Southwest Resiliency Park, Phase 1

• The minimum requirement stated by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) was to detain 100% of the 10-year storm event, equivalent to 82,000 gallons of water. However, the project goal was to go beyond that NJDEP standard using an underground storage system combined with green infrastructure.
• Prevent localized surface flooding and reduce the time it takes floodwater to drain from the street while reducing strain on the combined sewer system by delaying the amount of flood water entering the system during major rain events.
• Provide recreation and open space benefits for the community by fulfilling the programmatic elements prioritized during the community engagement process.
• Reduce negative impacts on vehicular traffic due to flooding in the adjacent right-of-way.
• Create a publicly visible expression of the City’s stormwater management priorities for purposes of education and generating public support for future environmental interventions.

• The park has a total holding capacity of 190,000 gallons, or roughly one third of an Olympic-sized swimming pool. A system of underground pipes and tanks, located below the central plaza, lawn space, and sidewalk, holds 81,358 gallons and delays the release of floodwater into the combined sewer. The rain gardens and lightweight fill used throughout the rest of the park act as sponges, absorbing almost 110,000 gallons of stormwater.
• A control valve gauges the amount of stormwater in the storage side of an underground weir during and after storm events. Water is then released into the combined sewer system after peak rain events have passed, which avoids overflow.
• Rain gardens provide perennial foliage with no need to replant annually, while storing and slow-releasing water to the underground storage system. Species include swamp rose mallow (Hibiscus moschuetos), Northern blue flag (Iris versicolor), and aster ‘Purple Dome’ (Aster novae-angliae ‘Purple Dome’), which attract pollinators while absorbing water.
• Bioswales along the street calm traffic with curbline bump-outs, narrowing the streets adjacent to the park while channeling runoff from storm events into the underground storage system.
• Permeable pavers make up 41% (15,210 sf) of the park’s area. Open joint pavers over gravel filter stormwater before it enters the underground storage system. Permeable pavers can be found throughout all paved areas of the park with the exception of the dog run.
• The central plaza provides space for diverse events year-round including community gatherings, summer music festivals, and exercise classes. Amenities in the space include terraced seating and space for local food and produce vendor programs.
• 18 benches are strategically placed to support social interaction and provide opportunities to enjoy the rain garden plantings. 20 café tables and 50 movable chairs allow for flexible seating arrangements.
• 51 trees planted on-site include river birch (Betula nigra), ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba), golden raintree (Koelreuteria paniculata), sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis), and Kwanzan cherry (Prunus serrulata). 15 swamp oaks (Quercus palustris) planted in modular suspended pavement systems (tree cells) allow water infiltration into aerated soil beneath the plaza.
• 7,380 sf of graded lawn area slopes towards the street, providing an inviting open space. The slope attracts children to run and play.
• 1,833 linear ft of fencing plays an important role in ensuring the park’s ecological and social functions. Fencing delineates borders of programmatic elements in the park and provides protection around the rain gardens which increases the durability and long-term functionality of plantings.
• The dog run provides space for dog owners to bring their dogs in a dense urban environment year-round. It is 1 of only 2 dog parks in southern Hoboken ( with a population of 20,000+) at the time of construction. A utility storage shed in the dog run area is 7 ft above grade to protect from Hurricane Sandy-level floodwaters.
• The centrally located information sign provides an overview of the main resiliency features and how they contribute to the overall Hoboken stormwater system and the history of the city.
• A bike share station is located on the park’s eastern edge.

Hoboken, New Jersey is a dense urban environment located on the Hudson River. Once a city hinged on industry and harbor activities, over the last century Hoboken experienced a shift from industrial area in decline to a sought-after residential extension of Manhattan. Numerous ferries and two subway lines cross the Hudson River, and the local bike rental system is part of the New York City system. Between 2020 and 2021 the population of Hoboken grew from 53,283 to 59,369, a 11.4% increase, and its median household income grew from $153,438 to $160,890, a 4.86% increase. With stunning views of the New York City skyline and the Hudson River, the cost of living within the municipality has risen dramatically.

The southwest area of Hoboken is no exception to this progression. Southwest Resiliency Park and other infrastructural improvements have further contributed to this growth.

In 2006, the Hoboken City Council conducted a study of Southwest Hoboken and its redevelopment needs. Although the study concluded that only 26.7% of the acreage in the Study Area satisfied the criteria for a determination of an “Area in Need of Redevelopment,” the study suggested that the entire Study Area meets the criteria for an “Area in Need of Rehabilitation.” On June 20, 2012, the City Council adopted Southwest Hoboken as an “Area in Need of Rehabilitation.” Since this area was significantly impacted by flooding during Hurricane Sandy soon thereafter, the City was able to obtain Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery funding for preparation of a Redevelopment Plan for the Southwest Rehabilitation Area. In 2014 the City authorized a planning and engineering firm to prepare a Redevelopment Plan for this portion of Hoboken.

The pre-redevelopment zoning in the Rehabilitation Area consisted of two designations –  the “Mixed-Use Industrial District” and the “Redevelopment Residential District.” All blocks in the Rehabilitation Area, excepting Block 11, are within the “Mixed-Use Industrial District.” Block 11, which includes Southwest Resiliency Park (bounded by First Street, Harrison Street, and Paterson Avenue), is within the “Residential District.” The Redevelopment Plan aims to retain the underlying zoning districts and create an overlay of additional land uses, limiting Urban Manufacturing/Industrial zoning and creating mixed-use residential space with density equivalent to the rest of Hoboken. Southwest Resiliency Park Phases 1 and 2 are in the center of Block 11, with mixed-use housing surrounding the park. The park is the centerpiece of the Rehabilitation Plan, providing open space and walkability for all residents while controlling flooding. There is strong evidence that the Southwest Hoboken Resiliency Park contributes significantly to the quality of life in the area. Providing open space in a once dense industrial and mixed-use area was a significant step for revitalization and flood control.

