As always, it’s been a week. From stay-at-home orders lifted in New Jersey to outdoor dining kicking off to other local updates, there’s a lot you missed throughout the last seven days. Keep reading for the most recent local headlines from Hoboken and Jersey City you need to catch up on.
NJ Gov. Phil Murphy Lifts Stay-at-Home Order First Enacted on March 21st
More than 10 weeks into the State of New Jersey’s coronavirus stay-at-home order, Governor Phil Murphy has now signed a directive that lifts the order. The order also increases the number of people permitted during indoor gatherings to either 25% of a building’s capacity or 50 people, whichever is lower.
“Today, the stay-at-home order which has been in place since March 21st, is being lifted,” Governor Murphy said during a briefing out of Trenton on June 9th. “With more and more of our businesses reopening, we are no longer requiring you to stay at home, but we are asking you to continue to be responsible and safe. And when you do go out, please continue to wear face coverings and keep a social distance from others whenever possible.”
He added, “Let’s keep this in mind: research shows that stay-at-home orders have saved lives, in our case, hundreds if not thousands.”
According to Murphy, one of the main reasons for lifting the order is so that indoor religious services can resume.
“And yes, this order will allow for greater indoor religious services,” Murphy said. “We have not only heard from our partners in the faith communities, but we have worked closely with many of them and we believe this represents a responsible plan that ensures religious services will be appropriately distanced and as safe as possible.”
The ordinance also raises the number of people who can congregate during outdoor gatherings to a 100-person maximum capacity.
More Jobs Added to Hoboken Girl‘s Recently Launched Job Board Platform
ICYMI, Hoboken Girl has launched a new job board resource, with new job openings being added every day. We know a lot of readers have been scouring the internet for work opportunities listed online, and now that things are starting to open up again, employers are looking for employees, and job seekers are looking for work — as well as potentially wanting to offer their services on a freelance basis.
To make your search easier and to help connect our community on both sides to opportunities, we’ve created a job board for all of our readers and business owners to get all the latest local jobs listings — complete with jobs available by businesses in NJ, NY, and of course — across Hudson County. Applying to any and all jobs is free of charge, and there are also opportunities to sponsor/feature your resume on the site. Click here to see more and start applying.
Nail Salons and Barber Shops Will Reopen June 22nd as Part of Phase Two
As New Jersey continues the process of reopening, Phase Two of reopening the economy after coronavirus allows nail salons, hair salons, and barbershops to open as of June 22.
Phase Two reopenings officially begin on June 15th with the reopening of non-essential retail, restaurants with outdoor dining areas, and daycares. Nail salons, hair salons, and barbershops will follow several days later.
Jersey City to Launch First-Ever Municipality Vertical Farming Program in the U.S.
Jersey City is moving forward with its plans to partner with Aerofarms to bring the nation’s first-ever municipal vertical farming program. The City was one of four municipalities — which also includes Moscow, Mumbai, and Austin, TX — chosen by the World Economic Forum to participate in its Healthy Cities and Communities 2030 Initiatives.
“As we work through our municipal budget that has been decimated due to the coronavirus pandemic, we are making choices on what programs to keep,” Mayor Fulop said in an official statement. “It is clear that the virus has had a disproportionate impact on people with pre-existing heart conditions, high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes which is directly linked to a person’s diet and as a result we feel it is more important than ever to focus on food access and education.”
As Jersey City was one of the municipalities most significantly impacted by the coronavirus, the City’s goal is to increase food access and overall good health, especially since the coronavirus pandemic highlighted the way pandemics disproportionately affect economically-challenged areas.
“Societies’ structural food problems have become more clear with COVID-19,” explained CEO of Newark-based vertical farming facility Aerofarms, David Rosenberg. “We also need new ways to get healthy food to our most disadvantaged members of society.”
Jersey City was one of the most heavily impacted municipalities throughout the United States, with more than 6,000 confirmed cases of the virus and 400+ fatalities.
Hoboken Might Be Getting a New Taco + Tequila Bar
{Image rendering by GJS Studios via JerseyDigs}
Back in February, Coco Havana rebranded into Coco Loco, a Latin fusion casual eatery and bar. However, following submission for a new sign, the locale might transform into Fat Taco, a taco and tequila bar.
