Dear Neighbor,
I hope you are taking some time to enjoy the balmy days of summer 🏖.
Here's an update on the latest around town.
Revitalizing the Hoboken Terminal Area
After 15 years of planning, studying, and replanning, last week the City Council approved a Redevelopment Agreement for new development and public infrastructure improvements on New Jersey Transit property near the historic Hoboken Terminal.
I am proud to have helped shepherd the plan and agreement through the Development Committee I Chair, including a community hearing I moderated that you can watch here where we incorporated public comments into a design that will bring many benefits to Hoboken residents, revitalizing our transportation hub and Warrington Plaza and bringing affordable housing and commercial development to NJ Transit's property.
In addition to much-needed office space, retail, and affordable housing, the project will provide an improved streetscape, including the construction of a new bus terminal on Hudson Place, significant rehabilitation of the Ferry Terminal's exterior, first and second floors, and the redevelopment of Warrington Plaza into a landscaped public plaza, and improvements to Hudson Place to support bicycle and pedestrian access to state of the art transportation facilities befitting a major regional transportation hub.
Governor Murphy committed $176 million from New Jersey’s FY23 budget for the public improvements phase of this development. The private phase includes a mixed-use residential building with 20 percent of the units dedicated to affordable housing; a 20-story Class A office building with a rooftop terrace, 5,000 sq. feet of retail space, and related public open space investments, including additional pedestrian, vehicular, and bicycle improvements.
When the project is complete, it will support 15,290 permanent jobs and generate $234 million in tax revenue each year for the City of Hoboken, while NJ TRANSIT will gain from ground lease payments, increased ridership, and improved customer experience. More than 9,800 construction jobs will be created.
You can read details about this exciting Hoboken Railyard redevelopment here.
A Flat Tax Bill for Hoboken Taxpayers
Hoboken taxpayers will receive a flat tax bill for 2021 based on the budget the City Council approved last week.
With the adoption of the budget, the Council funded newly-ratified union contracts including increases to police and fire officers' salaries and wages, a crucial investment in public safety. The budget also funds the reopened Office of Constituent Services and significant investments to build and upgrade parks and open space, the replacement of 5,000 feet of antiquated water mains, resiliency infrastructure upgrades, 80 blocks of road repaving, municipal garage updates, Vision Zero pedestrian safety improvements, engineering studies to rehabilitate Court Street, as well as the Multi-Service Center, while maintaining a responsible surplus.
With rapidly rising inflation and increasing interest rates, and higher fixed costs, this year's municipal budget presented several challenges. The finance committee, on which I serve, identified a number of cost savings in the budget originally submitted by Mayor Bhalla’s administration and worked hard with Business Administrator Jason Freeman, and our Council Colleagues to kick the tires and reduce the submitted annual budget by millions of dollars resulting in the City submitting a budget amendment to the State with an increased municipal levy of 2.5 percent. When offset by a reduction in the county tax levy, Hoboken taxpayers will see a flat tax bill for 2022 compared to 2021.
Reducing the Citywide Speed Limit to 20 MPH
The City Council unanimously passed a new speed limit law last week as part of our efforts to make our streets safer for pedestrians and users of all modes of transportation. Reducing the speed limit from 25 MPH to 20 MPH is an action item of the Vision Zero Action Plan, which aims to eliminate all traffic-related deaths and injuries by 2030.
The Vision Zero Action Plan identifies speed as a major factor in the severity of automobile accidents. The chances of a pedestrian suffering a grave injury or death increase from approximately 25% when struck by a vehicle traveling at 20 mph to over 50% when struck by a vehicle traveling at 30 mph.
Additionally, several initiatives will be implemented to educate drivers and improve compliance with the new speed limit. Over the next few weeks, the City will install speed radar signs at Hoboken's gateways, new 20 MPH speed limit signs with "citywide" supplemental plaque signs, and pavement markings with 20 MPH speed limits at select locations. With the Hoboken Police Department and the Hudson County Sheriff’s Department, the City will launch an education and enforcement campaign informing drivers of the reduced speed limit.
As soon as existing speed limit signs and pavement markings are updated, the citywide speed limit reduction will take effect. For more information on the City's Vision Zero initiative, click here. In addition to working to decrease traffic injuries, Vision Zero has also helped Hoboken eliminate traffic deaths for the past four years. A great article published yesterday “Welcome to Safetyville Hoboken Shows the World How to Do Vision Zero” analyzes Hoboken’s extraordinary Vision Zero program.
Northwest Resiliency Park Construction
Hoboken's Northwest Resiliency Park, currently under construction, will become New Jersey's largest resiliency park, capable of holding up to two million gallons of water during severe weather events. Upon completion, the park will feature a multi-sport athletic field, basketball court, playground equipment for children of all ages, an ice rink and spray area, as well as open space and will be a jewel of the Fifth Ward.
Despite substantial progress, construction has fallen a bit behind schedule due to a variety of factors, with the City now expecting to complete construction by Spring 2023. In addition to other on-site conditions, additional remediation of 13th Street for adjacent sewer-system upgrades has delayed construction schedules. Efforts are being made by the City, North Hudson Sewerage Authority, and their teams to complete this project as soon as possible.
If you would like to learn more about the City’s resiliency and sustainability efforts, click here.
