Recently, the Board of County Freeholders agreed with the Port Authority to construct a new section of a proposed Hudson River waterfront walkway in the Newport section of town.
But some residents complained last week that a .25-acre park that is part of the agreement will not be large enough.
At their Sept. 22 meeting, the Board of County Freeholders agreed to construct the new walkway segment near the Holland Tunnel vent. The Port Authority will allow use of their land, the county will build the walkway, and it’s possible that Jersey City will maintain the property and use it as a municipal park. (See story, p. 7, for more details of the agreement.)
State law actually mandates that a segment of walkway be constructed in that area. A 1984 decision under the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Coastal Zone Management regulations requires all developers and agencies building on the river to contribute to an 18.5-mile walkway from Bayonne to the George Washington Bridge.
So far, about 10 miles of the walkway have been completed in total.
Construction is slated to start later this fall on the Newport segment. But not everyone is happy with the county’s decision.Residents who are part of the Newport Waterfront Association held a public meeting this past Thursday night at 525 Washington Blvd. to address the agreement. The meeting was attended by a small number of residents who listened to public officials speak about the decision.
Officials explained that the county and Port Authority have agreed to finish a section 300 feet long and 35 feet wide, as well as a quarter-acre park, by the summer of 2006.
The park will be built on a section of the Port Authority’s pier near the Holland Tunnel vent.
Organizers of the meeting were unhappy with the results of the agreement. They questioned officials on why they didn’t pursue more open space.
“I am very disappointed with what I heard tonight. I feel like we have been sold a bill of goods,” said Sonia Maldonado, president of the Newport Waterfront Association. More crawling than walking
Monica Coe, a Newport resident for nearly eight years, said the park will be about the size of her “parents’ backyard.” Coe has been a strong advocate for a pier park for several years, helping to develop drawings and meet with various officials.
Janice Monson, a longtime Downtown Jersey City resident, complained that the park is part of a larger pattern of developers and the city neglecting greenspace in the area.
She said, “Medians are counted as green spaces.”
But County Executive Tom DeGise said the Port Authority is still protecting the area from terrorists, and has to be careful about which construction they approve.
DeGise also said that it is important to get the walkway built as soon as possible, and that negotiations were not easy with Port Authority.
Ward D City Councilman Bill Gaughan (who is also DeGise’s chief of staff), told those critical of the plan that “you have to take what you can get.” He said the Port Authority is allowing the park to be built on Port Authority land.
The land is currently a makeshift parking lot for Port Authority vehicles and fenced off to the public.
Residents also asked if there will be an opportunity to have community input in how the park is designed.
City Council President Mariano Vega said that he will work toward organizing meetings between Port Authority and the community. Officials at the meeting
Also present at the meeting was state Assemblyman Louis Manzo. U.S Sen. Jon Corzine was also invited but sent a representative in his place. U.S Rep. Robert Menendez was unable to attend but sent a letter that was read during the meeting stating his support.
Menendez and Corzine’s sponsoring of legislation in the past year has resulted in nearly $2 million in federal funds for a different section of the walkway to be built over Long Slip Canal, a stretch of water between Jersey City and Hoboken.