Happy New Year, Hudson County! It’s the first weekly news roundup of 2020 and rest assured, there’s a lot to cover. From unfortunate closures — we’re sad to see you go, Third and Vine — to the good news that NJ has the second-lowest depression rate in the U.S. {whoa!} here are all the local headlines you missed from this week. Keep reading to discover all of the news you missed this week in Hoboken and Jersey City.
New Study Finds New Jersey Has the Second Lowest Depression Rate in the U.S.
The only way it can get any lower is if you move to Hawaii! That’s right — according to a new analysis done by QuoteWizard, New Jersey has the second-lowest depression rate in the United States. According to the data, which was taken from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention over a period of five years, 12.98% of New Jersey adults are depressed. Comparatively, 11.76% of Hawaii residents are depressed and 14.48% of California residents are depressed.
Among the states with the highest rates of depression are Oregon, Maine, and West Virginia.
Hoboken City Council Decides Future of Medical Marijuana Dispensaries
Thursday, January 2nd marked Hoboken City Council’s first council meeting of 2020 and focused on an ordinance vote regarding marijuana zoning. The ordinance looks to make medical cannabis dispensaries a conditional use for the C-1 zoning district in the Mile Square, near the Hoboken Train Terminal and Main Post Office.
Conditional uses require a public hearing “because of inherent characteristics and potential impact on the surrounding area, shall be subject to a public hearing before the Planning Board. Conditional uses must, at minimum, satisfy the ‘General Guidelines and Standards for Specific Uses’ and shall comply with any additional conditions of approval imposed by the Planning Board, at its discretion, to protect the health, safety, and general welfare of residents, visitors, the surrounding area and the City of Hoboken.”
Hoboken’s potential interest in marijuana dispensaries goes back a while. Back in August 2018, Harmony Foundation — a medical dispensary company in Secaucus, New Jersey — filed an application with the Planning Board. If approved, Harmony would bring a dispensary to 95 Hudson Street in Hoboken, in the C-1 zoning district.
Lackawanna Coffee Coming to The Lively in Jersey City
Lackawanna Coffee already has locations around Jersey City — from 140 Bay Street to 295 Grove Street — but is now opening up a third inside The Lively at 321 Warren Street. Other Lackawanna Coffee locations are open from 7:00AM- 7:00PM daily and the coffee shop specializes in hot, cold, iced, and organic beverages as well as different kinds of pastries and toasts.
For updates on the new location, follow Lackawanna Coffee on Instagram.
Mayor Fulop Shuts Down Liberty State Park Expansion
An expansion at the Liberty National Golf Club? Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop says no, not today. In response to State Sen. Sandra Cunningham saying she’d like to find a compromise between Liberty State Park as it currently is and a request to add three new golf holes to the Caven Point golf club, Mayor Fulop says, “there should be no compromises.”
“As Trenton gets ready to vote on the Protect Liberty State Park Act – there should be no compromises, no changes, nothing short of full protection of the entire park,” Fulop tweeted on December 27th.
The request to expand Liberty State Park comes from Liberty National, who has proposed an amendment to the Liberty State Park Protection Act that would make moving three holes from their current locations to Caven Point a reality.
One of the main arguments against expanding Liberty State Park’s Caven Point golf club is that it’s a hub for local wildlife. In fact, the State Department of Environmental Protection denied a lease request from the club back in 2018.
Dual-Stream Recycling in Hoboken Takes Full Effect on January 6th
Hoboken is ready to Recycle Right. Starting tomorrow, Monday January 6th, Hoboken’s full enforcement of dual-stream recycling will take official effect. You may recall that Hoboken made the switch to dual-stream recycling back in September — a method in which recyclables are separated into a “co-mingled” stream of glass, aluminum, containers, cartons, and plastics numbered 1, 2, or 5; as well as a paper and cardboard stream. The glass, aluminum, containers, cartons, and plastics stream will be picked up on Mondays; the paper and cardboard stream will be picked up on Thursdays.
According to the new Hoboken recycling rules, any property owners who do not recycle according to the new schedule could be cited and the incorrect recycling will not be picked up.
So, why the switch? The dual-stream recycling program is thought to help produce the City’s share of landfill waste and is also a key part in the City’s Climate Action Plan to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. With the former single-stream recycling program in place, only one-third of all waste in Hoboken was ultimately recycled. It’s also thought that the switch to dual-stream recycling could save taxpayers up to $200,000 in recycling costs annually.
For more information on Hoboken’s Dual Stream Recycling program and how to Recycle Right, visit www.hobokennj.gov/recycling or contact Hoboken’s Recycling Coordinator, David Calamoneri at 201-420-2000, ext. 4000 or via email at dcalamoneri@hobokennj.gov.
Greenville Volunteers Partner on Charity Drive in Honor of December 10th Shooting in Jersey City
Members of the black and Jewish communities in Greenville, Jersey City partnered together last Monday to put together a charity drive for local families in need. The drive brought food and other goods to local families in the Greenville area. Jewish vendors provided trucks full of pretzel challah, soup mix, toys, and more to families in the area, according to Algemeiner.
The drive took place just blocks away from JC Kosher Supermarket, the site of the deadly shooting that took place on December 10th. The shooting claimed the lives of six people — including Detective Joseph Seals, who initially approached two suspects about a pending homicide investigation in a nearby cemetery. The two shooters were also killed in the incident.
