Dear Neighbor,
I hope you are staying cool during the August heat. ☀️Here are some of the latest happenings.
At 8th & Monroe, Hoboken Will See a New Resiliency Park Instead of a Major Residential Development
To settle the Monarch litigation with Ironstate and forever block the threatened construction of two 11-story condo towers over the Hudson on the uptown waterfront, the City acquired the piers on the city’s northern waterfront for the public’s use and enjoyment, as well as property at 8th and Monroe owned by Ironstate. Ironstate had previously planned to build a 186-unit residential building at 8th and Monroe, the land which will be replaced by the new resiliency park. I was proud to support this deal negotiated by the Mayor, which I believe results in a major quality of life wins for Hoboken.
To build this park, the City Council authorized funding for the engineering firm AECOM to assist with planning this new resiliency park, a firm I know well having worked with them as a member of Hoboken’s Citizen Advisory Group, as a part of Rebuild by Design. Several public engagement sessions will be held this fall to gather community input and develop design alternatives for integrating active and passive recreation amenities, green infrastructure, resiliency, and urban design. Moreover, the park will connect to the City's Green Circuit, as detailed in the City’s Master Plan.
The park will be designed to reduce flooding in west Hoboken by retaining more than half a million gallons of stormwater, as well as providing open space and public amenities. This park, once complete, will be a great open space the residents of the Fifth Ward will be able to enjoy for generations to come, and I’m looking forward to working with everyone to come up with the best possible design. Keep an eye out for the project team’s launch of a website to keep the public updated throughout the design process.
You can learn more about this important new project here and read media coverage about the 800 Monroe development here.
Helping Residents at The Rivington
Last month, residents of The Rivington reached out to me to seek help with egregious rent increases being assessed by their management company, and I got involved. I’m pleased that Mayor Bhalla and his Administration promptly reached out to Rivington’s management to register our concerns. In response, The Rivington promptly rescinded its 2022 rent increases and capped residents’ rent increases at the Consumer Price Index level for 2022. You can read news coverage about these developments here.
I heard from appreciative residents after they received their significant rent reductions (including one who wrote “Thank you again, we are beyond grateful to be able to be staying in Hoboken at a reasonable rent and we look forward to raising our children here!”). However, residents continued raising many questions regarding their lease renewals. So, Tuesday night the City hosted a meeting with the City’s Tenant Advocate Andrew Sobel at which Mayor Bhalla and I participated. Mr. Sobel made a general presentation to residents and then answered their legal questions at this well-attended meeting. I’m glad to have been able to help these residents and look forward to working with them moving forward.
Rebuild by Design and Harborside Park
A beautiful new waterfront park is coming to Hoboken! This resiliency park is part of the Rebuild by Design project that will help make our city more resilient for the long term. Funding for this park was made possible by an additional $100 million commitment by Governor Phil Murphy and the State of New Jersey included in the State’s FY 2022 budget. This funding will be used to construct above-ground flood mitigation infrastructure for Harborside Park, transforming it into a resiliency park at 15th and Garden Streets that will safeguard Hoboken against rising sea levels and storm surges.
Thanks to Governor Murphy, Mayor Bhalla, Senator Brian P. Stack, and Assemblymembers Annette Chaparro and Raj Mukherji for their critical assistance in securing this crucial funding. Construction on Harborside Park is scheduled to begin by the spring of 2023.
More Rebuild by Design News — The Resist Alignment Features Take a Big Step Forward
The resist alignment contract for our $230 Million Rebuild by Design project took an important step forward this week with the distribution of the contract’s bid advertisement. This contract will allow for the construction of the Resist Alignment portion of Rebuild by Design — comprised of both hard infrastructure (floodwall and floodgates) and soft infrastructure (landscaping, urban amenities) to reduce the risk of flooding from coastal storm surges that will protect Hoboken and portions of Weehawken and Jersey City. This work is critical to the proper functioning of the entire flood risk reduction system in the Rebuild by Design plan, and the contract now is expected to issue late this fall.
Hoboken is Now a Right-to-Choose Sanctuary City
Wednesday evening, the City Council unanimously affirmed Hoboken’s commitment to abortion access by 1. Declaring Hoboken a Right-to-Choose Sanctuary City, recognizing the right to abortion, on-demand, and without question; and 2. Affirming support for codifying the right to abortion into federal law via House Bill 3755, the Women’s Health Protection Act of 2021.
Limiting access to reproductive healthcare, including systematically stripping birthing people of access to abortion, is not only a transgression against basic human reproductive rights but is also an assault on dignity and autonomy.
I was proud to be the lead sponsor of the resolution co-sponsored by my Council colleagues Emily Jabbour, Tiffanie Fisher, and Jen Giattino. You can read media coverage of this vote here. Thanks to all my Council colleagues for their support of this important resolution.
Reducing the Rodent Population
The City of Hoboken's website has practical guidance for all of us on how we can reduce the rodent population in Hoboken, details on the City’s actions to address these issues, and helpful FAQs including whether rodent bait is harmful to other animals or humans. You can find these FAQs here.
From time to time I get inquiries about rodent sightings and I promptly share them with the City so it can proactively address the conditions that can lead to their presence in our neighborhoods, including baiting sewers to control the rodent population. You can always report these issues by calling the Hoboken Health Department at (201) 420-2375 or submitting a concern here.
Monkeypox Update and Vaccine Clinic Locations
New Jersey has a total of 214 cases of monkeypox as of August 5 with 67 cases located in Hudson County. It has now been confirmed that there are some cases of Monkeypox in Hoboken by the Hoboken Health Department.
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
Bergen New Bridge Medical Center
Phone: 800-730-2762
Cooper Vaccine & Testing Clinic, Cooper University Hospital
Phone: 856-968-7100
Hours: Monday - Thursday, 7 am - 8 pm and Friday, 7 am - 5 pm
Hyacinth AIDS Foundation/Project Living Out Loud!
Location: Jersey City
Phone: 201-706-3480
The Prevention Resource Network, a program of the Visiting Nurse Association of Central Jersey
Location: Asbury Park
North Jersey Community Research Initiative (NJCRI)
Location: Newark
Phone: 973-483-3444 ext. 200
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.
Please visit the CDC’s Monkeypox page here for additional information.
COVID-19 Updates
As of August 9th, Hoboken’s positive test results total 13,538 cases confirmed since the start of the pandemic. Two weeks ago, there were 13,180 positive cases.
New Jersey’s transmission rate is presently at 0.91. Please stay vigilant, practice social distancing when necessary, wash your hands, and stay safe.
Thankfully, HUMC is now hospitalizing no one with COVID. 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: 8 am - 12 pm
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.
Vaccination for Hoboken Residents, Business Employees, and Students:
605 Jackson Street (Administered by Hudson Regional Health Commission)
Date: Thursday (August 25)
Time: 3 pm – 7 pm
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.
Join Me for Coffee with Cohen at Mojo Coffee
On Tuesday, August 23rd at 8 am, please join me for an in-person Coffee with Cohen event at the 5th Ward’s newest coffee shop, Mojo Coffee at 8th and Bloomfield Streets. I hope you can join me for coffee and conversation about issues that matter to our community at this, my 61st Coffee with Cohen event.
Many past events are recorded and hosted on my Facebook page and you can watch them here.
You can always 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.
