Win for LSP- Millionare’s Marina Stopped

A proposal to build a millionaire’s marina in the Caven Point area of Liberty State Park has been shot down by Governor Phil Murphy’s administration, according to a letter released Thursday. The letter, dated May 24, to a representative for Suntex Marina from the state Department of Environmental Protection has determined not to proceed further with this project.  The proposal would allow Suntex to privatize public land for their marina where they would lease 45 acres (including land and water) on the south end of Liberty State Park for a 300-slip marina.

“This is another win for Liberty State Park and against the privatization of our park. Suntex wanted to build a millionaire’s marina in the middle of our park that belongs to all of us. Governor Murphy stopped them from cutting through the park and taking away our waterfront. This proposal was DEP’s ongoing plan to privatize Liberty State Park: this time with a mega yacht club by the south end of the park.  Since they couldn’t go through with their secret privatization plans of the entire park, they tried to develop it piece by piece and it has been stopped,” said Jeff  Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “This victory happened because the public keeps fighting to save LSP. People keep fighting by protesting, letter writings, campaigns, and large public outcry. This is a win for the people who have been fighting to save Liberty State Park for over 40 years. We want to thank Governor Murphy for stopping this marina and protecting our park.”

The Park, which is the terminal to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty has more than 7 million visitors a year, is one of the most visited state parks in the country. The proposed marina was to be build in the Caven Point area of Liberty State Park.

“Liberty State Park is an oasis in one of the most densely populated areas in the entire country. It is one of the most heavily visited green spaces with millions of visitors per year. It should be preserved for the people in the area who need to enjoy open space, not commercial and private development,” said Tittel. “We have stopped water parks, hotels, amphitheaters, golf courses, and now a marina at Liberty State Park. We are happy to see that this park won’t turn into another Penn’s Landing or Inner Harbor. This is the second win we have to save LSP because of public pressure but we have to keep fighting.”

New Jersey’s parks serve as places for people to spend vacation time with their families, enjoy nature, and exercise, providing a higher quality of life. Millions of people visit our parks every year, adding billions to the state’s economy. The budget should provide money for the DEP to maintain our parks and trails but instead, environmental funds continue to get diverted to plug budget holes. State Parks in NJ provide $4.5 billion/year in economic activity.

“Stopping this marina is a step in the right direction but the Murphy Administration must do more for to protect and preserve our parks. There is over a $400 million backlog in capital repairs and needed improvement in our parks which are falling apart. When the Legislature took money from funding parks for open space, other environmental groups supported them to fund themselves. That lack of park funding became the excuse by the Christie Administration to privatize parks like Liberty State Park,” said Jeff Tittel. “There should be 30 million a year going to capital affairs but the Legislature, along with some other environmental groups, hijacked these funds for open space preservation instead.”

For over thirty years, the New Jersey Sierra Club has had a long history fighting to prevent privatization and development of Liberty State Park from projects such as golf courses, shopping malls, a 25,000 seat amphitheater, and water parks.

“Stopping this private marina is important because we should not be developing any part of Liberty State Park, and especially not important marshlands at the south end of the park. Liberty State Park is an oasis in one of the most densely populated areas in the entire country. It is one of the most heavily visited green spaces with millions of visitors per year. It should be preserved for the people in the area who need to enjoy open space, not commercial and private development,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “They keep trying to privatize our parks and we keep stopping them. The price of protecting open space is vigilance. We will keep standing up to this park that was named after the Statue of Liberty and is the gateway to the UnitedSstates so that it stays that way.”