In a letter to the editor, Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla takes the position that elected leaders in Trenton must pass the Liberty State Park Protection Act.
Dear Editor,
As a strong advocate for a public green open space urban waterfront, I urge all of New Jersey’s state elected officials to pass the Liberty State Park Protection Act.
Hoboken’s waterfront is a “sister” waterfront to Liberty State Park. Both are priceless open space areas that offer immeasurable quality of life benefits, and must fully belong to us and to future generations.
A core part of my administration’s vision has been to fulfill the longtime goal to reclaim the last few pieces of our waterfront for the public’s use.
Thanks to a continued collaboration with Governor Murphy’s office, we were able to secure a commitment to preserve Union Dry Dock, a former industrial site, for a waterfront green park and greenway.
We’ve also been able to prevent large-scale residential development at the uptown waterfront Monarch property; instead preserving it for public, open space.
As a precious piece of our waterfront in Hudson County, we must treat the protection of Liberty State Park with the same type of urgency.
Because the park has continuously been threatened with privatization plans throughout its history, I join our local elected officials in strongly urging the passage of the essential and overdue Protection Act.
The time has come to put an end to privatizers’ land grab attempts and their monetary promises for what is absolutely priceless.
I applaud the decades of efforts of advocates who have dedicated themselves to protecting our waterfront at Liberty State Park.
I strongly support the mission of reclaiming and protecting our waterfront, which belongs in perpetuity to people of all ages, colors, religions and cultural backgrounds.
In a world where public, outdoor space has never been more important due to the pandemic, it remains critical to fight for the continued preservation of Liberty State Park.
Sincerely,
Ravi S. Bhalla
Mayor, City of Hoboken