Happy Sunday, Hudson County! As usual, there’s a lot to recap this week in the way of headlines you’ve might’ve missed, construction that’s going on, changes happening, and more. Beyond those headlines, however, Jersey City saw the opening of a new bao restaurant in the Newport Centre, a new fast-casual Indian eatery is coming to the Mile Square, and so much more. So, let’s get right to it. Keep reading for all local headlines you might have missed this week.
Properties at 511-521 Newark Street Undergoing Redevelopments
{Image rendering courtesy of Nastasi Architects}
Newark Street in Hoboken might look very different now that the Hoboken City Council has approved a resolution to enter negotiations to redevelop properties at 511-521 Newark. Purchased by Newark Street Capital 511-521 LLC earlier this year for $6.1 million, it looks like the plan is to turn the current lots into a restaurant storefront with 32 apartment units and 21 parking spaces.
The developer is registered to the same address in Secaucus as National Realty Investment Advisors {NRIA}.
The project has been rendered by Nastasi Architects and seeks to demolish all existing buildings and lots within the 12,950 square foot range of property. The plan is to then replace the old site with a six-story mixed-use project.
Union City’s Official Twitter Account Goes Motivational
Need a little inspiration? A permission slip? Someone to tell you it’s going to be OK and you’re doing great? Check out Union City’s official Twitter account, which went motivational for a week, according to NJ.com. Inspiring Tweets such as the above and one that listed the “7 Habits for Success” were shared all week. Check out the full roundup of tweets here.
Gringo’s Tacos Releases Official Statement on Employee Wearing Hateful T-Shirt
Gringo’s Tacos found itself in hot water after one of its employees allegedly wore a t-shirt with an anti-police officer sentiment on it. The t-shirt allegedly read, “I hate every cop in this town” and “a good cop is a dead cop.”
“Gringos does not condone the appalling t-shirt the staff member was wearing in any way, shape, or form, nor would they ever be for sale,” an official statement posted on Gringos Tacos Facebook reads. “We are deeply sorry that incident happened. Three of the four owners have family in Law Enforcement, State Troopers, and Sheriffs. Gringos supports Jersey City and surrounding police departments.”
The statement continued, “All employees are required to be in uniform when working; the employee has since been terminated.”
Gringos also gave any patron who was a first responder a free meal that day.
Eric LeGrand Visits Hoboken Middle After School Achieves 52,000 Minutes Read
{Photo credit: @ericlegrand52}
After accomplishing a total amount of 52,000 minutes read so far this school year, Hoboken Middle School was treated to a special surprise: an assembly with Eric LeGrand, Rutgers University football star-turned motivational speaker.
LeGrand was a linebacker when he suffered a devastating spinal cord injury during a game in 2010. Since becoming paralyzed, LeGrand has used his platform to educate and speak about his journey, becoming both an author and a motivational speaker.
As part of Hoboken Middle’s Week of Respect, LeGrand visited and spoke of respecting each other and how to uplift yourself and your peers. LeGrand also gave special recognition to Emerald Rozmester’s home room class, which logged 10,500 reading minutes in the Read-Believe-Challenge.
“Eric’s story is one that has touched our entire school community,” said Principal Harold Abraham. “Our students have learned the importance of developing the traits of resilience, grit, and determination when facing adversity.”
Mayor Bhalla Hosts Groundbreaking Ceremony for Northwest Resiliency Park
{Photo courtesy of City of Hoboken}
Hoboken’s Northwest Resiliency Park has officially broken ground! On Friday, October 4th, Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla, former Mayor Dawn Zimmer, County Executive Tom DeGise, elected officials, and of course, members of the community gathered at the future park site to commemorate the beginning of construction. The park is set to become Hoboken’s own “Central Park,” coming in at the Mile Square’s largest. With five acres of land, Northwest Resiliency will feature open space amenities such as a multi-purpose athletic field, an ice skating rink, open lawn, pavilion, playground equipment, and most uniquely, below-ground infrastructure to withhold up to 2 million gallons of rainwater to mitigate flooding.
The new park will be located at 12th and Adams Street. For more information on Northwest Resiliency, you can check out park renderings on the project website here.
Body Found Near Hoboken Terminal
A woman’s body has been found in the Hudson River by Lackawanna Terminal. Around 3:00PM last Tuesday, a passerby called 911 after seeing the unidentified body in the water. Hoboken Police Chief Ken Ferrante confirmed a body had been found, stating the body was in the water until 3:30PM. After authorities pulled the body from the Hudson, the woman was pronounced dead around 4:30PM.
Ferrante has deferred questions to the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office. According to the Prosecutor’s Office, the woman is believed to be between 35 and 50 years old as is asking anyone with information about a missing person within the last 30 days to please contact authorities.
Anyone with information can call the Prosecutor’s Office at 201-915-1345 or leave an anonymous tip at hudsoncountyprosecutorsofficenj.org/homicide-tip. As this is a developing story, Hoboken Girl will continue to update the public as more information becomes available.
Newark Avenue Pedestrian Plaza Getting $4 Million in Renovations
{Image rendering courtesy of Maser Consulting}
Back in 2015, Jersey City added a car-free pedestrian plaza to Grove and Erie Streets. In 2018, the pedestrian plaza was expanded to Jersey Avenue, and now, plans to add $4 million in renovations to the plaza are set to start in December of this year.
