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August 19, 2008 Maritime Villages: Reclaiming a Sense of Place on Our Passaic and Hackensack River Waterways (by Matthew Walsh) - Many people in our region find it easy to overlook the natural heritage of our navigable waterways. It is quite understandable, in light of the bridges and highways that traverse them. With the exception of being stalled in traffic jams, the typical commuter will only experience these waterways as a “grey-blur” passed by on their way to their final destinations. Additionally, in the post-World War II years, our New Jersey population has been engaged in an unprecedented migration away from our port cities towards newer residential subdivisions located on former farm or woodland properties. The developing consensus on this 60-year migratory and living pattern is an increasing repudiation of “sprawl” and the often attendant destruction of life-giving and rechargeable aquifers located in our freshwater watersheds. As New Jersey recognizes that its Highlands Region is being threatened to the point that perhaps one half of the drinking water in the state is imperiled, efforts have been implemented to curb development in the remaining pristine enclaves of this watershed. However, this is not an anti-development-only approach. In fact, this watershed preservation is tethered to a parallel program that is encouraging redevelopment of our older cities and suburbs, where infrastructure like rail lines, sewer and water lines, and navigable rivers already exist but are frequently underutilized. The Passaic and Hackensack Rivers as infrastructure? Well, let me dignify that description a little bit. It is natural (“green”) infrastructure. Our port cities were founded on the banks of the Passaic and Hackensack Rivers for a reason. They provided a focus for mobility and commerce, connected through their host rivers to the other tide-flowing areas of our region, continent, and even overseas. Our proud Passaic and Hackensack River towns were some of the earliest Industrial Age communities in our nation. They transformed raw materials (lumber, clay, ore, and crops) into valuable finished goods, making our young nation no longer dependent on shipping our homegrown commodities to Europe for repurchase as finished goods. Our New Jersey river ports were de facto trade outposts that helped strengthen our nation. Newark, Nutley, Hackensack, Harrison, East Newark, Kearny, Carlstadt, Teaneck, Belleville, Passaic, and Lyndhurst are all located on tide-flowing portions of these rivers. Hence, they are all literally connected by water to the world. From the River to the Bays and to the Oceans, they may have been ignored, even forgotten, but the tide ebbs and flows on their shores as it has throughout time. All, or most, of these locations will need financial encouragement to clean up their polluted sites. It is time for their second acts! Walkable mixed-use maritime villages will become magnets for mixed income, residential apartment and housing as well as retail and commercial employment. These maritime villages will not resemble the shabby-looking enclaves associated with some of the evocative writings of Charles Dickens. Existing water taxi and freight cargo docks will become integrated into an attractive waterfront esplanade. Abundant and attractive landscaping will become a centerpiece for the aesthetic reclamation of our waterfront maritime villages. Higher Density Development does not have to be a disturbing concept, as many areas of Europe actively demonstrate. Additionally, many densely developed transit villages located right here in New Jersey, provide demonstrable evidence that mixed-use, walkable developments in close proximity to existing train stations have actually increased the value of properties in these locations. Ideally, our maritime villages located on our highways of water will not only relocalize some of our commerce but will encourage regional water-borne passenger and freight commerce. Each maritime village can have regularly scheduled water taxi service. Each river will maintain a regional transfer hub, where water-taxi travelers can transfer to larger vessels. This is particularly true of the Passaic River towns north of Newark, where drawbridge clearances are problematic for larger vessels. The raising and lowering of the bridges over frequent intervals would disrupt local traffic patterns in the communities that these bridges span, making a water jitney service invaluable for the upriver communities. A commuter boarding in a maritime village in say Passaic, Clifton, Nutley, or Lyndhurst would ride the water taxi to Newark, either as a final destination or as a transfer point to a larger, heavier draft ferry. The ferry would then proceed to such diverse points as downtown New York City and the Hudson River employment centers abutting Jersey City and Hoboken. Incidentally, Jersey City and Hoboken have amply demonstrated, during the past two decades, a large-scale maritime rebirth. However, these cases are the exception, since both of them (and particularly Jersey City) had thousands of acres of abandoned rail freight and water shipping piers and properties. However, their waterfront revival can inform the inland revival of the Hackensack and Passaic River waterways. On the Hackensack River, a commuter can board in one of the maritime villages located in Carlstadt or Hackensack, and travel to Jersey City as a destination or transfer point to larger vessels bound for the Hudson River waterfront or New York Harbor. The Jersey City location will also have access to bus connections and a new PATH station. Many of our new port cities will have potential to reinvigorate both maritime and rail traffic. Our underutilized port areas also contain many abandoned rail beds that can be brought into service symbiotically with new maritime service. The compact mixed-use, high-density nature of our maritime villages will encourage the use of public transportation. There are some other national trends that will encourage development of maritime villages. People of all ages are clamoring for a sense of community, and they are returning to cities. This is a demographic phenomenon that defies narrow definition. Young professionals, empty-nesters, and even retirees are “voting with their feet” to live in culturally diverse, convenient, and attractive urban enclaves. Perhaps, sometime in the not too distant future, a commuter will step off of a water taxi on a warm summer evening at one of the dozens of maritime villages located in Nutley, Belleville, Hackensack, East Newark or Carlstadt. The commuter will meet a friend for a waterside dinner of fresh fish that was caught, cleaned, and transported by freight ferry only hours earlier. They will ruminate over one of those umbrella-bearing drinks that used to only be served in larger urban enclaves. A whistle blows, and the last outbound water taxi connection for the World Financial Center is about to depart. Matthew Walsh is a freelance writer interested in environmental and transportation topics. He can be reached at mwals@hotmail.com. |
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Ella Filippone Recognized for “Making a Difference” - For her many years of work in making the Passaic River and its watershed a better place, Dr. Ella Filippone was the recipient of a 2008 Russ Berrie Award for Making a Difference.
The award is given by the Russell Berrie Foundation, a NJ-based philanthropic organization dedicated to finding and supporting dynamic leaders who improve the well-being of society. It recognizes the contributions of “unsung heroes,” New Jersey citizens who perform uncommon acts on behalf of the common good. The Foundation, along with Ramapo College of New Jersey, presents these awards annually to nineteen recipients, who are chosen from hundreds of nominees by a selection committee of New Jersey business leaders and professionals.
Along with the award, Dr. Filippone received a congratulatory joint resolution from NJ’s Senate and General Assembly, signed by Senate President Richard J. Codey and Speaker of the General Assembly Joseph J. Roberts, Jr., commending her for giving generously of her time and energy to the various federal and state initiatives to preserve the Passaic River watershed.
Ella Filippone (right) with Mrs. Angelica Berrie (left), President of the of the Russell Berrie Foundation |
