Hoboken Receives $250K Grant for Southwest Park

Hoboken has received a $250,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Interior and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation for the first phase of Southwest Park.

The funding from the Hurricane Sandy Coastal Resiliency Competitive Grant Program will help incorporate stormwater management capacity into the new park as part of a broader strategy to prevent flooding in the area. 

“This grant provides an excellent opportunity for Hoboken to move ahead with creating much needed green space in Southwest Hoboken while also helping to reduce the impact of increasingly common downpours that cause flash flooding," Mayor Dawn Zimmer said.

"This grant is in addition to the $230 million funding for a comprehensive strategy to fully protect our city from all types of flooding."

The 1-acre property, called Block 12, currently retains only about 17 percent of rainfall each year, according to a city statement released Tuesday. The remaining runoff going into the combined sewer system and has contributed to flash flooding and sewer overflows into the Hudson River, the statement said.

The new park is being designed to capture and store all of the stormwater on its property from a 10-year rain event (5 inches of rain). Through surface storage, rain gardens, bioswales, and an underground detention chamber, it will be able to hold more than 200,000 gallons of water, according to the city.

The proposal was one of six Rebuild by Design competition winners and will receive $230 million in federal funding to be implemented.