Hoboken’s Northwest Resiliency Park is opening this Monday — and is set to be the largest park in the Mile Square. Northwest Resiliency spans from Madison to Adams Street, 13th Street to the north and 12th Street to the south. All in all, the park is six acres of athletic fields, lowland gardens, open lawn, park pavilion, playground equipment, and will have a seasonal ice skating rink, spray water feature, and shade structures. The entire community is invited to its opening on June 12, 2023. Keep reading to find out everything you need to know about Hoboken’s new Northwest Resiliency Park.
The Invite to the Public
The City of Hoboken sent out a Nixle alert, inviting the public and local residents to its opening this Monday, June 12.
“The City will host a ribbon cutting ceremony at 11:30 a.m. at 12th and Madison Streets and the park will be open for public enjoyment at 12:30 p.m,” the release shared.
The park is the State’s largest resiliency park at more than 5 acres, offering both open space amenities and flood mitigation through below and above-ground infrastructure capable of capturing up to 2 million gallons of stormwater.
The parks amenities include a new multi-purpose athletic field, a basketball court that doubles as a stormwater detention basin, playground, open lawn space, water spray area, and more.
Some Necessary Background Info
The space was acquired by the City back in 2016 and since 2017, the space had been occupied by the Northwest “Pop-Up Park,” a placeholder space where kids, families, and dogs can roam until the official park opens.
According to the City of Hoboken’s website, the goal of Northwest Resiliency is to “provide recreation and public space for our community. It will also be a fundamental part of Hoboken’s resiliency strategy by integrating green infrastructure and innovate stormwater management measures to mitigate flooding from rainfall events. The park will foster a healthier environment for all to enjoy.”
See More: 6 of The Best Dog Parks in Jersey City
What to Expect
Hence the name of the park. The “resiliency” no doubt comes from Hoboken’s latest efforts to become a more resilient city in the face of constant flooding.
The goal of the park is two-fold: to provide entertaining, outdoor space for Hoboken’s residents and to also bulk up the City’s anti-flooding and green infrastructure. Because of this second goal, the design was crucial.
^ Even more plans for the Northwest Resiliency Park.The park is supposed to be highly vegetated and features above-ground infrastructure and an underground retention system that filters and stores stormwater in order to combat flooding. The underground retention system can hold up to two million gallons of rainwater, which should prove crucial to reducing localized flooding. With flooding being such a crucial issue for Northwest Hoboken, this retention system and infrastructure is thought to alleviate some of the frustration and environmental consequences that come with constant flooding.
Read More: Hoboken Street Parking Explained {Literally Send This to Everyone Who Wants to Visit You}
The Site’s History
You just don’t build a park from scratch. So, where did this land come from?
The space that will soon become the Northwest Resiliency Park was originally marshland before it became a chemical plant from 1922 to 2004. Bringing a park to the space has been in the works since 2004. Plans for the area changed after Hurricane Sandy in 2011 and by the time the 2014 Green Infrastructure Strategic Plan and the 2015 Re.Invest Feasibility Study rolled around, the City was looking at ways to use the park as a tool for flood management.
^Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla at the grand opening of the temporary Pop-Up Park with former Mayor Dawn Zimmer and Council President Jen Giattino and Freeholder Anthony Romano.
If you heard former “chemical plant” and are now worried, BASF completed site-wide soil remediation before the City acquired the future park. The lot was then capped with six inches of asphalt. The remediation and capping are important to ensure that the ground can withstand activities and overall, to keep people safe.
The City says Northwest Resiliency’s stormwater management will be in full compliance with NJDEP and USEPA requirements and will pose no health risks to all who enjoy the park.
For more information on the park, click here.
