A proposed site development, a five-story project, for the American Legion Post 107 in Hoboken received positive community feedback at last night’s public meeting. The proposal includes six units for homeless veterans and a flood prevention plan.
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“This project has a dual benefit of helping our homeless veterans who have served our country and also helping our American Legion who was devastated by [Hurricane] Sandy,” explained Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer.
Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise also explained the importance of finding shelter for veterans and his efforts to get all municipalities proactive in ending chronic homelessness.
“I’m trying to become an advocate with all the of the mayors of all 12 communities here, that we all need to tackle the problem.”
In partnership with the City of Hoboken, Monarch Housing, Hoboken Shelter and the Hudson County Executive’s Office, the American Legion was awarded six housing vouchers for homeless veterans in 2015.
The proposed American Legion Development would include the demolition of the current site, and extend it east by about an additional 18 feet. It will be five stories tall and ADA compliant.
The first floor will be for storage, access to the elevator, a lobby, mailbox section and private meeting rooms. The meeting room for Post 107 equipped with a kitchen facility will be on the second floor. Floors three through five will show three, one-bedroom units, a communal laundry facility and a studio apartment on each floor.
All planning and architectural concepts for this site was by Kitchen & Associates.
Mark Villamar of American Legion Post 107 presented the plans on behalf of Kitchen & Associates who was not able to make the meeting.
During the Q/A portion of the meeting, the most popular topic was on site parking.
“There are three parking spaces that will be impacted by this project and I’m working with the director right now to see if we can accommodate spaces in the other garages,” addressed Zimmer.
” If the city council authorizes it, three parking spaces, we are given an easement for the use of that, to make sure that this project can work.”
Among those who also addressed the community was Hoboken City Council President Jennifer Giattino, Hoboken City Planner Brandy Forbes, Randy Moore Division Chief of Hudson County Division of Housing and Community Development, Jaclyn Cherubini of Hoboken Shelter and Richard Brown of Monarch Housing.
The first reading of the ordinance will be held on Wednesday March 2, 2016 at City Council Meeting at 6:00pm.
