Hoboken Could Bring Business Kiosks To Waterfront Pier Park Soon

HOBOKEN, NJ — Hoboken Councilman Mike DeFusco and Council President Jen Giattino will introduce measures at Wednesday's council meeting to help small businesses recover from coronavirus, including allowing shops to open kiosks at Pier A Park soon, and proposing temporary zoning changes to let businesses open in parking lots.

The city also announced on Friday that a plan will be introduced Wednesday to expand sidewalk cafe spaces and hours.

Last summer, the City Council adopted an ordinance to reactivate the existing kiosks along the waterfront, and the new amendments would give the Hoboken Business Alliance the authority to immediately activate these spaces.

A complimentary ordinance would permit small businesses, food trucks, and other retailers to use designated parking lots for pop up shopping and dining.

Both pieces of legislation, up for first reading at Wednesday night’s City Council meeting, are a continuation of plans DeFusco and Giattino proposed recently that would create parklette-style outdoor cafe spaces, explore options to intermittently close streets for businesses to expand their operations, and put a cap on the commission fees third party delivery companies can collect.

In related Hoboken business news, the city will continue its "open streets" program this weekend by blocking off part of Adams Street to pedestrians.

The council meeting will take place virtually at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.

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