Mayor Steven Fulop has said the $4 million will help the pedestrian plaza become, “a proper plaza we all envision.” The project involves raising two blocks of the roadway to match the level of the current sidewalk. According to image renderings of the proposed changes, the road will be repaved with granite paver plaza surfacing and a trench drain system with decorative drains, green infrastructure, and more benches.
Many of the other additions in the plan, drawn up by Red Bank-based Maser Consulting, are decidedly more modern. They include a trench drain system with decorative drains, green infrastructure such as rain garden tree planters, and illuminated bench seating.
Hoboken Hires New Superintendent of Water System
{Photo courtesy of Mayor Bhalla}
The City of Hoboken just made a new hire: Robert Smith is officially on board as the new Superintendent of Hoboken’s water system. Mr. Smith has over 27 years of managerial experience in the water and wastewater fields and most recently served as the Director of Water and Sewer Utilities for the Borough of Sayreville, NJ.
“I am proud and honored to be named the new Water Superintendent here in the City of Hoboken,” said Mr. Smith. “I am looking forward to serving the citizens of Hoboken to the best of my abilities, ensuring that they receive the highest quality of water and service possible.”
According to a press release from the City of Hoboken and Bhalla, the Superintendent position became necessary now that Hoboken has entered a new contract with SUEZ. The contract details $33 million in water main upgrades over the next 15 years, which Mr. Smith is expected to oversee.
“I’m pleased to welcome Robert as Hoboken’s new Superintendent of our water system,” said Mayor Bhalla. “He has the experience and knowledge to oversee our multi-million dollar water main replacement project. I look forward to working with him as we proactively upgrade Hoboken’s infrastructure and improve the quality of life for residents.”
The press release also disclosed that Mr. Smith’s salary is fully funded through the water utility at no additional expense to the taxpayers. Mr. Smith will be the only full-time employee of the water utility.
Police Chief Ken Ferrante Shares Latest Crime Stats
Police Chief Ken Ferrante is back to share more of Hoboken’s most recent crime statistics. On his official Twitter account, Ferrante shared the quarter-year statistics for the Mile Square.
“As of September 30th, crime is still down 28.0% compared to last year,” Ferrante wrote. “Year to date, we have had 551 crimes, down from 765 the same time period last year. Thank you to the men and women of the @HobokenPD,” Ferrante added.
Jersey City Council Exploring Rent Control Options
Big changes might be coming to Jersey City in the way of the city’s rent control laws. A special committee has been formed inside of the City Council, the goal of which is to reform Jersey City’s rent control laws to protect renters from rents that keep getting more expensive and ultimately, causing displacement or homelessness.
“Over 70 percent of Jersey City residents are renters, and nearly half of them are already paying 30 percent or more of their income on rent alone,” said Councilmember James Solomon. “Almost a quarter pay more than 50 percent of their income to stay in their homes.”
The committee will host public meetings to discuss the current law and potential reform ideas. A new ordinance is set to be introduced at the November 26th Council meeting and will include best practices to focus on “reasonably priced” housing.
“We’re seeing a rapid increase in homelessness,” added Solomon. “The people of Jersey City can’t afford to wait. They’re being pushed out now, and they need protection now.”
Hoboken Planning to Make Offer on Buying Union Dry Dock
After a whole lot of Union Dry Dock drama — recap available here — the City of Hoboken is preparing to offer a fair market value to acquire the site. Hoboken is prepared to offer New York Waterway $13.1 million to purchase the site at 901 Sinatra Drive, with the intention of preventing NYWW from turning it into a ferry maintenance and refueling station. Should NYWW decline the offer or negotiations, the City can deposit the $13.1 million with the court and take possession of the site through the use of eminent domain.
Bono Commissions 17 Street Artist Murals to Raise AIDS Awareness and Jersey City Is Benefitting from the Campaign
{Add Fuel X RED TOGETHER TO GATHER via red.org/paint}
Jersey City is about to see a lot more street murals thanks to Bono. The musician has commissioned 17 street artist murals as part of {RED}’s effort to raise AIDS awareness. The campaign seeks to turn cities around the globe {RED} and over the next three weeks, more than 20 unique PAINT {RED} murals and installations will be cropping up across the world. Lucky for us, Jersey City is one of the lucky cities a part of the campaign.
Along with the murals, {RED} in partnership with Bono plans to unveil interactive digital artwork and many other ways we can all join the fight to end AIDS, TB, and malaria with the PAINT {RED} SAVE LIVES campaign.
Two Jersey City Pizza Restaurants Listed as Among the Best in America 2019
^ Some slices from Bread and Salt!
Good news, NJ-based pizza lovers, as two Jersey City pizza restaurants have been named among the best in America in 2019 by The Daily Meal, according to Patch.com. Both Razza Pizza Artigianale and Bread and Salt were named on the “101 Best Pizzas in America” list. Razza came in at no.3 while Bread and Salt came in at no. 55 on the list. While Razza is famed for being dubbed the best pizza in NYC by New York Times food writer Pete Wells, Bread and Salt is known for its celebrity chef, Rick Easton, and its Roman-style slices.
Bob’s White Counter Opening in JC
{Photo credit: @bobswhitecounter}
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