Jersey City Saying Goodbye to Third and Vine, Hello to New Restaurant Clove Garden of India
Formerly known as Third and Vine, 353 3rd Street in Jersey City officially closed its doors late last year to become a new eatery called Clove Garden of India. Offering Indian Frontier cuisine, it looks like Clove Garden of India has already opened, according to Yelp.
Back in November 2018, Third and Vine officially announced on their Instagram account that they would be closing. “After nearly 6 years we regret to inform everyone that this week will be our last,” the post read. “We thank all of the customers and especially our staff who have been with us through this journey. Please do join us and the staff till this Sunday during normal service hours for your favorite wine cheese and eats.”
Hoboken Hop App Switches to Passio Go
To enhance service for users of the free Hop bus service offered by the City of Hoboken, the mobile application to access the location of the Hop has been upgraded to “Passio Go.” Links to download new mobile app can be found here: https://t.co/ubl4AoAb6N pic.twitter.com/MN0JmPm7vW
— City of Hoboken (@CityofHoboken) December 30, 2019
The Hoboken Hop is looking to upgrade their app and ultimately, their service throughout the Mile Square, which is why the mobile application is now available on Passio Go. Previously, the Hop app was available on the Smarttrax app, which will no longer be in service in the Mile Square.
Residents and visitors can access Passio Go on the web. Passio Go is also available on the Apple iTunes Store and for Android.
New Shop Samia’s Scents Now Open in Jersey City
{Photo credit: @samiasscents}
A new perfume shop called Samia’s Scents is now open in Jersey City. Located at 950 West Side Avenue in Jersey City, Samia’s specializes in everything from perfume oils, body butter, and shower gel to house scents, oils burners, and incense. Check them out on Instagram.
Jersey City Rolls Out Ride-Sharing Buses
1/2 Next month we’re starting a subsidized transit system for #JerseyCity residents in transit deserts w/@ridewithvia . I believe economic growth isn’t possible without basic transit to get to a good job. Click the link to vote on the color you like best https://t.co/V5yFTB5veH pic.twitter.com/0O0fyR3NtJ
— Steven Fulop (@StevenFulop) December 30, 2019
Jersey City is in the process of rolling out ride-sharing buses that can fit up to six passengers in total. For just $2 a ride, the Jersey City partnership between Via allows riders to request or schedule a ride on the Via app or by calling a phone number. Riders would have to walk to a convenient location for the pick-up and wait times are supposed to be no longer than 15 minutes. Riders can either pay through the app or with cash once they board the bus.
“As NJ TRANSIT continues to neglect the city’s mass transit systems, and without help from the state, we are now creating our own innovative solutions that will meet the needs of our residents,” Mayor Fulop said in an official statement. “This is the latest step towards our larger vision of getting cars off the road, while creating mobility in neighborhoods that sometimes lack connectivity to other parts of the city.”
The ride-sharing buses will only be available outside of downtown JC, as the main goal of the service is to provide more access to areas with less access to public transportation. The idea behind the new ride-shares is to reduce JC’s carbon footprint, advocate for carpooling, and ultimately, reduce vehicle congestion in town.
Camp Bow Wow Could Be Coming to Hoboken
{Photo credit: @campbowwow}
Camp Bow Wow is a national dog care service franchise that may be coming to the Mile Square. An application for the franchise to open at 1414-1418 Grand Street was filed by Rufus + Drefus LLC last week and given to the City’s Zoning Board.
According to the application summary: “The proposed project involves a fit-out of the ground floor commercial space for a ‘doggy daycare’ facility. The facility will provide day and overnight care, ancillary services including basic grooming {e.g. bathing}, retail and pick-up/drop-off services. The approximately 6,015 square feet of ground-floor space will be divided into a walled-off lobby and reception area off Grand Street, with areas for dogs in the rear. A new approximately 945 square foot mezzanine will be constructed in the northwest corner for offices and staff break areas. Behind the lobby will be approximately 60 ‘cabins’ for dogs and three indoor play areas, a grooming area, and prep area for meals for the dogs.”
The potential Camp Bow Wow would feature 60 cabins for dogs and three indoor play areas, as well as a grooming area, and a prep area for the dogs’ meals.
Beowoof Provisions for Pets in Hoboken Closing
In other pet-related news, Beowoof Provisions for Pets {located at 106 5th Street, Hoboken} will be closing on January 15th. The shop announced its closure via its Facebook page, with a post reading,
“Beowoof will be closing our store on January 15th, 2020. It’s been quite a ride running our beautiful little pet supply boutique for the last 17 years. Naturally, Karl and I have mixed emotions about this momentous decision; but, the time has come. We would like to thank all of our wonderful customers for ‘discovering’ us and sticking with us over the years! We will be having a ‘Final Fantastic Sale’ in the store for the next few weeks–hope to see you drop by the store to bid it, and Karl, a fond farewell! 
Laura & Karl.”
Beowoof, you will be missed.
The Pastrami House, a Kosher-Style Deli in Hoboken, is Now Open
This past Saturday, January 4th, the Pastrami House in Hoboken held a soft opening for Mile Square locals. With an original location in Lincroft New Jersey, this kosher-style deli has put down roots in Hoboken at 832 Washington Street. This new spot will be serving everything from matzo-ball soup, its signature pastrami sandwiches on rye bread, corned beef, and more. See what else is on the menu here.
Got a news tip? Let us know — email us at hello@hobokengirl.com! We appreciate it.
Did you know: We started a podcast about all things news and lifestyle in Hoboken + Jersey City! Listen to the latest episode of Tea on the Hudson here and subscribe.
We release new episodes every Tuesday, starting again January 14, 2020 for Season 2.
