On September 5th, Councilman Solomon and Mayor Fulop hosted a community meeting for the redesign of the Pedestrian Mall. Members of the community were invited to stop by Grace Van Vorst Church to learn about the design plans for the Newark Ave Pedestrian Plaza.

The team behind the construction and planning presented concepts for the Newark Ave Pedestrian Plaza to gain input from the residents so any implemented changes to the plaza are to the liking of the community who would be frequenting the area. Jose Cunha, Gus DeBlasio, Barkha Patel, and Paul Russo led the presentation on what they hope to add to the Pedestrian Mall, from lighting fixtures to a raised intersection to alert cars of the populated street.

In order to create a more engaging discussion and to truly hear the opinions of the community, following the presentation was a Q&A session as well as the opportunity for residents to place stickers on the presentation boards of what ideas they favored and what ideas they opposed. Over 100 community members attended and contributed to the discussion, from local business owners to concerned residents.

Overall, the team was hoping to get some guidance and direction from the community with input on design ideas. Some of the proposed changes include movable seating, better vehicular access in case of emergencies, raised rain garden tree planters, streamlined bike racks, a designated area between bike lanes on Erie and Barrow, and a trench drain system.

Hudson County View live-streamed most of the meeting – check it out on Facebook for full details!