FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, September 25, 2014

Christie Administration Announces Post-Sandy Planning Grant to Hudson County

Grant Will Help Sandy-Impacted Local Government with
Long-Term Recovery and Resiliency Planning


Trenton, NJ – New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) Commissioner Richard E. Constable, III, today announced the award of $180,000 in Post-Sandy Planning Assistance Grants to Hudson County to put into effect comprehensive long-range plans designed to enable the county to become resilient in the event of future severe weather events.

"As New Jersey continues to recover from Superstorm Sandy, the planning that Hudson County is undertaking will identify opportunities to build local resilience and promote growth that is sustainable even in hazardous conditions such as those experienced during and after the storm," said Commissioner Constable, whose Department is administering many of the Sandy recovery programs for the State. "We applaud the County for pursuing these worthwhile projects."

The grants will finance four planning initiatives that were identified in the Strategic Recovery Planning Report that Hudson County prepared using its own resources. The County’s Strategic Recovery Planning Report evaluated the impact of Superstorm Sandy on Hudson County residents, businesses, infrastructure, public safety and open space/recreation sectors, and provided useful information in informing economic recovery initiatives, enhancing public safety and identifying other steps to make the county better able to withstand potential significant storms in the future. The four planning initiatives are:

  • County Master Plan Reexamination, which will enable professional planners to study changing conditions in Hudson County, utilizing the latest data to address issues of vulnerability and institute new strategies and policies for recovery, resiliency, and mitigation.
  • Hudson County Division of Parks Master Plan Reexamination, which will stand as a policy guideline to further Sandy recovery and resiliency of the county’s recreational and open space assets, as well as shape the overall service, maintenance, and development of the Hudson County Division of Parks.
  • Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy to create a 5-year plan for the period of 2015-2019. The plan will detail existing conditions within the county, identify goals and objectives for the county’s workforce, and establish plans for workforce development and education. The plan will also identify economic clusters in Hudson County, recommend policies to support the businesses and industries in these clusters, and offer strategies to diversify Hudson County’s economy inclusive of green businesses.
  • Five-Year Capital Improvement Plan, which will detail existing conditions within the county and direct the implementation of capital improvement projects in Hudson County. A comprehensive inventory of critical county facilities, emergency management services, roads, bridges, traffic signals, recreational facilities, and storm water infrastructure will be complied. Additionally, levels of service and capacities of these facilities and equipment will be studied and unmet needs identified, as well as possible recovery, resiliency, and storm mitigation measures to county facilities.

The Post-Sandy Planning Assistance Grants are funded through Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery monies provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The grants are currently available to each of the nine counties most impacted by Sandy as determined by HUD (Atlantic, Bergen, Cape May, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean and Union) and all of the municipalities within those counties that have experienced a ratable loss of at least 1% or $1 million due to the storm.

The DCA has so far approved $6.2 million in Post-Sandy Planning Assistance Grants. Applications for grants are still being accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis by the DCA’s Office of Local Planning Services, which is administering the program, until all funds are exhausted.

For more information on Post-Sandy Planning Assistance Grants, go to http://www.nj.gov/dca/services/lps/pspag.html.