Public Welcome At Hoboken Mayor’s 1st State Of City Speech

HOBOKEN, NJ — If a recent email message from Hoboken Mayor Ravinder Bhalla is any indication, his first State of the City speech will focus on the Mile Square City’s future, not its past.

On Tuesday, Jan. 29, Bhalla and Hoboken officials will hold the 2019 State of the City address at 6:30 p.m. at the DeBaun Auditorium, 24 Fifth Street, in Edwin A. Stevens Hall on the campus of Stevens Institute of Technology. Seating is open to the public and tickets are not needed to attend.

“I look forward to updating residents on our year of progress for Hoboken, and give a preview of our exciting initiatives for this year,” Bhalla wrote Thursday.

• See related article: 25 Positive Ways Hoboken Changed Since I've Been Mayor

The mayor provided some clues as to the topics of his speech in a mass email on Thursday.

HOBOKEN’S VISION ZERO

“This year, a major priority for my administration is initiating Hoboken's Vision Zero Plan,” Bhalla wrote.

“We must and can do more to make our streets and sidewalks safer for all residents, especially our children and seniors,” Bhalla stated. “While Vision Zero initiatives have been introduced in other cities, including New York City, it is my goal to not only have zero pedestrian deaths, but ALSO zero traffic related injuries. In the weeks ahead, we'll be outlining our next steps, including a task force that will solicit active participation from residents.”

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PLASTIC BAG BAN

“Earlier this week, our plastic bag ban went into effect, making Hoboken the largest municipality in New Jersey and the first in Hudson County to enact this regulation,” Bhalla wrote.

“Plastic bags cause litter on our street, contribute to climate change, and most of all are a detriment to our local environment,” the mayor added. “Thank you to Councilman Jim Doyle, the Hoboken Green Team, hMag, and activists including students from All Saints for turning this idea into a reality.”

• See related article: What You Need To Know About Hoboken's Plastic Bag Ban

MADISON STREET PARK

“Earlier this month, we broke ground on our Madison Street Park renovation, the first major park project of my administration,” Bhalla stated.

He added:

“After a robust community engagement process, we came up with plans to completely renovate the park to create more playground equipment for children of all ages, more safety features, better utilization of the park space, a new bathroom, additional benches, new spray features, and more.”

• See related article: Hoboken, Hudson County Will Split Cost Of Madison Park Project

REBUILD BY DESIGN

Bhalla said that the city “continues to make progress” on the $230 million Rebuild by Design project, which aims to protect Hoboken from the impact of stronger storms and rising sea levels.

“This flood protection will take the form of a new park uptown at Harborside Cove at 15th and Garden - in other words, the flood protection will be included within the park's design,” Bhalla said. “Like our other park projects, we want to include a comprehensive community process.”

City officials will introduce three new park design concepts at public meetings on Feb. 4 at 7 p.m. at the Multi-Service Center, 124 Grand Street, and Feb. 7 at 7 p.m. at Elysian Charter School, 1460 Garden Street.

PREVENTING ‘OVERDEVELOPMENT’

“Recently, I learned of a proposal by Academy Bus, a major property owner in Southwest Hoboken, to make substantial changes to the Southwest Redevelopment Plan including a dramatic increase in building heights and residential density,” Bhalla wrote.

“Let me be absolutely clear - I remain fully supportive of the current Southwest Redevelopment plan passed under Mayor Zimmer’s administration that includes limited residential density,” Bhalla stated. “The proposal by Academy to increase the amount of residential units to 493 (compared to 192 permitted) is a non-starter for me.”

According to Bhalla:

“On a similar note, I remain committed to expanding the Southwest Park to include the additional acre of land on Block 10, preferably through direct acquisition which we continue to explore. However, if this turns out to be financially infeasible, the only amendment to the Southwest Redevelopment Plan I would consider is one that incorporates the build out of the Southwest Park.”

Read the mayor’s full memo to the City Council here.

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Photo: Ravinder Bhalla (City of Hoboken)