What are the restrictions on the loan? is it an open space loan or just general loan? What I mean is, does the loan lock the city into a specific land management deal or does it leave open what and how the land can be developed?

I have spoken with Mary Spinello's aide, who has said that she intends to oppose the resolution.

She was unable to give a coherent explanation as to why she opposed it. The excuse was "we don't own the property." This is, of course, nonsensical because the whole point of this loan is so the property can be acquired. Furthermore, the city could take ownership at any time. Even if the city did not prevail in the STB proceeding, it can take the property at any time via eminent domain.

I would encourage all residents of Ward B to contact councilwoman Spinello's office immediately and demand that she support the resolution. Or at the very least, give a rationale for opposing it that doesn't treat her constituents like idiots.

Embankment vote on agenda

Wednesday, March 14, 2007
By KEN THORBOURNE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

The Jersey City City Council will vote tonight on whether to apply for a $4.9 million state loan to help buy and develop as open space the Sixth Street Embankment - land a private developer owns and has shown no intention of selling.

In July 2005, Steve Hyman purchased the eight-block elevated old railroad embankment and plans to build two-family homes.

But almost immediately, city officials challenged the sale, claiming the previous owner, Conrail, had no right to sell the property without first giving the city the option to buy it for the same $3 million price Hyman reportedly paid.

This case is pending before the federal Surface Transportation Board in Washington.

In the meantime, Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy has announced he wants the embankment to be used for an extension of the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail tracks and environmental activists have continued their campaign to preserve the land as open space. Healy envisions an extension of the Light Rail through the Bergen Arches into Secaucus.

Assistant Business Administrator Gregory J. Corrado told council members at their Monday caucus that the city's plan is to use half the embankment for the Light Rail tracks and the other half for open space.

The resolution up for a vote is to file the loan application, Corrado said. The council would have to vote again to accept the loan, which would come in November.

Ward A Councilman Michael Sottolano objected to the city taking on added debt for a property it doesn't own. Ward B Councilwoman Mary Spinello said she hadn't seen "diddly" from the more than $30,000 the city has spent pursuing the Surface Transportation Board case.

Corrado said the loan wouldn't add much to the city's debt load.

Maureen Crowley, volunteer coordinator of the Embankment Preservation Coalition, said 75 percent of the loan, which would come from the state Environmental Infrastructure Trust, would be interest-free, while interest on the rest of the money would be less than 2 percent.

Like the project or not, we have a muncipal government that whether intentional or through inaction appears to be rejecting upwards of $10m to acquire and develop a park. A park that has the support of US Senator Menendez, our state elected officials and Hudson County Government.

What other city anywhere would turn this type of gift down.....

ACTION ALERT: Call City Council NOW Tuesday, March 13, Tuesday!!

March 12, 2007

Dear Embankment Coalition Supporter,

Tonight (Monday March 12) at their Caucus meeting, the Jersey City Municipal Council considered a resolution in support of an application for a New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Trust (NJEIT) loan that would provide funds for the City to acquire the open space portion of the Harsimus Stem Embankment. There were many comments indicating it may not pass at Wednesday's Council meeting, unless there is a public outcry.

The NJEIT loan would provide almost $5 million to the City, 75 percent at NO INTEREST and 25 percent at lowest market-rate interest (about 1 percent), for twenty years. The loan would provide instant money that can be repaid by reimbursable grants already raised ($3.2 million), a pledge ($500K), and additional highly likely grant monies.

What you can do

Please call the following Council people between NOW and Wednesday, March 14, 5 p.m., and ask them to support the loan application. If you are pressed for time, skip Council President Vega and Ward E Councilman Fulop, who are expected to support the application.


Council President Mariano Vega, Jr., 547-5268
Councilwoman at Large Willie Flood, 547-5134
Councilman at Large Peter Brennan, 547-5319
Ward A Councilman Michael Sottolano, 547-5098
Ward B Councilwoman Mary Spinello, 547-5092
Ward C Councilman Steve Lipski, 547-5159
Ward D Councilman William Gaughan, 547-5485
Ward E Councilman Steven Fulop, 547-5315
Ward F Councilwoman Viola Richardson, 547-5338

Suggested remarks to make to the Council people:

*Please support Resolution 10.j. supporting an NJEIT loan application for the Embankment.