On June 1st, A&C Investment Group submitted plans to the Historical Preservation Commission. The proposal depicted Coco Loco’s plans to implement a hydraulic retractable awning window system that would also require installation of new entry doors, Jersey Digs reports.
Hoboken Girl reached out to a representative of Coco Loco, who hinted “at a lot of new things coming to downtown,” but did not give any specifics and noted that the plans were submitted, but nothing is set in stone. Stay tuned, Hoboken!
Jersey City Paints in Preparation for Grove Street Pedestrian Mall Expansion
https://www.instagram.com/p/CBL-THxjvmm/
Jersey City is preparing for the expansion of its Pedestrian Mall on Grove Street by painting the area. The Pedestrian Mall will reopen as part of Phase Two on June 15th. Restaurants with outdoor dining will be allowed to open and make use of the sidewalks permitted seats are six feet apart.
Affordable Housing Advocates Sue to Halt Western Edge Redevelopment
Affordable housing advocates Fair Share Housing Center has filed suit against the City of Hoboken and the developer behind the Western Edge Redevelopment.
“The recent changes approved to the redevelopment plan trade away affordable housing for a pool. That violates New Jersey law,” Anthony Campisi, Communications Consultant at Fair Share Housing Center tells Hoboken Girl in an email.
Fair Share Housing Center maintains that the 150 additional units approved for the Western Edge Redevelopment violate a 2012 ordinance, failing to set aside the appropriate amount of affordable housing.
“The redevelopment plan also violates the City’s Master Plan, which recognizes the desperate need for affordable housing and the Mount Laurel doctrine, a provision of the New Jersey Constitution that requires municipalities to address the affordable housing needs in their communities,” Campisi continues. “As a result, we’re asking the Hudson County Superior Court to strike down the latest changes to the plan.”
The 2012 ordinance in question requires new developments to set aside a minimum of 10% of new units as affordable housing. Fair Share Housing Center alleges that instead of requiring Western Edge Redevelopment to allot 10% t of those units to affordable housing, the City accepted a trade-off for a public pool.
“Hoboken, a city where nearly 30% of residents spend unsustainable amounts of money on housing, shouldn’t be training affordable housing for public pools particularly in the midst of a pandemic that has sparked a deep recession,” Campisi adds.
Five More Protected Bike Lanes in Jersey City Will Be Completed by Winter 2020
Jersey City will be adding five more protected bike lanes to its streets this coming summer. As it stands, JC has at least nine miles of protected lanes throughout Grove Street, Washington Boulevard, Bergen Avenue, and Montgomery Street. This summer will see an expansion of already-existing protected bike lanes and the creation of five more.
It looks like the new additions will include an extension to Grand Street bike lanes, a 1.5-mile extension along Montogomery Street, an extension of Columbus Drive, and the addition of a protected bike lane heading northbound on Marin Boulevard from 18th Street to the border of the Mile Square, Jersey Digs reports.
Hoboken Couple Featured on The Knot
Hoboken couple Jasmine and Avneet were featured on The Knot‘s official Instagram, as the couple recently wed in a heartwarming small ceremony on the waterfront that we featured several weeks back.
The caption reads, “‘The actual day was far from what we had ever imagined. But just like that, in the midst of a pandemic, we managed to have a beautiful wedding ceremony minutes away from our home.’ Congratulations to Jasmine and Avneet, who wed in a small ceremony on their original wedding date in Hoboken, NJ!”
Jersey City Council Has New Plan for Off-Duty Police Officers Currently Directing Traffic
The Jersey City Council has introduced a new plan that would allow State Police to relinquish their duties of directing traffic at construction sites, instead passing that authority over to local off-duty police officers.
“It’s important to understand that once we, if this goes through and this manual passes via our votes, that it’s very clear that with respect to traffic, traffic construction jobs, it’s very clear that the state police will no longer be in our city,” Councilman-at-Large Daniel Rivera said during a virtual caucus meeting on June 8th, according to Hudson County View. “Those jobs will go strictly to our Jersey City police officers and flagmen … we need to be very, very clear with that.”
Off-duty police details have been the source of some controversy in recent years, with the Jersey City Police Officers Benevolent Association and the Jersey City Police Superiors Association suing Jersey City in January 2019 regarding the elimination of many details. The 2019 elimination came on the heels of a federal investigation that ultimately resulting in 11 officers being either convicted or pleading guilty to not showing up to off-duty details.
