City Settles Chromium Lawsuit; Cleanup and Housing to Follow In January, Jersey City’s City Council approved a resolution authorizing a settlement with Honeywell International Inc. that could initiate the cleanup and development of 100 acres on the city’s west side in the next 15 to 20 years. Honeywell owns 59 of the 100 acres, and the city owns the rest.
Honeywell is expected to be named master developer of the land after the cleanup is complete. A good portion of the property has been contaminated with cancer-causing hexavalent chromium and other chemicals. The settlement calls for Honeywell to clear away contaminated soil and cap the surface to prevent seepage of any remaining chromium.
The city is currently working on a redevelopment plan for the area. Officials say they hope to see 8,000 units of housing, along with more than one million square feet of commercial and retail space, and 20 acres of open space.
Under the settlement, Honeywell would pay $15 million up front to the city by June of this year and $10 million next year. The city stands to reap as much as $160 million in revenues from the 41 acres of land it sells to Honeywell and $45 million in annual property taxes from the deal.-RICARDO KAULESSAR
Green Expo Comes to Jersey City
This spring, Liberty State Park will be more “green” than usual when the PSEG Global Green Expo comes to the park’s historic Central Railroad of New Jersey terminal. The three-day eco-friendly event, designed to help consumers and businesses explore what they can do to help fight climate change, was held on April 25, 26 and 27-the weekend following Earth Day.
The expo featured the latest eco-friendly products, programs, services and information from hundreds of non-profit organizations. Included were exhibits on “green” building and remodeling, energy, food, household products, lifestyles, transportation, and yards and gardens.
Celebrity keynote speakers, interactive workshops and programs, and family entertainment were also on the agenda. A portion of the proceeds will be used to plant trees to offset greenhouse gas emissions in Liberty State Park and to fund a statewide environmental literacy program for New Jersey school children.-RK
Toll Brothers Proposes Arts District Project
National developer Toll Brothers has plans to build three towers between Marin Boulevard and Warren Street in the Downtown Jersey City’s Powerhouse Arts District. The towers, totaling 950 units, are slated to be 30, 35, and 40 stories.
The project, known as Provost Square, will also include a 24,000-square-foot plaza on one of the city’s few remaining cobblestone streets, a 550-seat theater, and art gallery.
Residents living in the Powerhouse Arts District and local activists have protested the plan because it will allow for high-rise buildings in a district originally designated for low-rise buildings and the destruction of the cobblestone street.
Those plans have not been officially approved, but the Jersey City Planning Board in January approved changes to height and density regulations in the Powerhouse Arts District Redevelopment Plan to allow for the Toll Brothers project to go forward. At press time, the City Council, which must approve the changes, had not yet done so.-RK
Major Music Festival to Rock Liberty State Park
Where do you go to stage a three-day music event with about 100 performers and hundreds of thousands of fans? No, not Woodstock-Liberty State Park. That’s what’s scheduled for August 8-10 when the California-based Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival comes to the East Coast.
Past festivals have featured such acts as Willie Nelson, Rage Against the Machine and The Roots. At press time the lineup had not been announced but the band Radiohead and singer-songwriter Jack Johnson were mentioned as headliners.-RK
Do you ? JC?
Jersey City Museum is accepting submissions for its “I ? JC” exhibition, slated to open in June. The photographs, featuring views of Jersey City, will be displayed on a giant wall at the museum, forming a large collage.
The 6-by-4-inch photos should show affection for Jersey City as well address such questions as: What does Jersey City mean to you? Why do you live in Jersey City? What does living here represent to you? What is the single thing you love most about Jersey City? Which areas of life in Jersey City could use improvement? Who are the heroes of Jersey City? How do you identify as a citizen of Jersey City?
Mail your submissions to: I ? JC, Jersey City Museum, P.O. Box 428, Jersey City, NJ 07303-0428. Include your name, address, phone number, and e-mail address. The photos must be received by June 6 and will not be returned. They also may be dropped off during regular museum hours at the reception desk, 350 Montgomery St., no later than 4 p.m. on June 6.-RK
Jersey City to launch satellite schools
In September, several Jersey City high schools will become satellite schools, or schools with a specific curriculum concentration.
According to the board of education, Ferris High School will become the Academy of International Enterprise, which will focus on marketing, finance, management and international studies. Lincoln High School will become the Academy of Governance and Social Sciences with an emphasis on law, education, cosmetology and the culinary arts. Dickinson High School will become the Academy of Sciences providing in-depth education in technology, health services and science. Snyder High School, which already offers an extensive media arts program, will become the Academy of the Arts at Snyder High, giving courses in dance, music, graphics and commercial design.
The reconfiguring of these high schools, the four oldest in the city, is in line with the board of education’s plan to provide small learning communities targeted to students’ needs.-RK