Over the last twenty years, the park on the corner of Newark and Garden streets has not lived up to its full potential: it is full of overgrown trees, loose pavers and has been cut off from the community by a foreboding fence. I’ve long envisioned a better use of this space, one that is more welcoming and creates much needed green space in downtown Hoboken.
Street view of the park at Newark and Garden streets
WHY DOES IT LOOK THIS WAY?
This often forgotten park was built in the late 1990s during the development of 77 Park Avenue and has a limited access agreement with the city, meaning residents are able to access it, but only during certain hours. The upkeep of the park is the responsibility of the property owners, and although they do maintain the space, it’s begun to show its age and without a capital improvement plan, it will continue to degrade.
This is why, I am incredibly excited to announce that after months of discussions with the owners of the property, Equity Apartments, I’ve been able to secure a more favorable access agreement for residents to enjoy a newly renovated public park, all at no cost to Hoboken taxpayers.
The plan I've proposed would not only modernize the park, but also bring a coffee kiosk to the corner -- much like you find throughout Europe -- and accomplishes the goal of building a small urban oasis in our city while also giving residents the opportunity to support a local business.
500,000 WORTH OF IMPROVEMENTS
Over the years, countless residents in downtown have complained about development that adds residents and doesn't give anything back to the community. Late last year the mayor began negotiating with a developer in the neighborhood to build a residential building on Willow Avenue and after discussing the project with local residents, we’ve been able to scale back the size of the building. It’s clear the Mayor is prepared to push his redevelopment plan through, which is why I’ve spent countless hours talking to the residents who will be directly impacted to ensure their needs are met. In doing so, we’ve demanded that their neighborhood receives more green space for the additional residents the project will add.
In response, as Chairman of the Southern Development Subcommittee, and Councilman of the district, I secured a commitment of $500,000 from the very same developer to rehabilitate the space. With the administration having already begun negotiations with the developer, it is now up to Mayor Bhalla to work the amended community benefit into the agreement, ensuring the neighborhood most directly impacted by this development, will benefit from revitalized green space.
PARKS AND POLICY
These are the kinds of thoughtful negotiations we need to prioritize in Hoboken, especially given the fact that the mayor has proposed a nearly 10% municipal tax increase in the middle of an economic crisis. Hoboken has spent decades investing millions of dollars in open space, but unfortunately under Mayor Bhalla’s administration, we have borrowed nearly $100 million on the backs of taxpayers to build new parks, while existing ones go under maintenanced.
I’m incredibly pleased with this commitment because it sets the tone that future redevelopment plans should include quality of life and givebacks to the immediate community. I look forward to working with Mayor Bhalla and all stakeholders to see this project through.