Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla and the City of Hoboken today announced that the City has been awarded $1.25 million in grant funding from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Green Acres program and recommended for another $1 million from the Hudson County Open Space Trust Fund for open space improvements this year.
The funding will be used for the construction of the future resiliency park at 800 Monroe St., upgrades to Tom Olivieri Park to improve access and inclusivity, and construction of the skatepark and waterfront walkway at the future Maritime Park.
“These critical investments reflect our continued commitment to expanding access to inclusive and resilient green spaces for all Hoboken residents,” said Mayor Bhalla. “I thank the NJDEP Green Acres Program, NJDEP Commissioner Shawn LaTourette, Hudson County Executive Craig Guy, and Hudson County Commissioner Anthony Romano, for recognizing the importance of these projects and for supporting our vision to build a healthier, more sustainable, and more equitable Hoboken.”
"I am proud to recommend funding from Hudson County's Open Space Trust Fund for upgrades to Hoboken's Tom Olivieri Park and Maritime Park," said Hudson County Executive Craig Guy. "My administration is determined to continue making Hudson County the best place to live, work, and raise a family. That includes investing in our open spaces, and I will continue to support all 12 of our municipalities through this program as they seek to improve parks, playgrounds, athletic fields, and more for their communities."
"I proudly represent the residents of Hoboken and Jersey City on the Board of County Commissioners where I serve as Chairman, and I applaud the County Executive's recommendations of upgrading Maritime Park and Tom Olivieri Park through the Open Space Trust Fund. Once complete, Maritime Park will offer a new skatepark and waterfront walkway for youth and adults to enjoy our beautiful waterfront area. Tom Olivieri Park will see inclusive and accessible upgrades to playground equipment ensuring all residents have access to safe and engaging outdoor recreation," said Chairman of the County Board of Commissioners, Anthony L. Romano (District 5).
Of this funding, the City received $750,000 from the NJDEP, and is earmarked to receive another $750,000 from Hudson County, to support the Tom Olivieri Park Improvement Project at 1225 Willow Ave. Formerly known as Legion Park and renamed in 2019 to honor tenants’ rights activist Teofilo “Tom” Olivieri, the 5,000-square-foot pocket park currently features a playground, spray amenities, mature tree canopy, and two community-created murals.
The planned renovation will include a new, completely inclusive playground and safety surface, designed to serve children and visitors of all abilities.
Improvements could also include:
The City will preserve the existing murals, including Flight by Rorshach and the community mural honoring Tom Olivieri.
The City launched a public planning process in January to gather community feedback via an online public survey for future concept designs that are currently in development. This design will then be presented to the public at a future public meeting this summer for additional feedback and refinement.
An NJDEP grant of $500,000 will be used for the construction of 800 Monroe Resiliency Park Project, Hoboken’s fourth designated resiliency park. The final draft concept design, created through a community planning process, will transform a vacant block into a multi-use open space with below- and above-ground infrastructure capable of detaining up to 430,000 gallons of stormwater to mitigate area flooding.
Key features of the park will include:
Once completed, this park will join the Southwest Resiliency Park, Seventh and Jackson Resiliency Park, and ResilienCity Park, together providing Hoboken with the capacity to withhold approximately 3.4 million gallons of rainwater during severe rainstorms.
A Hudson County Open Space Trust Fund grant of $250,000 would help fund the new skatepark and waterfront walkway at Maritime Park. Based on community feedback from an in-person skatepark meeting and over 250 survey respondents, 63 percent of whom identified as skateboarders, the skatepark will include features that cater to skaters of all skill levels. These amenities include a 6-foot half pipe pocket, a 3- to 4-foot flow bowl, a mini ramp, a 3-foot mini ramp, beginner-friendly ledges, a Euro-gap, a flat rail, four stairs with a handrail, and a tech pad, among other features.
The entire Maritime Park site, formerly a working dry dock, is about 8.7 acres in size, including 4.5 acres of land and 4.2 acres of water. The City announced the acquisition of the site in 2022 in one of the most consequential land transactions in the City’s history, allowing Hoboken to connect one of the final pieces of the waterfront for public use.
The final concept envisions recreational spaces, including a large flexible lawn, the upgraded and enlarged skatepark, an expanded beach with a new Learning Pier for marine education, and a play area featuring natural materials and structures. The Hudson River Waterfront Walkway would also be extended along the river’s edge to complete the final segment of Hoboken’s waterfront, and the park would also include a community building with public meeting space, and more.
Maritime Park will also integrate resiliency features, including on-site stormwater management through rain gardens and bioswales, and a robust tree canopy to reduce the impacts of the urban heat island effect. The project team also designed the park’s programming and topography in a manner that anticipates sea level rise over the next century.
The City will seek to bid and award a construction contract for the first phase of the park’s construction, which includes the skatepark, this fall.
For more information, go to hobokennj.gov/maritimepark.
