Southwest Park Overview
November 14th, 2006
Located in the southwest area of the City, between Paterson Plank Road and Observer Highway, this park would serve an area undergoing major transformation. The southern border and western edge of Hoboken is seeing enormous transition from industrial, commercial and affordable, low-rise properties to luxury high-rise residential buildings.This area in the 4th Ward is in great need of a large park to serve its existing residents as well as the hundreds of new families that are moving in each year. Large high-rise apartments seem to be possible while a much needed large, new recreational space for growing families and adults is absent. Hoboken’s Master Plan addresses this need by locating a large, new park near the residents who need it. There is little doubt that more commercial property conversions will occur in this area. It is time that current residents get something in return for hosting these large scale residential projects.
HPO PARK DESIGN
HPO’s design concept for the Southwest Park (see, above left) would bring much needed active park space and facilities to these neighborhoods to address the lack of outdoor areas to play and relax. As shown in the Hoboken Master Plan, the reconfiguration of Paterson Plank Road will remove much of the unnecessary traffic that plagues this part of the City while bringing a large park for residents to reach on foot, with a baby carriage or with a bag of sports equipment.
RESIDENTS STOP SOUTHWEST REDEVELOPMENT ZONE
On June 28, 2006, the City Council adopted a resolution designating the southwest area of the City an area in need of redevelopment. The area encompasses approximately 13 acres of the southwest corner of the City, located west of Jefferson and from Paterson Plank Road south. This redevelopment area includes the properties identified in the Master Plan for park land. Up to that point, the City had been silent on any plans it had for park lands in the Southwest. Residents of the southwest filed litigation against the City challenging the southwest redevelopment area designation and were successful. On May 16, 2007, the Superior Court of Hudson County ruled in favor of the residents finding that that the City violated the procedures of the Redevelopment Law in the way that the hearing was conducted before the planning board. To date the City has not attempted to re-designate the area a redevelopment zone but such a move is not unexpected.
CITY MOVES FORWARD TO APPRAISE PARK PROPERTIES IN SOUTHWEST
As a result of the vigilance and advocacy of the community, including HPO and the Hoboken Southwest Parks Coalition, the City Council was pressed to abandon redevelopment and instead evaluate the feasibility of acquiring the SW park land properties indentified in the Master Plan. On March 24, 2008, HSPC, on behalf of the City of Hoboken, submitted an application to the Hudson County Division of Planning requesting $3 million in funds to help start the process of land acquisition for the SW Park. After the lengthy application process, HSPC was invited back April 6, 2008 to give a presentation on their SW6 application. Although the SW6 application scored very high last year, both in proposal and presentation, the application was not awarded any funds because the City had not completed the appraisals. However, a new and improved Appraisal Resolution was submitted to the Council on January 7, 2009 and the appraisals have since been completed. HSPC is happy to report, at the end of their presentation, they were able to provide the Hudson County Open Space Advisory Board with the necessary appraisals to start the land acquisition process.