Honestly, I think people who run government in Jersey City as well as the state are so azz-backwards sometime. Where is the vision thing? I look at Brooklyn waterfront and the public amenities and say JC needs to get designers with a vision to work on Bayfront, etc.

How long before Lefrak pushes to close down the bridge to Hoboken late night...

State Department of Environmental Protection sets hearing in Jersey City on changes in rules on public's access to waterfront areas around state

Tuesday, April 05, 2011
By ASHLEY STRAIN
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

The state Department of Environmental Protection has scheduled a hearing in Jersey City to discuss revisions to the State's Coastal Zone Management rules.

The hearing is set for 11 a.m. May 12 at Liberty State Park in Jersey City.


The proposed revisions could limit public access to waterfronts in the state, according to several environmental groups.

Besides the Jersey City hearing, another hearing has been scheduled for May 17 in Pomona. The public has 60 days starting yesterday to comment on newly proposed rules, DEP officials said.

According to the DEP, the new rules will help local municipalities to develop Municipal Public Access Plans and use state Green Acres funding more efficiently.

But some environmental groups believe the new rules will limit public access requirements for waterfront development projects by allowing towns to create their own public access plans without any state oversight.

"Calling these public access rules is an oxymoron; they do the opposite. They violate public trust and limit the public's right to access their beaches and waterways," said Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. "We believe these rules are so vague and so ripe for political abuse that they will close the door on public."

A Jersey City official said the public is being taken into account in regard to the city's proposed development for the west side of the city along the Hackensack River.

"As far as Bayfront (Redevelopment Area) is concerned, there is a mandatory 10-feet wide multi-use path along the waterfront in the redevelopment plan," said City Planning Director Robert Cotter. "In addition, the redevelopment plan has requirements for access points all along the path."