Contamination cleanup and wetlands restoration of a fenced-off, 234-acre section of Liberty State Park in Jersey City could begin as early as next summer, state officials said Thursday in announcing that a public hearing on the plan will be held later this month.
The finished product will be home to passive recreation like bicycling, walking, wildlife viewing and scenic overlooks and will help in the battle against climate change, but because the funding is coming from the settlement of pollution lawsuits, it cannot include active recreation amenities that some members of the Jersey City community have called for recently, officials said.
The state is open to creating active recreation in other areas of the park, said Olivia Glenn, the state Department of Environmental Protection’s new deputy commissioner for environmental justice and equity, who was previously director of state parks and forestry.
SPECIAL REPORT: WHOSE PARK IS IT ANYWAY?
The cleanup and restoration plan has already been discussed with people locally, she said in a news conference.
“We have had conversations with members of the community, including the Friends groups at the park, as well as with local elected officials,” Glenn said.
The 234-acre "interior'' section of Liberty State Park that is to be cleaned up and restored accounts for about 40 percent of the park's land and is currently inaccessible to the public.
The 234 acres represent about 40 percent of the park’s upland acreage and the last portion of the park -- which has been created in stages over the last 40-plus years out of former railroad property, landfill and illegal dumping -- to remain inaccessible to the public.
Having the ability to create such a large open space and restore tidal wetlands in a dense urban area is an opportunity to seize, Glenn said.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for the residents of Jersey City as well as for the environment,” she said.
The area is the part of the park closest to the neighborhoods surrounding LSP, facing the light rail station, so the new trails planned for the 234 acres will create “critical, safe access’' for people walking from the heart of the city into the park, Glenn said.
Plans for a 234-acre environmental cleanup and wetlands restoration project in Liberty State Park in Jersey City include new trails that state officials say will provide better and safer access into the park from the surrounding neighborhoods.
The DEP will commit “tens of millions of dollars” to the remediation and restoration project, Deputy DEP Commissioner and Chief of Staff Shawn LaTourette said. He declined to be more specific -- saying that could prejudice the public bidding process for the work -- but said it would be enough to complete the project.
The cleanup will involve removing contaminated soil, adding at least a foot of clean soil and then planting vegetation, the officials said.
Designers have reached the 30 percent completion point, triggering the timing of the first public hearing, LaTourette said. It won’t be until the design is nearly finalized that a timeline for the work and eventual opening is nailed down, he said, adding that it’s possible the area will be opened to the public in phases.
“I welcome today’s announcement about reaching a new milestone for the Liberty State Park interior restoration project, which will ultimately benefit Jersey City’s children,” state Sen. Sandra Cunningham of Jersey City said in a press release from the DEP. “Years from now, this will draw visitors from Jersey City, New Jersey and around the world, and it starts with important conversations with the park’s neighbors and community members. I look forward to working with both the DEP and my constituents in the next steps of the project design to create a beautiful, vibrant space for the public for decades to come.”
Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, also welcomed the announcement, but noted that similar plans have been floated over the years and nothing done.
“Hopefully, this time we’ll really get the commitment to get it done,’' he said.
During the public comment period, he intends to push for a full cleanup of the contamination rather than a capping, he said, adding he’d fight any plan that would involve private dollars paying for the more expensive form of cleanup if it meant privatizing any park land.
City businessman Bruce Alston, though, said the state should be open to all possibilities if a public-private partnership would mean a better cleanup.
Alston, who grew up on Garfield Avenue just outside of the park, said he’s tired of hearing about plans that are never realized and that it’s disingenuous of the state to say they’re going to have a public hearing on something they’ve already decided. He also questioned why the community should believe the state now that it will put active recreation in the park like ballfields or courts for young people.
“They’ve (said) that for the past 43 years and they have not done anything,” he said. “This plan would have been completed if it wasn’t in an area populated by Black and brown people.”
Arnold Stovell, head of a new entity called Liberty State Park for All, voiced similar concern that the upcoming hearing needs to be more than a presentation.
“LSPFA is happy to see the DEP finally taking the crucial first steps necessary to remediate Liberty State Park,’' he said. “We are hopeful that a true dialogue recognizing residents, and not a pre-determined plan, will be implemented to be inclusive and mindful of local needs. We expect full participation with the DEP, not just as an audience but at the podium. Expertise from community members of color, and diverse voices beyond legacy contributors, is imperative to true success in meeting LSP’s potential and creating a Liberty State Park for all.”
Sam Pesin, president of the all-volunteer Friends of Liberty State Park, called today’s announcement “tremendously exciting” and said the next step for park preservation is for the state Legislature to pass and the governor to sign into law the Liberty State Park Protection Act.
“In addition to this spectacular nature wonderland and the DEP’s pledge to collaborate on some active recreation and other amenities, the passage of the Liberty State Park Protection Act is essential to fully ensure a great future for the People’s Park behind Lady Liberty,” he said.
NY/NJ Baykeeper Greg Remaud was similarly enthusiastic.
“For 30 years, park advocates have fought off water parks, racetracks and other privatization from being developed in the park’s 234-acre, fenced-off interior,” he said. “Now, the NJDEP is poised to deliver to the public a world-class natural restoration and public access plan for this area worthy of this great park.”
The public hearing date will be announced as early as next week, officials said, and public comments will also be accepted online.