Hoboken High School Pool Hours
The Hoboken High School Pool at 800 Clinton St. Is open to residents through August 11th.
The open swim schedule is as follows:
- Monday through Thursday 12 - 1 pm
- Monday & Wednesday 1 - 4:30 pm
- Tuesday & Thursday 3 - 4:30 pm
- Saturday 10 am – 4 pm
Open swim is available on a first-come, first-served basis. The pool's capacity is 20 swimmers. For more information, please contact Recreation@hobkennj.gov.
♻️ 🚙 Expanding Electric Vehicle Charging Stations + Launching the Green Pass Pilot Program ♻️ 🚙
Six new level 2 dual-port charging stations have been activated in Hoboken alongside the launch of the new Green Pass pilot program, making electric vehicle charging more affordable and accessible. As a result of these additions, the total number of public ports in the City has increased from 10 to 22.
The additional six ports are located at the Midtown Garage at 371 Fourth St., two ports at the North Lot at 1301 Jefferson St., and two new ports at Garage B at 28 Second St. and Garage D at 215 Hudson St. The City also provides two charging ports for electric vehicles on First Street between Washington and Hudson.
Over 3,300 people have charged their vehicles over 4,000 times since the City’s first public charging stations opened a year ago.
As part of its efforts to make electric vehicle charging more affordable, the City has also launched a six-month Green Pass pilot program with the goal of increasing the use of electric vehicles at municipal garage charging stations. Expanding EV charging in Hoboken and reducing our dependence on traditional fuel-dependent vehicles is an important part of Hoboken’s Climate Action Plan, as established by Mayor Bhalla, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and exceed the goal of the Paris Agreement.
Residents will be able to park their registered electric vehicles or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles at a reduced rate while charging their vehicles in Garage B, Garage D, and the Midtown Garage. While charging their vehicle, Green Pass holders will pay only $6 for up to eight hours of parking. Residents without monthly garage access currently pay $20 for eight hours of parking plus $1 per hour for electricity, or about $28 for 8 hours of charging. With the Green Pass discount, those eight hours would only cost $6 for parking plus the $1 per hour for electricity for a total of $14.
Residents must have a valid Hoboken Resident On-Street Parking Permit and a registered electric vehicle or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle to become a Green Pass member. To register for the Green Pass program, click here and to learn more about the City’s electric vehicle charging program, click here. We will have even more good news on EV charging stations in Hoboken in the coming weeks - stay tuned!
COVID-19 Updates
As of July 11th, Hoboken’s positive test results total 12,860 cases confirmed since the start of the pandemic. Two weeks ago, there were 12,509 positive cases.
New Jersey’s transmission rate is presently at 1.05. Please stay vigilant, practice social distancing when necessary, wash your hands, and stay safe.
HUMC is now hospitalizing 4 people with COVID, 2 of whom are Hoboken residents. If you have any reason to believe you have been exposed to COVID, please quarantine and then schedule an appointment for a COVID test 5-7 days for those fully vaccinated and immediately for those unvaccinated after potential exposure. To find out when you should get tested, click here.
COVID Testing Updates
To get the current Hoboken COVID testing and hours click here.
Testing for Hoboken Residents and Business Employees:
605 Jackson Street (Administered by Medicine Man)
Date: Wednesday
Time: 8am - 12pm
Location: 605 Jackson Street
Type of testing: PCR
Who: Hoboken residents, Hoboken business employees
At-home testing
The NJ Department of Health and Vault Medical Services offers free, at-home COVID-19 saliva test kits. To order your kit go to learn.vaulthealth.com/nj. I ordered four free test kits from the federal government for my family, and you can order yours at https://www.covidtests.gov/.
COVID Vaccination News
To get current information on Hoboken vaccinations and clinic schedules click here.
Testing for Hoboken Residents, Business Employees, and Students:
605 Jackson Street (Administered by Hudson Regional Health Commission)
Date: Thursday (July 28), Tuesday (Aug. 9)
Time: 10 am – 1 pm (Tuesday), 10 am - 3 pm (Thursday)
Location: 605 Jackson Street
Type of vaccine: Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson
Ages: All eligible age groups over 6 months
If you are a Hoboken resident and would like a copy of your vaccination record, please contact LMedeiros@hobokennj.gov. Vaccination records are also accessible for all New Jersey residents through the Docket app.
Coffee with Cohen . . . the home edition
Last year, to practice social distancing, rather than eliminate my monthly Coffee with Cohen events, I turned to the internet. My 60th Coffee with Cohen event will be online on July 18th at 1 pm with Special Guest Nora Martinez DeBenedetto, Hoboken’s Constituent Services Coordinator. You can RSVP for this online event here and watch it here. Do you have a question? Send it to HobokenPhil@gmail.com as I try to address each one. Many past events are recorded and hosted on my Facebook page and you can watch them here.
You can stay up to date by following me on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. If you have any questions or concerns, or I can be of assistance to you or your family, please do not hesitate to contact me at HobokenPhil@gmail.com.
Phil Cohen
Hoboken City Councilman
Hoboken, New Jersey
HobokenPhil@gmail.com
(862) 234-9053
P.S. You can learn more about me and my ideas for Hoboken (as well as read this newsletter and prior newsletters) on my website philcohen.org.
