The city of Hackensack, a New Jersey city of nearly 43,000 residents just 12 miles northwest of midtown Manhattan, began a downtown revitalization effort in 2011 to address a lack of community downtown development. Home to the Bergen County government, the daytime population nearly triples during the day, as people come to the city to satisfy various professional and personal needs.

In 2012, the mayor and council adopted the "Rehabilitation Plan for the Downtown Area," a strategic plan to revitalize the downtown district over the next 5 to 10 years. The overall plan encompasses more than 163 acres on 39 city blocks. The Atlantic Street Park project was a part of the city's continuing efforts to revitalize the downtown into a pedestrian friendly, mixed-use downtown. The park, completed in the summer of 2015, was one of the first major successes of the rehabilitation plan.

Atlantic Street Park is located in the heart of the city, which connects the Hackensack University Medical Center with the Hackensack waterfront, and is adjacent to Main Street, the major commercial downtown thoroughfare.

Preceding the Downtown Rehabilitation Plan for the Main Street area, the city of Hackensack had purchased an abandoned former Masonic Temple at 102 State Street, adjacent to Atlantic Street Park. The city completed Phase 1 renovations to the building in 2012, and opened the facility as the Cultural Arts Center. The center provides programing for children and seniors, as well as for displays of local artists.

In August 2015, Hackensack passed a bond ordinance in the amount of $1.5 million to convert the upper floor of the Cultural Arts Center into a Performing Arts Center with a 200-seat theater. Design of the Performing Arts Center is currently underway, with construction of the facility expected to be completed in 2016.

Municipal Parking Lot to Park
Adjacent to the Cultural Arts Center was an underused municipal surface parking lot. Construction began in 2014 to convert the parking lot into a park"?uAtlantic Street Park"?uto support the new Cultural Arts Center and the future Performing Arts Center. In the summer of 2015, to further support the park, the Hackensack Business Improvement District hired a consultant to assist in the creation of a Cultural Arts District around Atlantic Street Park, and for the future Performing Arts Center. Construction of Atlantic Street Park began in 2014 after two failed bids, in part because of concerns from adjacent property owners that a park would attract the homeless and vandalism. Funding for the parking included a $268,000 grant from County Parks and Open Space, plus a $40,000 contribution from the Business Improvement District.

The design of the park includes an outdoor performance stage; benches; seating; display areas for artwork; outdoor chess tables; and a trellis that creates an outdoor room, while providing shade during the spring and summer months.

The design of the park is multifunctional in that it's a welcome lunch destination for the area's office workers, and a new amenity for residents, particularly for cultural art displays and performances associated with the facility. The park is about three-quarters of an acre and features a 20' x 32' raised stage. The main lawn and seating area is 70' x 100', which can accommodate 250 to 300 spectators. The cedar pergolas were designed to provide a sense of scale and space. The seat walls, which include low-voltage inset lighting, are freestanding Belgard block with footings located at the columns. The stage is elevated to provide better visibility during performances, and includes matching ADA ramps to strengthen the symmetry of the performance area. Landscaped areas with large caliper trees provide a buffer for pedestrians along Atlantic Street.

Across the street from the park is a municipal parking garage to accommodate those driving in to see the indoor and outdoor performances. The park has already been programmed for numerous outdoor movie nights, including "Shakespeare in the Park" and lunchtime concerts.

Atlantic Street Park is also an amenity to the new development at 94 State Street, the first significant residential project in the downtown in more than 30 years, which was first proposed soon after the conceptual plans for the park were presented to the city. The residential project, which is located next to Atlantic Street Park, was completed in October 2015 and includes 222 residential units with a construction cost of more than $25 million. An additional 382 unit, $100 million project has been approved and is under construction less than two blocks from Atlantic Street Park.