How Much Should Hoboken's Public Housing Expand? Meeting Wednesday

HOBOKEN, NJ — What's coming up for Hoboken's 1,354 federally regulated low-income housing units on the west side of town?

The Hoboken Housing Authority — a local agency charged with overseeing these units — approved a Strategic Plan last April. Now they want to hear community input as they move forward to rehab and redevelop the public housing neighborhood.

The city of Hoboken will host a community meeting this Wednesday, March 22 at 6 p.m. at 221 Jackson St. (Monroe Gardens) for input on the proposed redevelopment.

The Hoboken City Council, which is separate from the HHA, approved the designation of the Housing Authority (HHA) as a Redevelopment Area on Nov. 14, 2022.

Architects of the strategic plan has said that as buildings are demolished and rebuilt, residents will temporarily move to other units and no one will be displaced. In the end, at least 20 more units may be added, one report says.

"The Redevelopment Plan will allow the city to implement new land use and infrastructure requirements that will guide future development and allow the HHA properties to be replaced or substantially rehabilitated," the city said in a message to the community last week.

"This project is a collaborative effort between the city of Hoboken and Hoboken Housing Authority and represents a new milestone that has not been reached during previous planning work."

The Hoboken Housing Authority is not run by the city of Hoboken, although the two entities can collaborate, and a City Council member usually serves on the HHA's unpaid Board of Commissioners.

The HHA area is overseen by that a seven-member volunteer Board of Commissioners and a paid staff under an executive director.

Residents of the more than 1,300 units must meet income limits to move into the buildings. If their income grows above the limit while they live there, they don't have to move out, but must contribute more toward their rent.

Some of the buildings, such as Fox Hill Gardens, are designated specifically for the senior and disabled population.

The units are housed in six separate complexes containing 21 buildings.

"The Strategic Plan outlines a six-phase process to achieve the replacement or substantial rehabilitation of all 1,354 residential units in HHA properties without displacing residents," says a summary of the upcoming project. "The Strategic Plan includes a phasing plan that proposes full replacement of units with minimal temporary re-location of tenants."

RELATED: Rehabbing Hoboken's Public Housing: Massive Plan Proposed

For more information on the project, go to hobokennj.gov/hharedevelopmentplan.

See the Hoboken Housing Authority meetings and the recent HHA Hall of Fame event on YouTube here.