*The City must be ready to acquire the Embankment when the Surface Transportation Board rules. This loan provides instantly available funds that can be reimbursed by awards and pledges already made and highly probable.

*The Council does not have to accept the money. This application keeps options open.

*Any increase in the City's debt ceiling is insignificant, considering the short period the City would use the loan before repaying it with grants.

*When the STB rules (any day now), the City must act with the money it has (open space), not the money it wants but does not have now and may never have (light rail).

*The Council directed the Administration to pursue acquisition. It should support loan and grant applications for acquisition, not weaken the City's ability to acquire the Embankment.

Thank you for your support!

Sincerely,

Jennifer Meyer
Embankment Preservation Coalition

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

email: jmeyer@embankment.org
web: http://www.embankment.org

will make the calls, and will be there...

It is very important that we show the City Council that we support open space in our congested downtown area. If you cannot attend the Council Meeting, please call your Council Person and ask them to vote in favor of applying for the loan application.

The STB ruling is still pending and this loan would enable the city to act quickly in the event there is a favorable ruling. This loan would provide the immediate funding needed to purchase the Embankment and could be paid back with grant monies already secured. As I understand, 75% of the loan is 0% interest and remaining is approximately 1% interest for 20 years.

Also to clarify, the issue in front of the Council on Wednesday is to submit an application to apply for the loan. The next step would be to actually apply for the loan and then to use it when needed.

Here are the telephone numbers for the Council. Please call and have your friends do so too.

Council President Mariano Vega, Jr. 547-5268
Councilwoman at Large Willie Flood 547-5134
Councilman at Large Peter Brennan 547-5363
Ward A Councilman Michael Sottolano 547-5060
Ward B Councilwoman Mary Spinello 547-5092
Ward C Councilman Steve Lipski 547-5159
Ward D Councilman William Gaughan 547-5485
Ward E Councilman Steven Fulop 547-5135
Ward F Councilwoman Viola Richardson 547-5338

A general call has gone out for all supporters of the Sixth St. Embankment to show up this Wed (March 14) at 6:30pm for the City Council Meeting.

What's at stake: The council is voting on whether they should submit loan applications for purchasing the Embankment. These loans would be readily re-paid for by promised grants from multiple state and local agencies who support the idea of an Embankment park. There is no risk to the city or taxpayers since this is a no interest loan and the city doesn't have to accept the money if granted.

Why you should show up: Because the City Council has shown very little will to extend themselves on this issue and your presence would let them know that a lot of people want to be represented by their elected officials.

Remember, this is a citywide issue, if they fail to act on the Embankment with all the support and money raised already, then many other public park projects and issues of fixing sloppy planning throughout the city would be in jeapordy as well. Let them know that you want to be represented as a resident and a voter.
Thanks for your continued support

The City is up against a deadline to apply for available funding(grants) for the Embankment park. They city council and Mayor will be meeting next Monday to vote on a resolution on whether or not they should submit the required paperwork for the funds. Now is the time to make our voices heard. If you are interested in helping them to make the right decision, please contact your councilpersons as listed previously in this thread. Time is of the essence here, so please write, call, email the Mayor and councilpersons before the end of this week.

Well, yes, clearly leaving the embankment as is isn't a realistic option, it's just my blue-sky vision of the future (Jesus, now I'm using officespeak on a Sunday).

I'm all for the park, but mainly because it would protect the embankment from destruction.

Not so say that I'm looking forward to that park, I'm sure that if we do it right it will be beautiful. But I'd much rather look out my window and see what I see now: a big old Ben Grimm of a wall, standing there so long that full saplings have grown between its bricks.

