NJ Spotlight: Nearly five years to the day after Hurricane Sandy inundated Hoboken, the city got word from the federal government that it was releasing $230 million to fund a huge project to protect the municipality and neighboring towns from flooding and storm surges.

The authorization to use the funds by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is a significant milestone for a project, now in its design and environmental-permitting phase. The project, selected as part of a national competition sponsored by HUD, combines innovative features, including the use of green infrastructure in new development, to protect three communities from the kind of storm surges that left parts of them inundated after Hurricane Sandy.

“Five years after Sandy, we have reached an incredible milestone that ensures this innovative project is on track to protect our region for decades to come and serve as a national model for resiliency,’’ said Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer.

The Rebuild by Design project aims to minimize the impacts from storm surges and heavy-rainfall flooding, as well as mitigate adverse impacts to public health, while providing benefits that will enhance the urbanized area. Continue reading>>