382 Housing Units, Library Branch, Park To Be Built In Uptown Hoboken

HOBOKEN, NJ — A city block in northwestern Hoboken will someday be home to 382 units of housing (including 38 affordable), a library branch, and open space for recreation and flood mitigation, the city announced Thursday.

Mayor Ravi Bhalla announced these details of the new Redevelopment Agreement with developer Bijou Properties after the City Council voted to approve the plan Wednesday night.

The city will now take steps to revitalize the 80,000 square feet of blighted property at 1500 Clinton St.

The agreement will provide the city with over 20,000 square feet of public open space including a new linear park, a green circuit with two-way protected bike lanes on Clinton Street and 15th Street, nearly 9,500 square feet of new retail space, 30,000 gallons of underground water storage to mitigate flooding, and a $3.2 million community benefit payments.

In addition, the adopted agreement includes approximately 9,500 square feet of community space which the city intends to utilize to create an uptown branch of the Hoboken Public Library, the city said.

Bijou, who already owns the land, has developed other residential properties in the area.

The library branch was originally meant to be built along with a municipal complex on privately owned property uptown, but the city changed its intention to declare eminent domain on the property after a controversy (read the property owner's response here).

“The 1500 Clinton Street project is an example of community driven, smart urban growth,” said Bhalla. “This property, which has sat vacant and blighted for years, will be transformed into a vibrant neighborhood that current and future Hoboken residents will reap the benefits of for years to come. I look forward to breaking ground on this project which will provide needed open space, protected bike lanes, critical affordable housing, flood mitigation, but perhaps most importantly, space for an uptown library branch at no cost to the city. Thank you to the Hoboken City Council and Bijou Properties for working with my administration to see this project through to the finish line.”

The property is located within the North End Redevelopment Area which was designated an Area in Need of Redevelopment by the Hoboken City Council.

Read more from the city's Thursday press release below:

The Redevelopment Agreement, as adopted by a unanimous vote of the Hoboken City Council, permits Bijou Properties to construct two mixed-use residential buildings at 1500 Clinton St. within the North End Redevelopment Plan Area in Hoboken’s Fifth Ward. The height of the buildings reflects the height permitted within the plan, adopted by the City Council in 2021. The development will consist of one 8-story building and one 12-story building. which will include a total of 382 units, 38 of which are affordable to low-and moderate-income households.

“This project adds so much to our new North End neighborhood,” said 5th Ward Councilman Phil Cohen, chair of the Council’s Community Development Subcommittee. “Consistent with the vision of the North End Redevelopment Plan passed by the Council in 2021, this project includes a green circuit, a protected two-way bike path, a retail corridor down 15th Street, a beautifully landscaped and welcoming lateral park, featuring a 9,000 sq. ft. community flex space, visioned to become an uptown Library Branch location — a feature I supported when I worked with the Library’s Space Search Committee, well-before I was elected to the Council, to locate a much-needed uptown library branch to better serve our community — and 38 affordable housing units.”

“We are very appreciative of the mayor for his stewardship as we move towards expanding our outreach and offerings to the Hoboken community,” said Jerome Abernathy, chair of the Hoboken Public Library Board. “The uptown branch of the Hoboken Public Library has been a major part of our strategic plan and I thank Mayor Bhalla and the Council for their ongoing support in this endeavor.”

The development will also provide 183 self-park parking spaces, inclusive of level two charging stations for electric vehicles and two car-share spaces, and 382 indoor bicycle parking spaces, one for each residential unit.

As part of the agreement, the redeveloper will create a 14,700-square-foot public linear park between the two buildings, protected bike lanes along 15th Street and Clinton Street as part of the City’s Green Circuit and transform the western half of Clinton Street into a shared street between 15th Street and 16th Street.

The developer will also be responsible for making infrastructure improvements to the area as well as install nearly 30,000 square feet of green roof on the buildings, and over 30,000 gallons of underground stormwater storage, both to help mitigate area flooding.

To learn more about the project, watch the recorded community meeting recording at
https://youtu.be/bnfmu0GuR04.