Hudnut Calls for Aggressive Sustainability Measures to Ensures Downtown’s Longevity

Candidate Releases Sustainability Plan in the Midst of this Hurricane Season’s Demonstration that Jersey City Needs Climate Resilience

This month’s Tropical Storm Henri produced significant damage, heavy rains, localized flooding, and measurable coastal erosion in our area, and Ida is expected to reach our area later this week. While Jersey City was spared from the worst of the event, many of Downtown’s residents and local businesses experienced flooding, as streets were rendered impassable for hours on end. Had Henri made landfall slightly more to the west, the results for Ward E (the council district covering Downtown Jersey City), with the longest coastline of any council district in New Jersey, would have been considerably worse. The economic impacts to the city are more expensive and disruptive. Jake Hudnut, candidate for Jersey City Council (Ward E) and current municipal prosecutor, is putting forward a plan to mitigate the impacts of these risks.

Water is Downtown Jersey City’s greatest risk. Hudnut, like so many other longtime Downtown residents, lived through Superstorm Sandy and had to relocate from his Grove Street home for a month due to water damage and loss of power. Since then, Jake has used his voice as a community leader to consistently call for bringing greater stormwater management to the Downtown community, and now as a candidate for Jersey City Council’s Ward E seat he has a comprehensive and inclusive plan for making our city a more resilient and safer place to live, work, grow a family, and start a business.

“Jersey City needs a more aggressive approach to bringing proven stormwater and flood mitigation technologies to the city’s zoning and planning offices. My plan calls for vigilance in ensuring that major construction includes stormwater capture technologies and other green infrastructure. Not only is it the right thing to do to ensure our longevity, but it will save the city millions in costly repairs to our aging water infrastructure,” says Hudnut. Instead of demonizing the private sector, Hudnut believes that harnessing its advancements can benefit the public.

Ward E’s tree canopy is under severe threat. In the past four years, Ward E has seen an alarming drop in its tree canopy. New census data confirms that the rapid rate of urban growth in Ward E means we are a much more densely populated ward. Trees are a proven cost-efficient approach to managing stormwater and mitigating the rising impacts of urban heat, especially on our most vulnerable populations. Hudnut’s plan calls for combining increased tree canopy with other green infrastructure technologies, such as rain gardens, bioswales and porous pavements, to reduce climate related flooding risk and extreme heat conditions while increasing mental and respiratory health benefits.

Debra Italiano, Founder and Director of Sustainable JC has been focused on sustainability issues in Jersey City for over a decade. Says Italiano, “It is encouraging to see Prosecutor Hudnut step up the focus on municipal action for sustainability and climate risk reduction policies. Jersey City residents and local businesses will benefit from leadership that is willing to take informed action now.”

Hudnut’s plan envisions a creative approach to converting streetscapes into resilient assets. There are dozens of areas where New York City’s Green Streets Initiative-style can successfully and innovatively rethink the way we interact with lesser-used rights of way, bike lanes, intersections, neglected street corners and already existing impervious space. All of these can be designed with stormwater capture and flood mitigation systems, can offer public seating and small play spaces as a safe, green respite, and be located near key transit and commercial centers.

As Jersey City’s municipal prosecutor and chair of the Mayor’s Quality of Life Taskforce, Hudnut investigated and prosecuted polluters who were illegally dumping waste and damaging both the environment and residents’ quality of life. The polluters ceased their operations and left Jersey City, and the New Jersey DEP followed Hudnut’s lead and assessed civil penalties. As a councilman he will take similar bold actions to solve the problems residents face.

Hudnut’s detailed sustainability plan can be found at www.jakehudnut.com/sustainability