The Jersey City Council will be voting on a resolution later this week urging Trenton lawmakers to approve the Liberty State Park Protection Act, which would made the open space a protected historic site.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“The State considers new commercial proposals almost every year – a race track, a golf course, a hotel – that would take huge stretches of public green space from the people of Jersey City just to turn it into dollar signs for private developers,” the nine-member council announced in a joint statement.
“Enough is enough. We’re telling Trenton: Liberty State Park is not for sale.â€
The resolution, introduced and backed by Council President Rolando Lavarro, along with each of his colleagues: Joyce Watterman, Daniel Rivera, Denise Ridley, Mira Prinz-Arey, Rich Boggiano, Michael Yun, James Solomon, and Jermaine Robinson, will be introduced at Wednesday’s meeting.
If approved as expected, the Liberty State Park Protection Act would establish a public process for any privatization lease of one year or more, while still allowing small park-appropriate commercial activities to flourish.
The park, which is estimated to attract four to 5 million visitors a year, provides urban wildlife habitats, wetlands, educational programs, diverse recreation opportunities, and numerous points of historic interest.
Jersey City state Senator Sandra Cunningham (D-31) and Assemblyman Raj Mukherji (D-33) sponsored the bill in their respective houses in the state legislature.
