The City of Hoboken today released the results of the Hoboken Municipal Complex Design Alternatives Questionnaire, in which over 1,000 community members provided feedback on four community-driven design alternatives with varying community spaces and amenities. The survey results indicate that the vast majority of respondents, or 92 percent, preferred one of the four designs presented by the City and only eight percent preferred none of the alternatives shown.
The most inclusive alternative, Design #4, which incorporates a civic center, pool, recreation center, and fieldhouse, was the most preferred design for the Hoboken Municipal Complex, with 41 percent of respondents selecting the alternative. Twenty-eight percent of respondents preferred Design #3, which includes the same facilities except for a fieldhouse, and 15 percent of respondents preferred Design #2, which includes a civic center and pool. Nine percent of respondents selected the base option, Design #1 Civic Center.
Eighty-four percent of respondents indicated a preference for a design alternative with recreational amenities, and 52 percent of respondents selected a "Community Pool" as the most important community use to them.
"The survey results speak for themselves," said Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla. "The Hoboken community recognizes how transformational the Hoboken Municipal Complex can be if it provides much-needed recreation facilities, a long-awaited community pool, and, importantly, a new home for our public safety department and public works garage. As our population continues to grow, we must invest in our future to provide for their needs and I look forward to continuing to work with the community on this vision for the Hoboken Municipal Complex."
The Hoboken Municipal Complex is proposed to include several community amenities like a pool, fieldhouse, recreation center, public parking, and an uptown branch of the Hoboken Public Library, as well as public safety facilities and municipal office space.
"The Hoboken Public Library is pleased to be included in the municipal building plan," said Hoboken Public Library Board President Jerome Abernathy. "An uptown branch allows us to better serve patrons in the north part of the City and gives us much-needed additional space to offer programming and other services to our community."
"The City's recreational facilities are close to maxed out with most basketball teams, baseball teams, soccer teams, and lacrosse teams only able to practice once a week, due to the high demand," said Director of Health and Human Services and Recreation Leo Pellegrini." This new facility will help meet the growing need and allow us to provide recreational activities for even more age groups, including our seniors."
The Hoboken Municipal Complex would also address the City's current, outdated facility constraints and the functional needs of future operations by incorporating new police and fire headquarters and public works garage into one centralized facility that would include an Office of Emergency Management Command Center and municipal office space.
"Mayor Bhalla's Administration is committed to bringing a 21st-century municipal complex to the City that includes state of the art public safety components to greatly enhance the safety of all of our residents, visitors, and businesses, as well as provide the safest environment for our women and men of public safety to proficiently do their jobs," said Public Safety Director Ken Ferrante. "Together, we need to join in giving Police Chief Steven Aguiar, Fire Chief Anton Peskens, and OEM Coordinator Sergeant William Montanez all of the tools necessary that best allows them to run their departments, instead of asking them and the brave men and women who protect this City, to do more with less."
"The City has worked hand in hand with residents through three public meetings and two online surveys to gather input for the proposed Hoboken Municipal Complex," said Council President Michael Russo. "I think it is imperative that we continue to have an open and transparent process to include our neighbors in finalizing decisions associated with this plan. I'm hopeful that collectively, the entire council and the administration, will find a way to move this project ahead in the near future."
The City will host a virtual community meeting on Thursday, May 12, at 6 p.m. to review survey results and present final concept designs based on the community's feedback.
To register for the meeting, go to www.hobokennj.gov/HobokenMunicipalComplexMeeting.
The Bhalla administration is actively engaging in negotiations with the property owner of 1501 Adams St. in furtherance of its intended condemnation of the property.
To learn more about the project and to watch recordings of the past community meetings, go to www.hobokennj.gov/HobokenMunicipalComplex.
For questions about the project, email municipalcomplex@hobokennj.gov.
A new public works facility became necessary following the acquisition of the former Monarch site and 800 Monroe Street, both for the purposes of public, open space. For more information, go to https://www.hobokennj.gov/news/mayor-bhalla-provides-update-to-city-council-on-public-works-facility-and-community-amenities.
