(The following article by Jason Fink was posted on the Jersey Journal’s website on January 29.)
JERSEY CITY, N.J. — In a city whose well-known industrial past is constantly being re-shaped to accommodate a rapidly growing population, the seemingly dull minutiae of land use regulations and municipal zoning codes often make for explosive political theater in Jersey City.
Battles have been waged in recent years over how the city, which during the 1990s registered its first population increase in decades, should balance the hunger for new development – and the pressing need for housing – with the delicate shell of its storied past.
Add to those battles the Sixth Street railway embankment, the towering brick structure in the city’s Newport section that was once part of a freight rail line and is now a historic landmark.
Under pressure from local activists who pushed for the embankment to remain as it is over the objections of the site’s owner, Conrail, the City Council has granted landmark status to the roughly six-acre parcel. Conrail has asked that it be allowed to sell the property to a real estate developer.
Now, nothing may be done to the embankment without the approval of the Historic Preservation Commission, some of whose members – along with dozens of area residents – were at the city council meeting last week waving signs and delivering impassioned speeches on behalf of preserving the site, which the council did, by a vote of 7-1.
Proponents of preserving the structure argued that it is a vital piece of history that could be transformed into a large, open public space linking nearby historic neighborhoods to the Hudson River waterfront, with its luxury high-rises and glass-plated office towers.
At last week’s meeting, representatives of Conrail said the structure is nothing more than a large relic standing in the way of useful development. In the mid-1970s, Conrail took control of all property in several Northeastern states left over by bankrupt railroads.
Last week’s vote does not prevent Conrail from selling the property – it still plans on doing that. But the company argues that restrictions now in place over how the property can be developed could drive down the asking price.
“This is the only railroad embankment I’ve ever known to be designated like this,” said John Fiorilla, Conrail’s attorney.
He added that if Conrail cannot sell the embankment for what it deems an appropriate amount, the company may take the city to court, arguing that the landmark status has the effect of an unjustified government “taking” of private property.
But supporters of the council’s action say the designation guarantees that nothing will be built on the site that is out of character with the surrounding historic districts of Harsimus Cove and Hamilton Park.
“We don’t want inappropriate development,” said Stephen Gucciardo. “The structure has been deemed significant.”
Gucciardo said neighborhood groups are already talking to officials in Trenton about acquiring state funds to turn the embankment into a park. Conrail officials say they don’t particularly care who gets the property as long as they get their price.
Bids have already come in from developers, they say, starting at $3 million and going up significantly. But those bids came in before the landmark status was approved, Conrail officials said.
Both sides said they would be willing to discuss the idea of a park if any of the groups or the city come up with the money.
City officials, who expressed no interest in buying the site, said Conrail had lost credibility over the years and had been a bad neighbor.
“Conrail has been less than responsible to the people of Jersey City,” said Councilman-at-large Mariano Vega, pointing to other railroad properties that over the years have been poorly maintained and taken over by drug dealers and prostitutes.
But Ward C Councilman Steve Lipski, the only representative to vote against landmark status, said he feared the same fate for the embankment if it is not sold.
“My concern is designating something a landmark and then just letting it stagnate,” he said.