The Sun Rises on Liongate Park This Tuesday

We're delighted to share this invitation from the revived and resuscitated Bloomfield Third Riverbank Association:

Dear Friends, You have already heard the good news that the township now owns the 5.7 acres plot of land along Liongate Drive recently purchased from developer John Desimone.

This acquisition, acquired with Green Acres and N.J./ N.Y. Bay keeper funding, is the result of a decade-long effort by the New York/New Jersey Baykeeper, The Rutger's Environmental Law Clinic, the Third Riverbank Association, the township Open Space Committee, township staff, and many, many friends and supporters. To all we say thank you in helping to preserve these critical wetlands.
In honor of this, we would like to invite you to two events:

 Tuesday, July 10 at 10 A.M. To officially welcome the property to the township's fold, the township will celebrate with a ribbon cutting ceremony at the property site. Directions: The property is off of Broad Streets on Liongate Drive opposite Glenridge Parkway. Liongate is the first cross street north of Bay Avenue on Broad St. Going south on Broad Street, it is the first left hand turn after the Glen Ridge Country Club.(You may have to park on Broad St. as roadwork is being done by the adjacent condo association.)

 Thanks,
 Nick Joanow and the Third Riverbank Association

Why We Need a Butterfly Park

This was my public comment to the Bloomfield Council before it voted, 4 to 3, to reverse it's earlier approval of a Butterfly Park on its recently acquired parkland on Liongate Drive:

As some of you know, my 2nd Ward councilman and I have a long history together,going back about 13 years. I’ve supported him in just about everything he’s advocated and campaigned for. We’ve probably attended a couple of dozen planning board meetings over the years mostly dealing with Liongate. Our main goal as a group, The Third Riverbank Association, was to reduce flooding along the Third River and preserve one of our last bits of open space for passive recreation. 

Here’s where I’m forced to depart from my councilman’s latest campaign to put a soccer field in our newest park. Soccer is NOT passive recreation...and it only serves the needs of a tiny percentage of our residents. This year we’ve had soccer fields available all over town. Huck Field, Demarest School, Brookdale Park, Foley Field, Watsessing Park, Wrights field, Felton Field. Have I missed any? 

My wife and I happen to live a soccer balls kick from Nick’s proposed field of dreams. I’ve seen how many cars fill up the Huck Field parking lots and side streets when games are scheduled. Liongate can handle about 10 more cars than park there everyday. Along with a number of our neighbors, facing Liongate, we have no driveway and have to park our cars on Broad Street. 

I know of no one in our neighborhood -- or the Greenbrook townhouses -- who favors a soccer field here. As a Realtor, I can guarantee you that just about all our home values in this area will be hurt by such a soccer field here as opposed to being helped by a park like the imaginatively designed Butterfly Park.

New Liongate Developer Blocked by Council

"The latest development in our neighborhood's two-decade long effort to prevent a massive townhouse development on Liongate's flood prone Scientific Glass site is: No Development"

 I wrote the above sentence over 3 1/2 years ago after the previous owner of the 12.7 acre section of Liongate put a For Sale sign on the flood prone property he had bought in 2003 for $3 Million. His asking price at the time was $13 Million.

The current developer bought the property last winter along with its previously approved plans for 104 Condos, for $1.2 Million.

On Monday, Bloomfield's town council stopped the developers plans in their tracks with a 3 to 3 vote. In the past 20+ years, that the property has been a tempting target for several ambitious developers, more 4 legged critters have lived on the site than 2 legged ones. Walking down Liongate Rd. this afternoon, I caught a glimpse of what may have been the same red fox that Pat Ciesla photographed in 2008.

I also saw two well dressed examples of the 2-legged variety, tailgating in front of the padlocked driveway to the site.  Stay tuned....

Unexpected Endorsement for Venezia Campaign

With less than a month left in a local campaign year full of twists and turns, today was highlighted by word of a public endorsement that came as a surprise to many residents. Second Ward councilman Nick Joanow is formally endorsing councilman Michael Venezia's ticket.

“I am happy to endorse the Venezia Team, because we are like minded when it comes to preserving open space," said Joanow. "As an example, they are united with me in a common goal to negotiate in good faith with the developer of the Scientific Glass/ Liongate property to preserve this site and acquire it for recreational purposes.”