I can remember a time when there were picturesque ruins scattered throughout the area. Does anyone remember the old brick feed mill warehouse which used to stand where a condo development now sits at Manila and 10th? The nature of these abandoned lots(oak trees, willows , sumac ,and yes, the dreaded ailathus) gave a relief to the feel of urban density in the area. Romantic or not they provided passive green spaces dotted through the community. As development accelerates we are losing these inbetween green spaces and with them a certain wild quality to the area which could be retained in part by saving the Embankment and perhaps accenting its flora with supplemental indigeonous plantings.
From what I've heard, there are no definite plans for the form a park would take, the projected streetscape drawings and photos are just some of the possibilities. The process would be subject to public review.
The real issue here is whether or not we can retain the Embankment, as is, for the city and public to decide what it may become as opposed to a private development which would demolish the structure.
Urban public parks should be more ambitious than the median shrubbery which border parking lots.
The Embankment would be a phenomenal asset to the residents of not just downtown but all of Jersey City.

Then think of the park as a way to save and preserve the embankments.

The Embankment initiative was formed in response to initial development ideas and threats of demolition.

At this point in time, I believe that if it does not become a park, it will be housing (and demolished). The property is presently in the hands of a private developer (though not known for building anything). The money for the city to acquire the property if the sale to the developer is reversed by the Surface Transportation Board or via eminent domain will be funds earmarked or grants for open/park space. There are no resources that would allow it to remain domant and given development pressures if it does not become a park, its is likely not to remain.

If the Embankment Coalition had not been able to formulate a viable plan to make it a park (which I believe they have), then I also would agree to leave it dormant until such time as it could be developed as open space.

It is time for the city and elected officials to put their words of support into actual actions or the embankments will really be history.

Quote:

Bless you Kindelan and Ambush Bug - I haven't wanted to bear the brunt of the make my park supporters by being the first nay sayer. Some English country houses have intentional ruins called Follies - the embankment could be our neighborhood folly.

I love the idea of the embankment remaining as it is - no park, no housing, maybe a light rail line at street level along sixth street (narrow the roadway, if necessary).

I also have had a real concern: safety. In a neighborhood where people are still getting mugged at street level would you really be comfortable up there? Are the stay at home moms going to feel comfortable up there airing out the kids and reading a book? (Sorry if I offend anyone by my assumption that they would be the prime users of the space, at least during the week). I'm happy to leave the space for butterflies and whatever other wildlife have found a habitat up there.

I know someone's inevitably going to call me a romantic or a luddite for saying this, but I agree with Kindelan.

What I want more than anything is for the embankment to stay as it is: A big, hulking relic with no real purpose or explanation.

With that description, you'd think the JC politicos would be sympathetic to its plight.

The Mayor's idea to route Light Rail via the Sixth St Embankment seems to have been developed over the last year. It is important to remember that the process of landmarking the site and the subsequent community minded efforts to save the Embankment for a city park has spanned a decade. As development in the downtown area has accelerated over the past few years, it is more important than ever that all residents of the city voice their concern to the Mayor and City Council members about the future of the Embankment. To help, please see the links posted previously on this thread.
If the Mayor's plan is genuinely helpful to environmental concerns then that is in line with many peoples idea of a healthy direction for the city to maintain. The site currently sustains migratory Monarch butterflies on their long journey from Canada to Mexico, due to the milkweed abundant on the Embankment. Predatory raptors like medium sized hawks could also maintain roosts there and help keep down the rodent population. Let's make sure that the primary purpose of preserving the Embankment is to retain a linear park which will benefit both the cities residents- and its plant and animal life.

Waiting on Embankment ruling
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
By COTTON DELO
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

The fate of Downtown Jersey City's Sixth Street Embankment continues to hang in the balance, pending a decision by the federal Surface Transportation Board that had been expected by the end of last year.

Long coveted by local activists for open space, the half-mile-long elevated stone structure and former rail freightway was sold by Conrail to developer Steve Hyman - who reportedly wants to raze it to build two-family houses - for $3 million in 2005.

The STB will rule on whether the property was "legally abandoned" prior to the sale, and if not, the title would revert to Conrail, and Jersey City would get another crack at purchasing it.

In an earlier step in the city's protracted legal battle to acquire the Embankment, state Superior Court Judge Maurice Gallipoli essentially upheld the sale while ruling with the developer in a case brought against him by the city in July.

The STB decision would take precedence, however.

According to Jennifer Meyer, president of the Embankment Preservation Coalition - the group that petitioned the STB in February 2006, along with the national Rails-to-Trails conservancy and Assemblyman Lou Manzo - a decision had been expected in late 2006.

