A grand opening celebration with a ribbon cutting ceremony was held by Mayor Brian Stack and the Union City Board of Commissioners on June 22nd for the new Union City Welcome Center at 303 47th Street, and the corner of Palisade Avenue. According to the City, the facility offers temporary housing for fire victims and will be staffed by a police officer and City employees when residents are staying inside.
“When used by fire victims, they will have all the amenities of their own home and not be forced to go to a motel room in another city,” the City described, adding that “instead, they will be able to stay with us within our great Union City community.”
There are no hotels for fire victims to stay at in Union City, which is one of the world’s most densely populated municipalities, except for a hostel on 38th Street. The city has seen several major fires in the last few years alone.
The project was first proposed by Union City officials back in 2015 and was designed by Hackensack, Bergen County-based RSC Architects. It is one of the only facilities of its kind in New Jersey to be operated by a municipality, and it includes three dozen beds, several bathrooms, laundry rooms, and kitchens.
Previously, the two-story building, which is located in the middle of a residential neighborhood across from the Ronald A. Dario Swimming Complex, contained the Emergency Medical Services of the Union City Police Department. It was once home to the firehouse used by the Union City Fire Department, which closed when the North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue was developed, nearly 20 years ago. An inscription reading ‘U.C. Engine Co. No. 2’ can still be seen atop the former fire station, which is currently owned by the Hudson County Improvement Authority.