Senator Booker, Representative Sires, and Senator Harris Co-Sponsor Police Reform Bill
In light of a Minneapolis police officer murdering George Floyd on May 25th, 2020 in broad daylight, many municipalities and states are reviewing police reform. U.S. Senator Cory Booker and U.S. Representative Albio Sires are two such people, as they have announced they are co-sponsoring complementary police reform bills, known as the Justice in Policing Act.
This attempt at reform would ban chokehold, mandate that all officers wear body cameras, make police misconduct a federal crime, create a national police misconduct registry, and ban all religious and racial profiling, Hudson County View reports. The bill is also co-sponsored by U.S. Senator Kamala Harris.
“Persistent, unchecked bias in policing and a history of lack of accountability is wreaking havoc on the Black community,” Senator Booker said in an official statement. “There’s no one singular policy change that will fix this issue tomorrow. We need an entire set of holistic reforms to improve police training and practices, and ensure greater accountability and transparency.”
Representative Sires agreed, “I believe that the Justice in Policing Act is a necessary step that includes important policy to address bias and the historical lack of accountability. While I know that one piece of legislation will not solve the issues that have long plagued our society, I am proud to stand with my colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus and work on additional federal legislative efforts.”
The Justice in Policing Act, which many are referencing as the bill that would “defund the police,” also constitutes lynching a federal crime and limits the transfer of military-grade equipment to state and local law enforcement.
President Donald Trump has said he will not support the defunding of the police.
MLB Draft Will Take Place in Secaucus Instead of Omaha
The Major League Baseball 2020 Draft was based out of the MLB Network studios in Secaucus, New Jersey instead of Omaha, as originally planned. Due to concerns put forth by the coronavirus, the draft started on Wednesday in Secaucus. Though it was supposed to take place at Omaha’s Holland Performing Arts Center, the draft was instead held remotely, broadcasting out of the Secaucus-based studios.
MLB Network and ESPN both broadcasted the draft with streams also available on MLB.com and MLB Pipeline.
Backlash From Residents Causes Hudson County Freeholders to Remove ‘Riot Gear’ Resolution From Agenda
The people have spoken. After introducing a resolution to purchase upwards of $97K in riot and tactical gear for national law enforcement agencies resulted in significant backlash from residents, the Hudson County Board of Chosen Freeholders moved to strike the resolution from its June 11th agenda.
The now-nixed resolution originally called for the purchase of tactical equipment and ammunition for the Hudson County’s Prosecutor’s Office, according to The Hudson Reporter. The resolution also suggested the purchase of 75 expandable batons for the Hudson County Correctional Center and 150 riot helmets for the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office.
“After consultation with the Sheriff’s Office and members of the Board of Freeholders this resolution will not go forward,” an official statement by the Hudson County Executive’s Office said.
Hoboken + Jersey City Announce Collaboration on Bike-Share Program Between Cities
Both Hoboken and Jersey City have announced a collaboration on a bike-share program between the two cities. “Both Hoboken and Jersey City are leaders in advancing alternative transportation options, and we are thrilled to partner together to utilize the same regional bike share program for our cities,” a joint statement from both Hoboken Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla and Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop read.
Previously, both cities ran separate bike-share programs with different operators. Following this announcement, Jersey City and Hoboken will both work together to choose the same bike-share company to operate in both cities.
The press release continues:
By choosing one bike share company for both cities, Mayor Bhalla and Mayor Fulop seek to achieve greater regional connectivity and mobility within both cities, making it easier for residents and visitors to travel within the two communities. A number of residents within Hoboken and Jersey City regularly commute to and from both cities, and a regional bike share option will provide easier access to employment opportunities and improve both cities regional economies.
The company they will both be using has not yet been announced.
Hoboken Girl Shop Raises $900+ for The Loveland Foundation, Debuts Pride Merch
Last weekend, the Hoboken Girl shop raised over $900 from your purchases to donate to The Loveland Foundation’s therapy fund, which provides financial assistance for therapy specifically for black women and girls, as well as empowerment, residency programs, and more. Following that success, the HG ship has now launched our PRIDE line, where 15% of the proceeds from any rainbow merch purchased will go towards Hudson Pride. Shop the new line here — which includes both Hoboken + Jersey City rainbow merch.
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