Urban Wetland, Park In Bloomfield Earns ‘Smart Growth’ Award

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — A formerly contaminated site in Bloomfield has been transformed into an urban wetlands and park space, earning a “Smart Growth” award from a New Jersey nonprofit along the way.

The Township of Bloomfield recently announced that it has been selected as a winner of the 2022 Smart Growth Award for the Lion Gate Park and Urban Wetland Floodplain Creation Project. Read More: Lion Gate Park Is Roaring Good Addition To Bloomfield

Presented by the nonprofit environmental organization New Jersey Future, the award honors redevelopment projects that contribute to making New Jersey communities “sustainable, equitable and strong.”

Bloomfield town officials gave some background about the project:

“The property upon which Lion Gate Park resides was once the site of an old dye factory and former thermometer manufacturer that was later abandoned. The contaminated site lay dormant and was an eyesore for several decades, until a team of environmental advocates, local leaders and architects worked to implement the Lion Gate Park and Urban Wetland Floodplain Creation project. The new 18-acre park includes recreational facilities, a freshwater wetlands complex, and a fieldhouse, and serves as a safe space for recreation, in which a turf soccer field has become a destination for Bloomfield’s booming soccer program and residents alike.”

But that’s not all, town officials say:

“At the same time, located on the Third River, an urban flood prone tributary to the Passaic River, Lion Gate Park incorporates over four acres of freshwater wetland that reestablishes the original floodplain to hold up to 10 million gallons of flood surge during storms. The land’s capacity for absorption helps to prevent some of the flooding which often takes place as the result of storms, and cleanup of the area has contributed to cleaner water entering the adjacent Passaic River. Additionally, because the Passaic River is a Superfund-designated waterway, the interventions made at Lion Gate Park have helped to reduce the toxicity of the river, serving as a model for other New Jersey townships with tributaries to toxic rivers that has the potential to serve dozens if not hundreds of New Jersey municipalities facing similar challenges.”

“I am so proud to announce this award, as it is an acknowledgement of all of the hard work we’ve done remediating this location and making it a safe green space for our residents,” Bloomfield Mayor Michael Venezia said.

“Our ability to open this park is a testament to the hard work and advocacy of so many people in our community,” Venezia continued. “For years, we have fought to acquire this land, mitigate flood risk in the area, and deliver a state-of-the-art park for our residents, and that work has paid off in a spectacular way. Thank you to New Jersey Future for this award, as well as all of the people who endeavored behind the scenes to make our vision into reality.”

According to town officials, the team included Bloomfield Township workers, the NY/NJ Baykeeper, the Bloomfield Third River Association, Strauss and Associates / Planners, CME Associates, Princeton Hydro, PPD Design, Enviroscapes, and GK+A Architects.

New Jersey Future had the following words of praise for the project:

“The dual roles of Lion Gate Park as both a source of resilience and recreation demonstrate a model of land use and planning that values the accessibility of public spaces while acknowledging and addressing the urgent need to adapt to the growing impacts of climate change in New Jersey.”

Developers broke ground on the project in March 2019. Officials said the creation of the complex was one of the “largest infrastructure projects in Bloomfield in decades,” costing about $13.3 million. Read More: Construction Starts On $13M Lion Gate Complex In Bloomfield

In October 2019, Bloomfield municipal officials announced that the town had dumped the contractor responsible for overseeing the project, Tricon, citing “missed deadlines” and “repeated lateness and inaction.” Read More: Bloomfield Dumps Contractor After Serious Delays At Lion Gate

A ribbon cutting ceremony for Lion Gate Park was held in June 2021.

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