The Hoboken Housing Authority Redevelopment Plan will be the recipient at New Jersey Future’s Smart Growth Awards in October, officials said.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
NJF, a nonprofit, recognizes projects, plans, and policies across New Jersey that demonstrate smart growth principles that encourage smart growth values and design.
This year, the HHA Redevelopment Plan is one of six projects being honored for its contributions to making New Jersey communities sustainable and strong.
“We are honored to receive this award, which is a testament to our commitment to creating a more sustainable and equitable Hoboken,” Mayor Ravi Bhalla said in a statement.
“This redevelopment plan not only ensures that our current residents will have substantially improved living conditions, but also sets a new standard for urban redevelopment that prioritizes community input and environmental resilience.”
The HHA Redevelopment Plan, overseen by Director of Community Development Chris Brown and adopted unanimously by the Hoboken City Council in December 2023, aims to redevelop and rehabilitate the decades-old housing stock within the HHA without displacing current residents.
This came after the volunteer HHA Board of Commissioners approved the plan, which was supported by HHA Executive Director Marc Recko.
“I am excited and honored for HHA to be receiving the New Jersey Future 2024 Smart Growth Award that recognizes the incredible efforts and professionalism that has gone into producing our Revitalization Plan,” he added.
“As we move forward with transforming our existing obsolete housing stock and creating even more housing for low and moderate income families in Hoboken, it is gratifying to be recognized by fellow professionals that understand the quality of work that has been produced through our partnership with HHA Residents, the City of Hoboken, HUD, and the Heyer, Gruel, & Associates planning group.”
The plan calls for the substantial rehabilitation or replacement of the existing 1,354 units within the HHA campus through the construction of new buildings, generally ranging from six to 12 stories tall.
It also incorporates requirements for infrastructure improvements to modernize the area’s stormwater and sewer systems, reduce flooding, enhance transportation accessibility and circulation, establish a commercial corridor along Jackson Street, and provide community-focused amenities including a new resiliency park along Marshall Street that incorporates a recreational path to serve as a portion of the City’s “Green Circuit.”
The phased construction approach outlined in the plan, developed collaboratively by the city’s Department of Community Development, the project consultant team, and the HHA, aims to minimize disruptions to the over 2,500 HHA residents by reducing the need for
relocations.
The approach prioritizes the rapid replacement of existing HHA units and allows for the development of new affordable and workforce housing units. Future redevelopment projects may include residential units for other income groups once HHA replacement
unit requirements are satisfied.
Of the additional residential units for other income groups, the plan mandates that a minimum of 15 percent be affordable units and 10 percent be workforce housing units allocated for households with incomes ranging from 80
percent to 120 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI).
The HHA Redevelopment Plan was created using input gathered during an extensive public engagement process initiated by the administration involving community and stakeholder meetings, online surveys, as well as input collected through the HHA’s prior planning
efforts, following the Hoboken City Council’s designation of the HHA properties as an Area in Need of Redevelopment in November 2022.
A consultant team led by Heyer, Gruel & Associates, WRT, ARUP, and Execu-Tech assisted the City in preparing the redevelopment
plan.