What's The Future Of Liberty State Park? Meeting And Livestream Set For Saturday

JERSEY CITY, NJ — The future of Liberty State Park, the 1,212-acre property on the Hudson River that's home to a historic train terminal, a beach, and a ferry to the Statue of Liberty, is always a hot topic.

Liberty State Park opened during the bicentennial year 1976. Over the years, activist groups have attempted to steer the park away from potential overdevelopment and commercialization.

The Friends of Liberty State Park have posted, on their website, more than a dozen recent news stories about ongoing controversies regarding development at the park, including the involvement of billionaire Paul Fireman. (Fireman has responded with an editorial.)

The next Department of Environmental Protection public hearing about park design will take place this Saturday, with the meeting beginning at 10 a.m. and public comment beginning at 12:30 p.m.

The DEP said in an announcement that they "will host a public meeting of the Liberty State Park (LSP) Design Task Force to discuss alternatives for potential active recreation, arts, and cultural amenities in LSP-North (Phase 1B), as well as elements for inclusion in the Master Plan for LSP-South (Phase 2). Following the Task Force meeting, an open comment period will be held for members of the public to offer comments to the Design Task Force."

The Friends group has a less neutral take, describing the meeting as the "battle chapter against billionaire Paul Fireman & his funded puppets again pushing their exclusionary Sports & Entertainment Complex traffic jam & admission-fee public land destruction plan."

How To Attend In Person Or Via Link

The meeting will be held in the first-floor auditorium in the Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal Building located at 1 Audrey Zapp Drive, Jersey City. Members of the public are invited to attend in person to provide their comments.

In addition, the public can view a virtual livestream of the meeting by registering at bit.ly/lsp-taskforce-march. Advanced registration is recommended. Virtual attendees will be able to submit comments online at dep.nj.gov/revitalizelsp/.

Find out more about the meeting here.

See a map of the park here.