For years, Joanow has been trying to find solutions to the flooding that has been a real problem for residents who border the Third River and businesses downstream who are negatively impacted from rain events. In addition preservation of this flood prone property would eliminate a significant number of children from this development(104 townhouses ) who would be enrolled in one of our neighborhood schools which already is challenged for space.

Three of the Democratic candidates visited the construction site on Friday to watch the new developer's tractors and ditch diggers chugging away in the rain.
(Pictured above at the Liongate site are candidates Lopez, Venezia and Davis. At right is Joanow and Venezia campaign manager Gary Iacobacci.)

All residents are invited to Joanow'a monthly ward meeting at 7:30 PM this coming Wednesday at the  Brookdale iHop
The main topic at the meeting will be the past, present and future of Liongate.

Councilman Rallies Residents Against New Liongate Developent

Many Bloomfield residents received this urgent email from Councilman Nick Joanow:

 April 23rd, 2012
 Dear Friends, As the founder of the Bloomfield Third Riverbank Association, a Bloomfield resident for the last 39 years and your 2nd Ward Town Councilman - I am again reaching out to you for your help and support. The property known as the Scientific Glass/Liongate, off Broad Street opposite Glen Ridge Parkway has been recently sold to another developer. The proposal to construct 104 town houses is particularly disturbing as this site has a pre-existing problem with flooding and serious river bank erosion for those homeowners and businesses who border the river. In addition to flooding there is contamination and school related issues that will negatively impact all residents in the 2nd Ward. This development will severely impact our quality of life and negatively influence our property values. With 52 three bedrooms units and 52 large two bedroom in these town houses the potential for a substantial number of new children attending our local schools is significant.

With all of our schools north of Bay Avenue at full capacity, the only options available would be redistricting or trailers, either of which would further jeopardize real estate values. In order to move this project forward, the developer is seeking a 5 year extension of a Freshwater Wetlands Permit from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. The EPA is accepting comments on this application until May 15, 2012.

 I urge you to contact them via e-mail (rick.reilly@dep.state.nj.us) or snail mail (telephone comments are not accepted) and have enclosed a sample letter for you to use or you may draft your own. Please attach the Freshwater Wetlands Application – Notice to Neighboring Landowners – it is required and your comments may not be taken into consideration without it. It is critical that you respond in a timely manner to expression your concerns as to the negative impact this project will have on our community. Should you have any additional questions, feel free to contact me at my home number 973-748-6379 or you may email me at nicholasjoanow@comcast.net
Respectfully,
Nick Joanow 2nd Ward Councilman

Here's the text of the Wetlands Application that was recently sent to residents in the immediate vicinity of the Liongate site (email the councilman or myself for pdfs):

Date: 4/16/12

Freshwater Wetlands Application

Notice to Neighboring Landowners

Re: Application submitted by:

SF Management Co., LLC

(Print applicant's name)

Regarding property at:

8 Lion Gate Drive (Street address of property)

Lot No. 55, Block No. 871 (Block and lot of property)

Township of Bloomfield,Essex County

Dear Interested Party:

I am sending you this letter to inform you that I am submitting an

application for a permit or approval to the New Jersey Department of

Environmental Protection (NJDEP) under the Freshwater Wetlands

Protection Act rules, N.J.A.C. 7:7A. The permit or approval will either

establish the boundary of freshwater wetlands on the above property, or

will authorize me to conduct regulated activities on the property.

I am applying for the following approval(s):

__ Letter of interpretation (establishes the official boundary line of any

regulated freshwater wetlands, open waters, or transition areas on the

property, and if freshwater wetlands are present, identifies their resource

value)

X General permit authorization (authorizes regulated activities, such

as construction or development, in wetlands and adjacent transition areas)

__ individual transition area waiver (authorizes regulated activities,

such as construction or development. in areas adjacent to wetlands)

3230342.3

__ Individual freshwater wetlands permit (authorizes regulated

activities, such as construction or development, in both wetlands and

adjacent transition areas)

__ Open water fill permit (authorizes regulated activities, such as

construction or development, in open waters)

The activities for which my application requests NJDEP approval are (I

have checked all of those that apply):

No regulated activities, just establishing where regulated

wetlands (if any) are found on my property

Cutting or clearing of trees and/or other vegetation

Placement of pavement or other impervious surface

.lL Placement of one or more buildings or other structures

Expansion of existing pavement, buildings, or other structures

X Other (describe):

This application is a request for a five year extension of the Freshwater

Wetlands General Permit #11 Permit. which was originally approved on

April 19, 2007, pursuant to N.J.A.C. 7:7A-14.6(b)(1).

