Dear Neighbors,
As we head to the holiday season, here’s the latest.
Opposing the Agreement Between the National Park Service and the Helicopter Industry
The agreement would create a 1,000-foot helicopter buffer around Liberty Island and Ellis Island, pushing tourist flight routes over Liberty State Park and our cherished waterfront spaces. Forcing more helicopters over Liberty State Park and the Hudson River waterfront will degrade the public’s enjoyment of our priceless urban oases.
I submitted formal comments to the NPS last week, detailing my opposition and calling for a new, transparent process that ensures it will not create adverse impacts for Liberty State Park’s visitors or New Jersey residents. You can read about the flawed helicopter agreement here.
Take the Hudson Place Redesign Survey!
As Chair of the City Council’s Development Committee, I have been actively engaged with the City kickstarting the redevelopment of the Hoboken Railyard. Importantly, Governor Murphy included a $170 Million investment in the Railyard in the 2023 State budget towards the transformation of our historic terminal and creating 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 public open space investments, including additional pedestrian, vehicular, and bicycle improvements.
As part of the revitalization of the railyard, the City is considering a redesign of Hudson Place. Hudson Place connects Hudson Street to Warrington Plaza (see photo below) and serves as a key gateway to downtown, the waterfront, the Hoboken Ferry Terminal, and the Hoboken Train Station.
The City has launched an online survey to get your feedback on three possible Hudson Place re-designs. To take the survey click here. The survey will remain open until December 5th at 6pm. After taking your feedback into account, a final concept design and engineered design will be presented to the public at a Hoboken Planning Board meeting. Visit the Hudson Place Redesign Website to learn more about this project.
Day of Remembrance Event
I was honored to join Families For Safe Streets, the Vision Zero New Jersey Alliance, families of traffic crash victims, and State and Local leaders at Pier A Park on the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. I participated in the program and thanked the Vision Zero advocates and highlighted Hoboken’s robust Vision Zero efforts to protect our community from preventable road traffic deaths and traumatic injuries.
The flags and the “ghost bike” pictured below honor those who lost their lives or had their lives forever altered by preventable car accidents. While Hoboken has accomplished much, important work remains to be done in our community and in our region to achieve our Vision Zero goals.
Hoboken Business Alliance Passport
I serve as a Trustee on the Hoboken Business Alliance, which is actively encouraging residents and visitors to Shop Local this Holiday Season. The Hoboken Business Alliance has launched the Hoboken Holiday Passport, featuring small businesses all over Hoboken. If you spend $15 or more at a participating store, you can get a stamp. Collect 15 stamps to complete your passport and turn it in for a chance to win great prizes. Pick up your passport at any participating business listed below.
🛍Time to Shop in Ho-Ho-Hoboken! 🎁
Free and Discounted Holiday 🎄 Parking
To encourage shopping local, until January 2nd Hoboken offers free parking for up to four hours in municipal Garage B (28 Second Street), Garage D (215 Hudson Street), and Midtown Garage (371 Fourth Street) for drivers who have a receipt showing a purchase of at least $20 at a Hoboken shop or restaurant.
Discounted metered parking also is available through December 31st in our business districts. Through the end of the year, drivers can receive 50% off metered parking with promo code "PARKHOB" in the ParkMobile app (you can see the discount meters’ location here).
City Hall Craft Fair
The Annual City Hall Holiday Craft Fair is coming tomorrow! You can check out the City Hall Holiday Craft Fair for your holiday gifts on Saturday, December 3rd, and Sunday, December 4th, at City Hall, 94 Washington St., from 11 am to 5 pm. For more information about the City Hall Craft Fair, click here.
My Re-Election Announcement
I enjoy the challenges and am inspired by the work representing the people of Hoboken. It is an honor to represent you on the City Council. This week, I announced I am running for re-election. You can read press coverage of my announcement here.
Over the past three years, working closely with Mayor Bhalla and his Administration, I have been a leader on the City Council moving forward with critical quality-of-life projects including building the Northwest Resiliency Park, defending our waterfront at Union Dry Dock, launching the CitiBike bike share program, building Vision Zero improvements and securing our Rebuild By Design resiliency infrastructure. No issue has been too large or too small to tackle for my constituents — everything from filling potholes and fixing stop signs, to fighting for The Rivington’s residents to roll back unconscionable rent increases.
Please join me Tuesday, December 13th at the Pilsener Haus (1422 Grand Street) at 6 pm, as we kick off our campaign. You can purchase your tickets here.
Monkeypox Update and Vaccine Clinic Locations
New Jersey has a total of 760 cases of monkeypox as of December 1st with 185 cases located in Hudson County.
The State is providing monkeypox vaccinations for eligible individuals. Eligible individuals include those who have had known contact with someone who tested positive for orthopoxvirus or monkeypox in the past 14 days, people who attended an event where known monkeypox exposure occurred within the past 14 days, and men who have sex with men.
Monkeypox Vaccine Locations
Hoboken and the Hudson Regional Health Commission are hosting a monkeypox vaccine clinic on December 12th, from 4 pm to 6:45 pm at 605 Jackson St. To register, or for more information, click here
To see all Monkeypox vaccination locations throughout New Jersey click here. If you believe you’ve been infected with Monkeypox, please contact the Hoboken Health Department at (201) 420-2375 for additional guidance, information, and contact tracing. Also, you can visit the CDC’s Monkeypox page here for additional information.
COVID Testing Updates
To get the current Hoboken COVID testing and hours click here.
At-home COVID 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.
COVID Vaccinations and Vaccination Records
To get current information on Hoboken’s COVID vaccination clinics click here.
Hoboken and the Hudson Regional Health Commission are hosting a COVID vaccine clinic on December 6th, from 10 am to 12:45 pm at 605 Jackson St. To register, or for more information, click here.
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
On Tuesday, I hosted my 68th Coffee with Cohen event and welcomed a special guest, Jessica Lezcano, Hoboken’s Head of Recreation.
We discussed the new volleyball rec program and the new pilot golf program, Jessica’s upcoming extended office hours, and much more. I also addressed your questions about water main breaks. Over 100 people have watched this event and you can check it out here. This event — and many past Coffee with Cohen events — are recorded and hosted on my Facebook page that you can watch here.
Staying Up To Date and Seeking My Assistance
I regularly issue this newsletter every other Friday. You also can stay up to date by following me on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. If you have any questions or concerns, or if 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.
