Dear Neighbors,
Happy New Year! 🎊
Here’s wishing you and your family a very happy and healthy 2023.
Open Office Hours at Fox Hill Next Week
Hoboken residents are invited to attend the Mayor and the Office of Constituent Services' extended office hours on Thursday, January 12th from 4 pm to 6 pm at Fox Hill Gardens at 311 13th Street.
To schedule your required 10-minute appointment, contact Hoboken’s Head of Constituent Services, Nora Martínez DeBenedetto via email at ndebenedetto@hobokennj.gov or call (201) 420-2000 Ext. 1311 on weekdays between 9 am and 4 pm.
Thanks to Mayor Bhalla and his administration for offering these open office hours and creating a more transparent government for our residents.
A New Life for the Amazon Warehouse Location
Two and one-half blocks of Hoboken’s western edge, between 9th and 12th Streets, will be transformed.
Instead of an Amazon warehouse at this location, and its 5,000 deliveries, 24 hours a day/365 days a year, there will be three mixed-use, Silver LEED-certified residential mixed-use buildings with large green roofs, stormwater management for at least 359,000 gallons of stormwater, and nearly 50,000 square feet of new retail/commercial space. The development will include 675 residential units, including 68 affordable residences, as reflected in the redevelopment agreement with the City of Hoboken approved by the City Council at our December 20 meeting.
Included in this agreement is a $15 million community benefit contribution, which will be used to construct a new, 1,500 linear foot multi-modal Green Circuit Path adjacent to the buildings, which will include a protected bike lane and a pedestrian path, as outlined in the Western Edge Redevelopment Plan and Hoboken's Master Plan.
Most of the $15 million community benefit will be directed towards a new 1.4 acre resiliency park at 800 Monroe. The City acquired this park (on which Applied/Ironstate had planned to build a residential development with 186 units) as part of the City’s Monarch waterfront property acquisition.
As Chair of the Community Development committee, I am pleased to see this agreement — which had been on the drawing board in various versions for over a decade — come to fruition. Thanks to my colleagues on the Community Development Committee, Mayor Bhalla, and Community Development Director Chris Brown for their leadership on this important project that will hasten the day we can celebrate the demolition of the Amazon warehouse and the transformation of these 5th Ward blocks into an inviting and desirable place to live, shop and enjoy green community spaces.
Alain Mentha’s Passing
This week, we lost an inspiring individual who made a big impact in our community. Alain Mentha tragically died of pancreatic cancer at age 57. For those unfamiliar with Alain, I’d like to share with you a little bit about him and his service to our community.
Alain was a co-founder, and for the better part of 6 years served as a volunteer Executive Director of Welcome Home Jersey City. As of October 2022, the not-for-profit Alain co-founded was assisting 63 families and 23 single individuals resettle in Jersey City — a total of 333 people — more than half of whom are children. Welcome Home works with refugees from Afghanistan, Iran, Guatemala, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Syria and provides a wide array of services.
Welcome Home arranges an airport pickup, apartment set-up, and a culturally appropriate warm meal for refugees’ homecoming. Over time, Welcome Home continues supporting refugee families as they navigate their new environment and creates opportunities for refugees’ friendship and companionship. The organization also provides logistical support helping with necessities including paperwork and appointments; weekly ESL and Enrichment Classes; employment assistance; and much more.
We extend our condolences to Alain’s wife and daughter and to all Welcome Home’s leaders and volunteers. If you’d like to make a contribution or volunteer to support this work, you can click here.
Monkeypox Update and Vaccine Clinic Locations
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
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 Vaccinations and Vaccination Records
To get current information on Hoboken’s COVID vaccination clinics click here.
The City of Hoboken and the Hudson Regional Health Commission are hosting a free vaccine clinic on Thursday, January 19th from 1 pm to 6:45 pm at 605 Jackson Street. You can make an appointment 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
On Tuesday, I hosted my 70th Coffee with Cohen community event and rang in the new year with a special guest, Mayor Ravi Bhalla.
We discussed the City’s accomplishments in 2022, the opportunities and challenges facing the City in 2023, and much more. I also addressed your questions on attracting more businesses and services to Southwest Hoboken. Over 140 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 which 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.