She expects the city to try to acquire the property through eminent domain if the decision goes against it.

"We feel the city should be able to buy it whether the STB rules favorably or unfavorably," explained Meyer, who said her group's priority is to have the city acquire the site as quickly as possible.

The coalition has conducted extensive fundraising of monies earmarked for open space, she said.

But there's another potential use for the landmarked historic site.

Mayor Jerramiah Healy laid out his vision for a new Light Rail spur connecting Secaucus Junction and Newport via the Bergen Arches and the Sixth Street Embankment in his State of the City address last week.

The Light Rail spur is conceived as a complement to the creation of open space at the site, according to Jersey City Corporation Counsel Bill Matsikoudis.

"In my view, such a plan would be the winner for everyone because you'd have park space plus the addition of mass transit that would take away the reliance on cars in the region," he said.

In the event of an undesirable ruling by the STB, the mayor and the City Council would need to evaluate whether to pursue eminent domain, Matsikoudis said. Another recourse would be an appeal to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.

COTTON DELO can be reached at cdelo@jjournal.com

Link to article on NJ.com

Great idea, 4bailey. I've been to Lucca, but I never made the connection between the wall and our Embankment. Here are some pics courtesy of Google.




Credits: http://www.mimno.org/images.php?subject=Lucca, Fotosearch.com, http://www.afn.org/~savanna/florence.htm

I've always wondered what that raised area was - figured it was an old train way. The top picture isn't really plausible because there is a Bed, Bath, and Beyond at that far corner of Marin. It would be an expensive undertaking to bring the pathway down to street level at that point, in my humble opinion. I think the idea is great and I put my comments in on that survey. I have this odd love for trees ... Friends say I mention them and appreciate them more often than is normal .. Though I'm not a crazy who is going to hang around the PATH stations crying about it.

I hope this gets done, but ya know how it goes - $$$$$$$

-Mark

I was just looking at the doctored photos of what the Embankment could look like and it finally ?clicked? where I?ve seen something like this before. DUH!...

Has anyone ever been to Lucca in the Tuscan region of Italy? Surrounding the city is a high medieval wall whose original purpose was defensive. Today, the top of the wall is a municipal park ? elevated and tree-lined. If you?re at the bottom, the wall is nothing great to look at, just old rocks and mortar ? but at the top, it?s absolutely magical.

I?m at work now and we have content filtering enabled, so I can?t browse for photos to illustrate what I?m talking about.

Two points that dawned on me from this:
1.) the concept of an elevated municipal park isn?t all that new at all.
2.) Something sort of ugly at the bottom can be made into a real jewel at the top.

I?ve always thought the Embankment Park was a good idea, but with Lucca as an example, it hit me that this thing has TONS of potential.

Dear Friend of the Embankment:

(click here to go to Embankment Preservation Coalition)

The New Jersey State Trails Plan of 1996 is being updated. You can help insure that the East Coast Greenway (which the Embankment is part of) is a priority in the State Trails Plan Update by taking a few minutes to fill out the survey at:

http://ent.groundspring.org/EmailNow/ ... track&j=93177523&u=874580

The Embankment is a part of the spine route of the East Coast Greenway through northern New Jersey - and the ECGA have been stalwart supporters of our efforts to preserve and transform the Embankment into a park/greenway over the years.

The survey provides an opportunity for you to type in comments.
Please let the consultants know:

a. you would like the section of the East Coast Greenway from New Brunswick to Jersey City completed, and that Hudson County is in great need of this spine route to encourage more walking and bicycling trails in this most densely populated of counties.

b. that the Bergen Arches should be included in the trail and

c. that any replacement of the Witt-Penn bridge include pedestrian and bike access.


Thanks for taking the time to do this.

Best regards,


Jenny Meyer, President
Embankment Preservation Coalition
jmeyer@embankment.org
EmbankmentNews [embankmentnews@yahoo.com]

The Average Embankment Block is 400 feet long by 100 feet deep.
Each block provides habitat for a variety of species of plants and animals
Concept: Embankment Park Connected via Pedestrian/Bikepath Bridges to the Waterfront

Artist's conceptual renderings courtesy of Denis Luzuriaga 2003