Community

The Hoboken City Council will hold a special meeting on Tuesday, April 26, 2016 at 7:00pm to consider a developer’s agreement to facilitate the opening of a Trader Joe’s grocery store and agreements regarding the City’s health care plan.



An agreement between the City of Hoboken and Advance at Hoboken LLC, the developer of a mixed use property at 14th Street and Willow Avenue, would remove 24 parking spaces from 13th Street and Clinton Street in order to address pedestrian safety concerns and safely accommodate the turns of delivery trucks for Trader Joe’s, the ground floor tenant of the property. The agreement would only apply for as long as Trader Joe’s occupies the space. The developer already has the Zoning approvals for the grocery store, however the large delivery trucks are currently unable to safely access the loading docks which are located on Clinton Street between 13th Street and 14th Street. The Zoning Board approval also provides for 1,000 square feet of space for the City’s use as well as five parking spaces in the garage.



“Trader Joe’s is one of America’s favorite grocery stores, and I look forward to welcoming them to Hoboken,” said Mayor Dawn Zimmer. “My Administration has worked to ensure that they can open in a way that their truck deliveries are safe for everyone, especially the seniors, families, and all residents who live nearby and walk in the neighborhood.”



The City Council will also consider two agreements related to health insurance with CarePoint Health and United Healthcare/UMR focused on improving access to healthcare and reducing costs for employees and the City. The agreements would avoid dramatic cost increases, estimated at $5 million in additional claims, and ensure in-network access to CarePoint Health facilities. Effective June 1, 2016, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield, the City’s current third-party administrator, will drop CarePoint Health from in-network care and refused to continue processing the City’s insurance claims. As a result, the City has negotiated with United Healthcare/UMR to provide the current level of benefits while retaining in-network access to all CarePoint Health facilities, and gaining access to 687 more in-network doctors and facilities. A letter to City employees with additional information is available at: www.hobokennj.org/docs/Letter-Zimmer-Employees-4-22-16.pdf.