The Chris Christie Administration of New Jersey is beginning the next phase of transforming a Camden landfill into a waterfront park with trails, a stabilized shoreline and a fishing area after requesting bids for the multimillion-dollar project, State Commissioner Bob Martin has announced.
The project includes transforming the remaining 62 acres of the Harrison Avenue Landfill into the Cramer Hill Waterfront Park with nearly a mile of shoreline.
“The Christie Administration has long been committed to the economic revitalization of Camden and the transformation of this landfill into a beneficial use for the community,” Martin says. “DEP’s (Department of Environmental Protection’s) deep partnerships in this city prove that by working together with stakeholders at all levels, the result is economic stimulus through job creation, improved recreation opportunities for the public and enhanced quality of life.”
“We are excited about today’s announcement as yet another contaminated and underutilized site will be drastically transformed into the beautiful Cramer Hill Waterfront Park,” Camden Mayor Dana Redd says. “I thank Commissioner Martin and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for their efforts to help Camden reclaim this precious open space. It’s going to be an ideal setting and will be a community asset for decades to come.”
The project is estimated to cost $25 million and will be funded with Natural Resource Damage monies obtained by DEP through the Office of Natural Resource Restoration. Construction will be contracted through the Division of Coastal Engineering with oversight from the Office of Natural Resource Restoration and its consultant.
Transformation of the landfill into Cramer Hill Waterfront Park would give the public its first access to the neighborhood’s waterfront in at least 70 years.
The project calls for regrading and stabilizing approximately three-quarters of a mile of shoreline along the Delaware and Cooper rivers, creating freshwater tidal wetlands, adding waterfront access to include a kayak launch and areas for fishing, connecting greenway trails to other neighborhoods and further remediating the area for possible community gardens. An amphitheater and picnic area also are planned.
The Harrison Avenue Landfill operated as a sanitary landfill from 1952 until 1971, but was never capped or closed. Efforts to transform the landfill into a waterfront park and community center hub date to 2004, when DEP’s Office of Brownfields Reuse began a partnership with the Camden Redevelopment Agency, local nonprofit agencies, such as the Cooper’s Ferry Partnership, local officials and residents to develop the park concept and make it reality.