, monitoring of construction activities may be conducted to document the project’s potential impact to archaeological resources.
The project involves new outfalls to the Hudson River. The NJDEP has completed consultation with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and found that the Project will not adversely affect essential fish habitat (EFH) but may affect – but is not likely to adversely affect – shortnose or Atlantic sturgeon or adversely affect proposed critical habitat for Atlantic sturgeon.
DATES AND PUBLIC COMMENT: The FEIS will be available at the locations identified in the AVAILABILITY OF THE FEIS section starting on June 16, 2017. This date is the beginning of the public comment period. Any person wishing to comment on the FEIS may do so. The public comment period will be 30 days. All comments and related material must be submitted on or before July 17, 2017, using one of the methods in the ADDRESSES section of this NOA. Additional comments received on the FEIS will be addressed in the Record of Decision (ROD).
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments using any one of the following methods:
(1) Email: rbd-hudsonriver@dep.nj.gov
(2) online to the NJDEP website at www.rbd-hudsonriver.nj.gov or to the NJDCA website at www.nj.gov/dca/divisions/sandyrecovery/review/;
(3) Mail: New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) c/o Dennis Reinknecht, Program Manager, Bureau of Flood Resilience, 501 East State Street, Mail Code 501-01A, P.O. Box 420, Trenton, NJ 08625-0420.
(4) Hand delivery: Same as mail address above, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
To avoid duplication, please use only one of these methods.
The NJDEP Bureau of Flood Resilience, 501 East State Street, Mail Code 501-01A, P.O. Box 420, Trenton, NJ 08625-0420, will maintain a paper copy of the FEIS for public review. The document will be available for inspection or copying at this location between 9:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions regarding this notice, write or e-mail Dennis Reinknecht, Program Manager, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) Bureau of Flood Resilience, 501 East State Street, Mail Code 501-01A, P.O. Box 420, Trenton, NJ 08625-0420, email rbd-hudsonriver@dep.nj.gov.
