Booker, Menendez Secure $3.5M For Lincoln Park In Newark

NEWARK, NJ — A big wave of federal funding is coming to help restore Lincoln Park in Newark.

Last week, the Lincoln Park Coast Cultural District (LPCCD) announced that $3,550,000 in federal funding will be made available to Newark for the “Lincoln Park Restoration Project,” which will provide a much-needed facelift to the namesake community’s green space.

U.S. senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker – a Newark resident – helped secure the funding as part of the federal government’s Fiscal Year 2023 omnibus funding bill.

Booker said the funding for Lincoln Park and other projects in New Jersey will “provide major benefits” to communities across the state.

“I am proud to have fought to ensure this funding was included and am grateful for the organizations, community leaders, and elected officials who are working tirelessly to advance these critical initiatives,” Booker said.

When the Senate passed the funding bill in December, Menendez said that more than $181 million is coming New Jersey’s way to be spent on community projects such as the Lincoln Park restoration plan.

“This is a major investment in communities across New Jersey,” Menendez said.

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka thanked the senators for their support in funneling federal funding to Lincoln Park.

“Thanks to their advocacy and support, the redevelopment of Lincoln Park will not only enhance the economic vitality of the city, but will also provide affordable housing, additional employment opportunities, and enhanced access to the arts for our residents,” Baraka said.

“Ultimately, this project will renovate and upgrade the historic Lincoln Park to accelerate reemergence of this historic neighborhood as an energetic, healthy and empowered arts and culture-centered community,” the mayor added.

According to the LPCCD, Lincoln Park, a National Historic Register landmark, has served a wide array of the city’s residents for more than 300 years as one of Newark’s original colonial-era ‘Commons’ public gathering places – the South Commons – was renamed as Lincoln Park to commemorate Abraham Lincoln’s visit to the area in 1861.

• See Related: Lincoln Park Nonprofit Marks 20th Anniversary In Newark

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