Hybrid community meeting on 3-acre Courthouse Park in Jersey City set for tonight

A hybrid community meeting, which will be available in-person and virtually, on the three-acre Courthouse Park project in Jersey City is set for 7 p.m. this evening.

By John Heinis/Hudson County View

Slated to be he first large public park to be built in Journal Square, this will be the first of several community meetings will be held at the Hudson County Annex Building, located at 567 Pavonia Ave., and can also be viewed online at this link.

Over the past five years, the city joined the community to strongly advocate for the county-owned, three-acre lot along Newark Avenue to be preserved as open park – a component of the proposed Frank J. Guarini Justice Complex.

“We’re not only working to improve Jersey City’s parks system, but we’re also taking it a step further by finding innovative ways to create new parks and preserve open space in the rapidly growing urban core of Jersey City,” Mayor Steven Fulop said in a statement.

“This much-needed Courthouse Park in the heart of Journal Square is another important piece to our broader efforts in reviving Journal Square, attracting residents, visitors, shoppers, and key investments, stimulating Jersey City’s economy, and ultimately helping to maintain affordability and flat taxes.”

This is one of several large-scale projects announced for Journal Square, which also includes the renovation of the Loew’s Theatre, the Centre Pompidou x Jersey City, the Museum of Jersey City History at Apple Tree House, and the expansion of the Hudson County Community College.

In the initial plans for the justice complex, the county planned to demolish and rebuild 595 Newark Ave., the Administrative Services Building located behind the historic county courthouse.

After years of negotiations between the Fulop administration and Hudson County officials, plans are now progressing after an agreement was reached where the city handles the design and build-out for what will become a county park.

Earlier this year, Jersey City allocated $15 million to build the park, with community input incorporated throughout the process.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to implement new park infrastructure in one of the most densely-populated cities in the country,” concluded Jersey City Department of Infrastructure Director Barkha Patel.

“Through a community-centered process, we will be prioritizing the needs of the residents who live directly adjacent to the area and have not had easy access to a park for decades, while also advancing a world-class design that is in alignment with our citywide goals of sustainability, resilience, transportation equity, innovation, and smart growth.”