Innovative Riverfront Accessibility Project Launches to Reconnect Hackensack Community with Natural Spaces
(Hackensack, New Jersey; October 7, 2025) -- The Northern New Jersey Community Foundation (NNJCF) and the Hackensack Environmental Justice Alliance (HEJA) announce a groundbreaking initiative, Pathways to the River, to transform Hackensack's riverfront accessibility. The NNJCF, a not-for-profit organization headquartered in Hackensack New Jersey, continues its commitment to community quality of life through strategic environmental projects.
Working in conjunction with HEJA, a group founded in 2023 with now over 200 residents, the NNJCF is launching this transformative project to produce a plan that creates a network of pathways encouraging more people to use the various walkways on the Hackensack riverfront. The project brings together community leaders, environmental experts, and local stakeholders to create a more connected and accessible urban environment along the Hackensack River.
With critical support from the M&T Charitable Foundation, PSEG Foundation, and Valley Bank, the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference will develop the plan to address long-standing environmental and accessibility challenges in the Hackensack community. Drawing from over a century of experience in trail development and conservation, the Trail Conference will bring critical expertise to the project's planning and implementation.
Overcoming Historical Barriers
The Pathways to the River project will transform historical barriers that have prevented residents from experiencing the riverfront by creating interconnected walkways, implementing public art, and developing innovative signage to revitalize underutilized urban spaces.
"This effort is important because Hackensack residents have been physically and emotionally disconnected from the Hackensack River. The riverfront was mostly industrial and polluted, giving people little reason to visit. Existing walkways lack signage and visibility.
"River Street creates a significant barrier, with developments blocking river views and making street crossings unpleasant and unsafe. Consequently, the project will represent a significant milestone in Hackensack's environmental and community development, promising to create vibrant, accessible community resources along the riverfront," explained Leonardo Vazquez, AICP/PP, Executive Director of the Northern New Jersey Community Foundation.
Community Engagement Strategy
By reconnecting residents with the Hackensack River, the Pathways to the River project seeks to create more inclusive, accessible, and vibrant urban spaces benefiting all community members. Central to the project's success is a robust community engagement approach. Two public input sessions will provide residents with opportunities to share their vision and contribute to the project's development of the riverfront pathways.
The first session takes place on October 29, 2025, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Johnson Public Library, located at 274 Main Street in Hackensack, New Jersey. In addition, a second session is scheduled for November 22, 2025, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., with the location to be announced.
To ensure inclusive participation, the organizers will provide Spanish translation at both events. Residents can register for these community engagement sessions at https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/pathways-to-the-river-community-meeting.
Comprehensive Environmental Approach
Beyond creating walkways, the project is part of the broader Green Infrastructure for Environmental Justice and Flood Mitigation initiative, https://www.nnjcf.org/climate-action-mobilization-project-camp/giej/. This program addresses multiple environmental challenges, including stormwater flooding and climate change risks that disproportionately impact Latinx, Black, and other communities of color. The initiative complements the city's existing sewer separation work and aims to create a coalition of community advocates, who can drive long-term environmental protection strategies.
Support Pathways to the River
Donations of any size to support the project are welcome and may be made online at https://www.nnjcf.org/donation/. Contributions may also be sent by check made out to 'The Northern N.J. Community Foundation', with ‘Pathways to the River’ entered in the memo line. Send checks to the Northern New Jersey Community Foundation, 1 University Plaza, Suite 102, Hackensack, New Jersey 07601.
For further information about the Pathways to the River, the sessions, or the NNJCF, contact Leonardo Vazquez, AICP/PP at leo@nnjcf.org or 201-568-5608, x2.
About Northern New Jersey Community Foundation
Founded in 1998, The Northern New Jersey Community Foundation, a not-for-profit 501(c) 3 organization based in Hackensack, New Jersey, works with local governments, school districts, businesses, non-profit organizations, and citizen groups to improve community life. Through collaborative partnerships, regional problems are identified and resolved. Opportunities are discovered and explored by talking and learning from each other and sharing ideas, best practices, services, and resources. The Foundation works to grow more creative and inspiring places, greener and healthier places, and more places of belonging and opportunity. For more information, visit www.nnjcf.org, send an email to nnjcf@nnjcf.org, or call 201-568-5608.
Photo Caption: A pathway to the river view is shown behind The Print House in Hackensack, New Jersey.
Photo Credit: Northern New Jersey Community Foundation