Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla is applauding Gov. Phil Murphy (D) and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for their $2.3 million Green Acres and Urban Parks grant funding for the Mile Square City.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“Open space has been a major priority for my administration as we have proactively pursued park improvements and additional open space. This funding will be used to construct the Southwest Resiliency Park’s expansion and upgrade a crucial piece of the waterfront walkway in preparation for the Rebuild by Design project, both of which are critical to making Hoboken more resilient,” Bhalla said in a statement.
“These projects will have a transformative impact on open space, recreation, and flood mitigation in Hoboken. I thank Governor Phil Murphy for prioritizing open space and climate action. I am also deeply grateful to Senator Brian Stack for working for his tireless advocacy in securing this funding on behalf of Hoboken residents.”
Of the $2.3 million of the grant funding, the city will use $576,000 to repair the bulkhead along the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway near 16th Street and rehabilitate a walkway segment along the future Cove Park and Weehawken Cove.
The rehabilitated walkway and bulkhead would support passive recreation and restore access to a portion of the waterfront while also supporting the Resist portion of the Rebuild by Design project that will mitigate flooding caused by storm surge.
“Hoboken has been a leader in climate-resilient open space under the Bhalla Administration,” began Murphy.
“I am pleased that we have been able to provide funding that will be critical to completing further environmental resiliency efforts in Hoboken while improving parks that will benefit residents for decades to come. These visionary projects are a model for our entire state, and I look forward to working with Mayor Bhalla on their continued success.”
Additionally, the city will use the remaining $1.7 million for the construction of the expansion of the Southwest Resiliency Park at Block 10, which will provide open space amenities to residents while incorporating above and below-ground infrastructure to further mitigate area flooding.
Bhalla recently announced the launch of the public planning process for the final design concept of the Southwest Resiliency Park Expansion.
The City and project team will host two public engagement sessions at the Southwest Pop-up Park at 60 Harrison St. on Saturday, Oct. 23, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and on Monday, Oct. 25, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
For more information on the expansion of the Southwest Resiliency Park, go to https://southwest-resiliency-park-cityofhoboken.hub.arcgis.com/.
For more information on Rebuild by Design, go to www.rbd-hudsonriver.nj.gov.