Schedule

LISTEN LIVE

Hoboken New Jersey Opens New City Park

A Hoboken, N.J. park is finally fully open. ResilienCity Park, formerly Northwest Resiliency Park, is fully open as part of the park was open in April. The park now features ballfields,…

Referendum To Determine Tempelhof Park Future

BERLIN, GERMANY – MAY 24: People barbecue in the park Tempelhofer Feld on May 24, 2014 in Berlin, Germany. The city is planning to allow development for the construction of new apartment buildings on the edges of the park, while grassroots activists are seeking to block any development at all of the former airport property located in the city center with a referendum to be held May 25.

(Photo by Axel Schmidt/Getty Images)

A Hoboken, N.J. park is finally fully open. ResilienCity Park, formerly Northwest Resiliency Park, is fully open as part of the park was open in April. The park now features ballfields, playgrounds, open lawn space, and a water spray area alongside other amenities. The park is located between 11th and 12th Streets and by Madison, Jefferson, and Adams Streets.

"This park opening is a significant milestone in our ongoing efforts to create a sustainable and resilient community, serving as the largest resiliency park in our great state and a model for the rest of the county,” Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla, said in a statement per NJ.com. "Not only does this park provide much-needed, state-of-the-art open space amenities, it will also provide a critical defense against rainfall flooding, two critical quality of life improvements for our residents."

The park was built on a chemical plant and is now the largest resiliency park in the state. According to the publication, the park can "detain 2 million gallons of stormwater through above- and below-ground infrastructure."

The report states that ResilienCity Park cost $50 million, including the $30 million for acquiring the land. However, it was funded by multiple resources:

  • Part of a $10 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
  • L:ow-interest financing with $2 million in principal forgiveness through the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank
  • $1 million in grants from the Hudson County Open Space Trust Fund

Bhalla states that because the park was funded using multiple resources, it has "built at no impact to the municipal tax levy."

"I extend my deepest gratitude to the Biden Administration and our congressional delegation for their continued investment in the health and resilience of New Jersey communities and to the city of Hoboken for its ongoing efforts to expand opportunity among its residents," Gov. Phil Murphy said in a statement. "The ResilienCity Park ... will connect New Jerseyans to green, open space while offering our children and families various recreational activities."

The city will host an official family-friendly celebration on June 24 to properly announce the park.  The following is the full schedule of activities:

  • 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. - MLB Play Ball Clinics; for residents ages 5 to 12 years old
  • 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.- Brooklyn Nets Youth Training Clinics; for residents ages 5 to 12 years old
  • 12:30 p.m. - Cheer Dynamics showcase
  • 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. -NJ Devils Ball Hockey Clinic for residents ages 5 to 12 years old

This is the city’s third resiliency park opened since 2017 as the Southwest Resiliency Park and the 7th & Jackson Resiliency Park help the city, which experiences flooding that can reach about 0.8 inches of rain per hour. The two aforementioned parks together can detain a combined total of 670,000 gallons of stormwater.

Autumn Hawkins is the National Hip-Hop and R&B writer for Beasley Media, currently residing in New Jersey. Prior to working at Beasley Media, she was in broadcast news as an entertainment producer. When she's not impatiently waiting for Beyoncé to drop new music, she is reading, shopping, or planning a vacation.