Comments

You must log in or register to comment.

mikevago OP t1_jck5rnn wrote

Since the article is paywalled, I"ll also share this post from Friends of Liberty State Park:

Thanks DEP Commissioner Shawn LaTourette for powerfully rejecting billionaire Paul Fireman's LSP commercial venues plans! "Visions of a 5,000-seat sports arena, gone. Thoughts of a 7,000-seat concert venue, also gone. "The head of the DEP laid out general plans for the revitalization of LSP Thursday, but he was specific in saying there would be no major commercialization or privatization of the state park on the Hudson River waterfront".

“Privatization of a public asset that is owned by no one because it belongs to everyone is not a thing, period, full stop,” said DEP Commissioner Shawn LaTourette.

But we must stay involved as billionaire Paul Fireman's front groups are still pushing lies about the interior 165 acres of spectacular diverse habitats and paths, and pretending that the DEP isn't going to add 61 acres of active recreation to LSP

Please attend to support the Thursday March 23 DEP Open House from 6:30 to 8pm at the Terminal with poster exhibits of the amazing urban nature plans and improvement concepts for LSP and with DEP staff there to answer questions and receive any comments. It's an information session and not a public hearing.

99

HappyArtichoke7729 t1_jck8g8c wrote

Replying to mikevago (#2,252,671)

Thank you very much for this post.

It's my honest opinion that we don't need a rally as much as we need to speak when we go to the polls, that we want a functional police department and a fully public state park. In the end, the only things that matter are votes and dollars.

31

HobokenJ t1_jckahau wrote

Narrator: "It's going to be privatized,"

−19

SlamaCo t1_jckc870 wrote

B-but where will all the rich folks park their yachts and play golf on public land sequestered off from the plebs?

35

A_Downboat_Is_A_Sub t1_jcklszz wrote

Paul Fireman and his rich buddies can get fucked. I'm so sick of seeing their stupid ads on every youtube video I watch.

51

PIZT t1_jcknwg7 wrote

Great news LSP needs to stay public at all cost

25

Byzantium-1204 t1_jckv5y5 wrote

Does this mean that proposed plan for all those venues are now canceled? There were many things all around the park. Not just the waterfront.

2

mikevago OP t1_jckwdxk wrote

Replying to Byzantium-1204 (#2,254,285)

The DEP has their own plan in place for more active recreation in the park, but it's not paid venues and doesn't involve filling up every bit of open space like the billionaire's plan.

Not that I expected that plan to ever be enacted — it's a trojan horse so Fireman can bulldoze the Caven Point nature preserve to expand his millionaires-only golf course. It's what he's been after for years, and he's run one astroturf campaign after another to try and open up the park to development.

35

objectimpermanence t1_jckz2rb wrote

Replying to HobokenJ (#2,254,078)

Yeah but this is New Jersey, not Texas. We actually do have a pretty decent track record when it comes to parks, even though we could probably do better in urban areas.

NJ ranks second in the nation for the proportion of land dedicated to public parks and wildlife. Thats pretty impressive for a state that’s also the most densely populated in the country. Source

8

cC2Panda t1_jcl3u3l wrote

Replying to PIZT (#2,253,858)

Great news until next year or the year after when they try yet again to build a race track, casino, hotel, etc. on it again. Until there is a law on the books protecting it explicitly it will be in constant danger of destruction.

22

Anonymous1985388 t1_jclbghl wrote

Replying to HobokenJ (#2,254,078)

I don’t even know what Downtown JC used to look like pre-WW2. Now it’s all luxury housing towers but maybe there were some historic buildings that used to stand in downtown JC. I guess the history/architecture was torn down by developers so that they could build luxury housing. Hopefully Journal Square can preserve some more of the old architecture during their growth phase.

0

Knobbies4Ever t1_jclfhv1 wrote

Replying to nuncio_populi (#2,253,305)

Tru dat. But I don't think this is a case where Murphy has to approve this specific DEP plan - the way he'd sign a bill. Control over DEP comes through initially appointing a leader who (presumably) aligns with his agenda, and then having the ability to fire (or threaten to fire) that person.

Maybe I'm splitting hairs with that distinction, but I understand now why LaTourette kept his head down when Fireman's proposal came through the legislature last year.

1

aa043 t1_jcm2j0r wrote

Thank you chief for protecting this lovely green space!

2

Warm_Introduction_93 t1_jcn5yrg wrote

Protect the wildlife above all. We humans have enough venues around the area for our entertainment. Give the wildlife space for a home.

5

Sybertron t1_jcqddow wrote

I'd just like a dog park, maybe some nature trails, and do SOMETHING with the old ferry terminals instead of just having them rot into the ground. Gosh even just a local vendors market would be swell.

3

mikevago OP t1_jcqg7ri wrote

Replying to Sybertron (#2,264,889)

I still haven't seen the DEP's plan for the park; I'd be surprised if it didn't include at least some of those things.

And it's funny that we have booming farmers markets at the PATH stations and Fisk Park, but Lincoln Park's is tiny and LSP doesn't have one.

1