If you would like to inspect a copy of my application, it is on file at the

Municipal Clerk's Office in the town in which the property is located, or you

can call the NJDEP at (609) 777-0454 to make an appointment to see my

application at NJDEP offices in Trenton during normal business hours.

The rules governing freshwater wetlands permits and approvals are

found in the NJDEP's Freshwater Wetlands Protection Act rules at N.J.A.C.

7:7A. You can view or download these rules on the NJDEP Land Use

Regulation Program website at www.state.nj.us/depllanduse. or you can

find a copy of these rules in the county law library in your county

courthouse.

As part of the NJDEP's review of my application, NJDEP personnel

may visit my property, and the portion of any neighboring property that lies

within 150 feet of my property line, to perform a site inspection. This site

inspection will involve only a visual inspection and possibly minor soil

borings using a 4" diameter hand auger. The inspection will not result in

any damage to vegetation or to property improvements.

The NJDEP welcomes any comments you may have on my application.

If you wish to comment on my application, comments should be submitted

to the NJDEP in writing within 30 days after the Department publishes

notice of the application in the DEP Bulletin. The Department shall consider

all written comments submitted within this time. The Department may, in its

discretion, consider comments submitted after this date, Comments cannot

be accepted by telephone. Please submit any comments you may have in

writing, along with a copy of this letter, to:

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection

Division of Land Use Regulation

Mail Code 501-02A

P.O. Box 420

Trenton, New Jersey 08625

Att: (County in which the property is located) Section Chief

: '. When the NJDEP has decided whether or not my application qualifies

for approval under the Freshwater Wetlands Protection Act rules, NJDEP

will notify the municipal clerk,of the final decision on my application.

, . If you have questions about my application, you can contact me or my

agent, at the addresses below,' ,

.'

Wolff & Samson PC

1 Boland Drive

West Orange, New Jersey 07052

Attn: Keith E. Morris, Esq.

Sincerely,

SF Management Co., LLC

Name: Ralph Zucker

Title: Authorized Signatory

SF Management Co., LLC

clo Somerset Development, LLC

911 E. County Line Road

Lakewood, New Jersey 08701

All Saints Eve on Liongate

Liongate Road may be contain most of the last undeveloped open spaces in Bloomfield. For several months now, the township has been negotiating to purchase 5.7 acres of the site from the developer -- whose ambitions have been waylaid by the depressed housing market. The purchase would be funded by 1.9 million in state and nonprofit grants.

Pace of Liongate Remediation Picks Up

Wildlife LIving it up in Bloomfield

It ain't easy being a wildlife photographer in North Jersey. Especially if you live in Bloomfield and only focus on what passes by your back deck. Pat Ciesla shows us a few of the fauna that a dedicated amateur can capture-- without leaving her condo off Liongate Drive(she admits to following the hawk a block or so down the road.). Pat's other passion is documenting new additions to the Bukowski Animal Shelter, and then helping to find them good homes. (Click on smaller photos for larger image)

This happens to be part of the tract that The Bloomfield Third RiverBank Association was fighting to preserve against two developers' plans to build upwards of 150 townhouses.

Unofficial List of Current Developments Underway

At last night's council meeting, Councilman Nick Joanow proposed that a fiscal impact study be completed on the longterm affect of the following developments on Bloomfield residents.
Bloomfield College -- Block 242 – 37-59 Broad St./Franklin St. – 5 story residence hall – 124,000 square foot

Scientific Glass at Liongate -- 104 (52 2-bedrooms 52 3-bedrooms) Hartz Mountain – 395 Units

National Starch & Chemical - 225 Belleville Ave --332 units – 654 parking spaces

Downtown Redevelopment -- Block 228– 224 Apartments – Studio, 1, 2 & 3 Bedroom -

78-80 Locust Ave. Property Auction 7/28/2011 -- 40 Unit For Condos/Apartments

12 Willow St. -12 Units – Condos –

Just Enough Snow on Liongate