Politics & Government
Hoboken's Flood Mitigation Efforts Topic of Meeting Series
Officials hold information sessions for community members to outline Rebuild by Design initiative.
Officials will meet with members of the community over the next week to outline Hoboken's Rebuild by Design effort to protect the city from future flooding.
Hoboken is among 10 finalists in the Rebuild by Design competition, a regional initiative to rebuild areas impacted by Hurricane Sandy to be "more resilient, sustainable, and livable," according to a statement released by the city Wednesday. Projects that demonstrate community support will be implemented with federal and private funding.
"Hoboken has an excellent opportunity to protect our City from all types of flooding through the Rebuild by Design competition," Mayor Dawn Zimmer said.
Zimmer, representatives from the Rebuild by Design competition and OMA, the firm handing Hoboken's proposal, will meet with members of the community who want to learn more about the initiative at the following meetings:
- For business community: Thursday, 8 a.m. at Amanda's Restaurant, 908 Washington St.
- For developer community: Thursday, 6 p.m. at 1422 Grand St., 5th Floor
- General community meeting: Tuesday, 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Hoboken Terminal waiting room, 1 Hudson Place
A full presentation was made Wednesday at the start of the Hoboken City Council meeting.
The presentation included an OMA representative discussing the plan to protect the city from flooding as part of the Rebuild by Design competition. A representative from Together North Jersey presented findings of a plan to mitigate flooding through green infrastructure, the city's statement said.
A North Hudson Sewerage Authority representative provided an update on a second flood pump that will be placed at 11th Street. The City Council was also expected to vote on a resolution to obtain a low-interest loan to build the pump, according to the statement.
The presentation is expected to run on Cablevision Channel 78 in a few days.
“In addition to Sandy, we face flooding challenges every year, and the cost of flood insurance is a major concern for residents and businesses," Zimmer said. "A comprehensive flood protection strategy being developed as part of this competition would not only physically protect all Hoboken residents and businesses, but also financially protect us from soaring flood insurance costs while providing valuable civic benefits. This integrated water management strategy would add a layer of protection for Hoboken Terminal, our electrical substations, hospital, flood pump, and sewage treatment plant. The winning design proposals will be chosen by the end of April, and since strong support from Hobokenites will help our chances to win the competition, I urge the entire community to learn more about this important proposal and provide your input."
More information about Rebuild by Design can be found on its website.
OMA’s design proposal "Resist, Delay, Store, Discharge: a Comprehensive Strategy for Hoboken” has advanced to the third round of competition and is now one of 10 finalists.
"The comprehensive strategy uses both hard infrastructure and soft landscape for coastal defense (resist), recommends policies to enable the urban fabric to slow down water (delay), and includes a green circuit to trap water (store) and water pumps to support drainage (discharge)," according to the city's statement.
Competition submissions are due by the end of March and finalists will be selected in April. Community members can learn more about the project and add their comments here.
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