Carteret, NJ – Mayor Dan Reiman has announced that the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) has issued approval for the Borough’s application to construct a municipal marina at the Carteret Waterfront Park. The approval, which represents the culmination of a decade of planning and development, will allow the construction of nearly 200 slips for recreational boat users and the environmental remediation of the long-abandoned IT Williams treatment pond, adjacent to the Arthur Kill channel.
“It is hard to overstate the importance of today’s approval,” said Mayor Reiman. “Since former Mayor Sica first proposed the concept and the Borough acquired the property in the early 1990’s, Carteret residents have been looking forward to the creation of a municipal marina. Today, we celebrate a victory for our entire community and look forward to the next step in this process.”
The Borough initially applied to the Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) for the necessary permits to build a municipal marina but was denied. Upon appeal, the Borough was granted a reversal with remand for additional consideration of the marina permits.
The list of professionals assisting Carteret with the ACOE and NJDEP permit appeal process for the marina is as follows:
- Attorneys from Bathgate, Wegener & Wolf, P.C.
- Engineers from CME Associates
- Regulatory consultant from BC Peabody
- Navigation and security consultants from Ridge Global and Retired U.S. Coastguard Rear Admiral Joel Whitehead from Joel Whitehead & Associates, Inc.
- Marina designers from Applied Technology and Management, Inc.
- Environmental consultant from Environmental Resources, Inc., and
- Computer simulation experts from DHI Water & Environment, Inc.
ACOE completed its review of the marina application during the summer of 2015. With the approval of the NJDEP waterfront development permit and related environmental certifications, it is anticipated that ACOE will issue final approval of the marina construction in the near future.
Carteret Waterfront Park has been the focus of significant investment at the local, county and state levels in recent years, with features that include a fishing pier, miniature golf course, exercise trail, recreational and fitness amenities, and a sensory-perception garden. The site, which until 2003 had been a dilapidated, abandoned Brownfield, now hosts tens of thousands of visitors and residents each year.
Phase I of the project, the creation of Veterans’ Pier, which was opened in 2004. Phase II followed closely behind in 2005 which transformed the adjacent areas with an access road. Subsequent stages included the addition of mooring bollards at the existing promenade in 2010 to allow for large vessels to temporarily moor, as well as a pier extension in 2012 to serve as a breakwater for the marina.
In large part due to the Borough’s aggressive approach to grant-seeking, the project will be funded through a combination of federal, state, and county funds that have been awarded over a period of several years. Brownfield Development Area (BDA) funding will assist with the remediation and dredging that will make way for the marina, together comprising Phase III of Waterfront Park’s development. The municipal marina will provide opportunities for Carteret as well as Central New Jersey residents to have access to the water which will provide tremendous recreational outlets.
The project has led to the establishment of the town’s local Port Authority, and the site is now home to a marine barracks for the N.J. State Police.
“Today represents the beginning of the next chapter in the story of public access to our waterways,” Reiman added. “The residents of Carteret have awaited this day for nearly a generation, and I join with them in celebrating what promises to be a historic moment for our community.”
Local officials expect construction for the Carteret Municipal Marina to begin in July of 2016.
Some of the significant events in the development of Carteret Waterfront are as follows:
- 2002 Waterfront development permit issued for the construction of the Promenade.
- 2003 Construction begins on the waterfront pier.
- 2004 Waterfront development permit issued for upland park improvements.
- 08/12/04 Waterfront development permit issued for park improvements for an access road.
- 06/12/05 Marina permit application submitted to ACOE.
- 09/14/06 Waterfront development permit issued for pier extension and Wave Screen.
- 04/25/12 Marina permit application filed with ACOE.
- 03/07/13 Marina permit application denied by ACOE.
- 05/03/13 Marina permit application appeal filed with ACOE.
- 12/05/13 Marina permit application appeal remanded to ACOE New York District.
- 11/20/15 Waterfront development permit issued by NJDEP for Marina construction.