In 2012, Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc on the Northeastern United States, and Hoboken was among the hardest-hit areas. During the storm, 500 million gallons of water flooded the city. More than two thirds of the city is less than 5 ft above sea level, and Hurricane Sandy’s 14-ft storm surge and steady rainfall left some areas of the city 6 ft underwater. The city’s topography caused it to fill like a bathtub, with standing water remaining in Hoboken’s southwest area for days. This served as a wake-up call for the City and led to a massive federal response: Rebuild by Design.

The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) launched the Rebuild by Design (RBD) competition in the summer of 2013 to develop ideas to improve physical, ecological, economic, and social resilience in regions affected by Hurricane Sandy. The Hoboken project was one of the competition’s six winning concepts, developed with the goal of reducing frequent flooding due to storm surge, high tide, and heavy rainfall. Hoboken was awarded $230 million from HUD, $150 million in City funding through the Open Space Trust Fund and low-interest loans from the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank, and $100 million from the State of New Jersey. The goal was to improve the city’s resilience through soft and hard interventions, following a multi-faceted approach intended to address flooding from major storm surges, high tides, and heavy rainfall events. RBD was broken into multiple phases with four goals: Resist, Delay, Store, and Discharge.

• Resist: A combination of hard infrastructure and soft landscaping features that act as barriers along the coast during exceptionally high tide and/or storm surge events
• Delay: Policy recommendations, guidelines, and urban green infrastructure to slow stormwater runoff
• Store: Green and grey infrastructure improvements
• Discharge: Enhancements to Hoboken’s existing stormwater management system, including the identification and upgrading of existing stormwater/sewer lines, outfalls, and pumping stations

The landscape-oriented sustainability components of the new system implemented through RBD include stormwater parks, streetscape Low Impact Development (LID) techniques like curbside bump outs, rain gardens, raised planting beds, and bioretention basins.

The City of Hoboken is building a series of interconnected resiliency parks to capture, store, and convey stormwater. This includes Southwest Resiliency Park as well as 7th & Jackson Resilience Park and Northwest Resiliency Park. The project received an additional $100 million from the State of New Jersey for above-ground flood mitigation infrastructure at the new three-acre Harborside Park, which began construction in spring 2023. Southwest Resiliency Park is unique in the way it uses a gravity system to convey stormwater, whereas the other parks use a pump system. The gravity system is possible because of the elevated topography  of the park design.

Hoboken’s overall resilience strategy continues to implement floodwalls, bulkheads, stormwater piping, and more. Extensive construction has been completed on the combined sewer system to ensure water from storm surge will not surcharge under Resist structures once constructed. Adapting existing infrastructure to the new system ensures successful flood control once all improvements are implemented.

• The landscape architect’s design for Southwest Park exceeds the project’s resilience goals through the combination of green infrastructure, underground pipe storage, and sustainable materials – ultimately detaining over two times the amount of water per storm than the original requirements from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
• Landscape architecture can create effective stormwater protections that do not necessarily look and feel like pieces of infrastructure. Surveys show that Southwest Resiliency Park reads like a neighborhood green space to park users. Some are unaware of the park’s stormwater functions or view these as important but secondary to its role as a community open space.
• Municipal communications have proved to be more effective than on-site interpretive signage at promoting awareness of stormwater measures. 
• Carbon calculations show that granular lightweight fill and concrete pavers account for the vast majority of the park’s carbon footprint. Substituting these two materials in the design would reduce the total embodied carbon footprint by as much as 80%.
• Dog urine has had a significant effect on the durability of the plantings and their long-term functionality. Fencing installed during initial construction provides protection.
• Sloping lawns invite children to run downhill, potentially causing accident hazards near streets. Fencing around the lawn area was added after implementation to mitigate this issue.

Tree Cells: StrataCell by BlueGreen
Pavers: UniLock Promenade Plank pavers with open joints
Furnishings: mmcité Blocq Bench
Lighting: Technilium light poles
Stormwater System Control Valve: OptiSensor Valve
Stormwater Detention: HDPE Detention Pipes
Utility Building: Romtec
Bathroom: Portland Loo Prefabricated Bathroom Structure

Project Team

Landscape Architect: Starr Whitehouse Landscape Architects and Planners PLLC
Civil/Environmental Engineer: Langan Engineering
MEP Engineer: Dagner Engineering
Cost Estimator: Toscano, Clements, Taylor
Utility Building: Romtec
Prefabricated Bathroom Structure: Portland Loo
Construction Manager: Suburban Consulting Engineers
Contractor: Flanagan’s Contracting Group

Role of the Landscape Architect

The landscape architect has been the lead on all stages of planning and design for both phases of the park. The firm was initially engaged to lead a community design process for Phase 1, creating a concept design with strong public approval. The landscape architect was then re-engaged to develop and implement the concept plan. Leading a multidisciplinary design team, the landscape architect developed construction documents, submitted the grant applications, and ran the bidding process. During construction, the landscape architect oversaw construction administration and liaised with the City’s construction manager. At the time of writing, the landscape architect is leading design and implementation of Phase 2 of the park.