Hoboken gets $14M in federal funding for park that will also hold floodwaters

Hoboken is making progress on the building of a public park that officials say will reduce flood risks.
Superstorm Sandy hammered the city in 2012, leaving streets flooded and residents without power.
Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla and Sen. Bob Menendez announced on Monday a $14 million grant, provided by FEMA, that will improve infrastructure in Hoboken and construct the Northwest Resiliency Park.
The park, located in the northwest corner of the city, will feature green space to trap stormwater runoff and will have an underground tank that can hold up to 1 million gallons. The water collected in the tank will be treated and then redirected to the Hudson River.
“These types of innovative and creatively-designed mitigation techniques, both above ground and below ground, are precisely the reason why we won this $14 million,” Bhalla said.
Menendez says that the project will help protect against all storms.
“It doesn’t take a Sandy or [Hurricane] Irene to face significant flooding. Irene was pretty significant in and of itself as a storm. But the quality of life…will be dramatically different,” said Menendez.
The 5-acre park is expected to be completed by late 2022.
The Associated Press wire services contributed to this report.