Battle over privatization in Liberty State Park intensifies with new bill
The battle over the future of Liberty State Park intensified this week when a new bill was introduced in the Legislature that seeks to develop long-term plans and capital projects for recreational, athletic and cultural programs.
Opponents say the bill could allow large-scale projects that park preservationists have fought for decades to keep out of the 600-acre park, whose location along New York harbor and its striking views of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty have long been coveted by private developers.
The bill, sponsored by state Sen. Brian Stack, D-Union City, calls for $250 million from the Department of Environmental Protection to "improve recreational activities and maintain and upgrade scenic and wildlife habits" at the park located in Jersey City.
“We need to clean up the contamination, add hundreds of acres of passive space and natural trails, and restore habitat and the ecology of the estuary to protect native species, fish, and migratory birds," Stack said in a statement.
"We also desperately need new active recreation facilities so the kids and adults of New Jersey’s most densely populated county don’t have to compete over a handful of ballfields in our cities,” he said.
Park preservationists say they're fine with ballfields but fear the bill will pave the way for large structures that would ruin the park's appeal as an open oasis in the heart of the state's most densely-populated corner. They are still supporting an older bill called the Liberty State Park Protection Act that would bar large-scale development.
A recent mailer sent to Jersey City residents by a group called "Liberty State Park For All" calls for a 7,000-seat "concert and event" venue in the park.
"This is about stadiums and amphitheaters and big recreational facilities," Greg Remaud, executive director of the NY/NJ Baykeeper environmental group and a longtime park advocate, said of the new bill. "No one is fighting against more ballfields and other types of recreation. We just don't want the nature of this park to change."
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Almost from the time it was created out of a rusting dump site in 1976, Liberty State Park has been a battleground between preservationists and developers. In recent years everything from a hotel, conference center, and amusement park to a 100,000-seat Formula One stadium have been discussed as possibilities for New Jersey's most visited park.
That gave rise to the Liberty State Park Protection Act, which has been stalled for years in the Legislature. It has been debated in several committees and was passed by the Senate in early 2020, but was never voted on by the Assembly.
Among the bill's opponents was Paul Fireman, the billionaire owner of Liberty National Golf Course. He spent years lobbying legislators to allow his private golf course to be extended into an undeveloped area of the park on New York Harbor called Caven Point, where migratory birds flock and children learn about nature.
Fireman said he was halting the project in July 2020 to pursue "social justice problems connected to Liberty State Park." Since then, groups including the NAACP have argued that the park needs more active recreation to serve the needs of children in nearby Jersey City neighborhoods.
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In September, the Department of Environmental Protection created a 17-member "Liberty State Park Design Task Force" to develop conceptual and detailed design plans. The new bill seeks to make the task force permanent.
State Senators Sandra Cunningham, D-Jersey City, and Nick Sacco, D-North Bergen, support the bill. A companion bill is set to be introduced in the Assembly.
The Friends of Liberty State Park, the leading organization fighting against development, said the new bill is a giveaway to developers and should be merged with the protection act.
The group welcomes the $250 million but only if it "funds free public improvements and isn't tied to any large-scale privatization plans," said Sam Pesin, president of the group.
The state NAACP and Hudson County Building Trades union support the measure.
“Hudson County kids need ballfields to play and a park that’s actually accessible to them,” said Assemblyman William Sampson, D-Jersey City. “This legislation will help to create a park that truly meets the needs of our community.”
But not every Hudson County legislator is supporting the new bill.
"I suffer from paranoia informed by decades of struggles by the Jersey City community against attempts to privatize and commercialize this open space treasure or otherwise wrest control of park planning from the public," said Assemblyman Raj Mukherji, D-Jersey City. "As such, I cannot support any other bill unless it is advanced in concert with, or merged with, the Liberty State Park Protection Act."
Scott Fallon has covered the COVID-19 pandemic since its onset in March 2020. To get unlimited access to the latest news about the pandemic's impact on New Jersey, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
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This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Liberty State Park NJ: Bill to upgrade park angers defenders
