HOBOKEN — The Mile Square City has a long history of chronic flooding, and this spring, officials hope to target one of its most vulnerable sections.

A second wet weather pump station is coming to Hoboken, with installation beginning sometime in March, according to officials. The city council approved a $11.9 state loan — with 19 percent principal forgiveness— last week to fund a second pump on 11th Street, just west of Frank Sinatra Drive. The loan will also fund a $220,000 project that uses green infrastructure (community gardens, tree pits, etc.) to reduce stormwater runoff.

The underground pump will help prevent storm water from overflowing the sewer lines and flooding back into the city's lowest-lying streets, specifically in the northwestern section.

"The rain water can’t get out, fills up the sewers and the rain water comes up into the streets," Richard Wolff, executive director of the North Hudson Regional Sewerage Authority, told NJ Advance Media. "It’s terrible for that whole section.”

The project comes three years after the sewerage authority installed the city's first wet weather pump station on Observer Highway. The authority will operate and maintain the new pump (H5) on a 99-year lease with the city.

For some, the project can't come soon enough. At last week's council meeting, Craig Dale, director of the Monroe Center for the Arts, welcomed the project as a way to keep doors open even during heavy rain.

“Several times a year, we face this flooding and when we do, the Monroe Center grinds to a halt,” he said.

Some Maxwell Place residents, however, aren't happy that the pump will be installed just a few feet from their luxury condos. Some say they are concerned the project will disrupt traffic, cause an unpleasant odor and ultimately, diminish property values.

The city currently doesn't own Maxwell Lane, so it is pursuing easement agreements with the Maxwell Homeowners Association, which currently owns the street, in order to move forward with the project. A website urges residents to help delay the project.

Geoff Schulman, 35, who has lived at 1125 Maxwell Lane since 2008, said that he felt that there wasn't enough transparency leading up to the project. He said that the city should have found another location for the pump, such as Maxwell Place Park or in the northwestern section of the city, where the flooding is the biggest problem.

"They are fast-tracking this thing, and it really affects the value of the property," he said. ”If the solution was to put it in front of the mayor’s house, would she put it there? I don’t think so.”

Wolff said the 11th Street location is the only spot available for the pump, since it needs to flow through an existing outfall —pipes leading to the Hudson River—and stormwater needs to be treated in a facility under Hudson and 11th streets before flowing into the river. He said the project will not cause any odor, since it will be mostly transporting rain water after going through the treatment facility.

He said the construction is expected to last 10 months and will likely begin in March.

Mayor Dawn Zimmer said she met with residents of Maxwell Place last month and has followed up several times to address their concerns. She said air quality monitoring will be conducted throughout construction.

"We're working hard to try to address their concerns," she said. "At the end of the day, this project is extremely important for the whole western side of Hoboken."

Kathryn Brenzel may be reached at kbrenzel@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @katiebrenzel. Find NJ.com on Facebook.