Lawmakers leave nature habitat unprotected in controversial Liberty State Park bill
Lawmakers amended a controversial bill Thursday that gives some protection against the commercialization of Liberty State Park, but they did not add other amendments that advocates say would protect the park from large-scale development.
Missing among the changes was an amendment that would bar development on Caven Point, a natural area next to New York Harbor. Billionaire Paul Fireman had lobbied for years to extend his ultra-exclusive golf course onto that land.
The area is a habitat for migratory birds and is used by schoolchildren on field trips to learn about nature. But Fireman, former head of Reebok, wanted to build three golf holes on Caven Point for Liberty National Golf Club, whose memberships reportedly cost $450,000.
At a hearing in Trenton that lasted more than two hours, Bob Smith, D-Middlesex, who chairs the Senate Environment Committee, said any decision on the future of Caven Point should be left in the hands of the Department of Environmental Protection, which operates the Jersey City park.
The committee did add an amendment to the bill introduced last week by Sen. Brian Stack, D-Union City, that would change language that all but mandates privatization in the park, which has been coveted by developers for decades due to its prized views of Manhattan.
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The hearing was attended by those who say Liberty State Park desperately needs ballfields, a community center and other active recreation developments, and by those who want to ensure that the park is not overly developed.
The hearing began with a presentation by architect Alan Mountjoy that showed a 150,000-square-foot community center near the park's entrance that would have swimming pools, indoor basketball courts and multi-purpose rooms. The dilapidated train shed would be turned into an open-air market. There would be a 5,000-seat amphitheater for sporting events, a 2,500-seat track and field facility, another amphitheater near the Hudson River, eight grass ballfields, a skating park and more.
There has been no detailed traffic study, and the $250 million in taxpayer dollars set aside for the park in the new bill would not cover the entire project, Mountjoy said.
Committee members were supportive of the plans. Smith called Liberty State Park the state's "crown jewel that has not been polished."
Sam Pesin, president of the Friends of Liberty State Park and a major opponent of large-scale development, said he supports the community center but opposes the amphitheaters.
The bill, which was introduced only last week, is being fast-tracked through the Legislature during budget season — a time when lawmakers often cut deals to get bills approved. The $49 billion state budget must be approved by June 30.
"The park is not there to bring in money, the park is there for the people," Anjuli Ramos, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, said at the hearing.
Among those advocating for more recreation development were basketball Hall of Famer Bob Hurley, the former coach at St. Anthony's High School in Jersey City, and Hudson County Commissioner Jerry Walker, a star player for Hurley.
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: Natural habitat left unprotected in bill
