NJEDA, DEP Form Collaborative to Address Environmental Issues in Paterson

PATERSON, NJ—A host of state and city officials were on hand on Thursday to launch a collaborative aimed at cleaning up and redeveloping contaminated sites in Paterson.

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Catherine R. McCabe and New Jersey Economic Development Authority CEO Tim Sullivan joined Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh at the Great Falls Visitor Center to launch the Community Collaborative Initiative program in Paterson yesterday.

The CCI program embeds DEP staff at the ground-level within communities, where they use their expertise to help local leaders address environmental concerns effectively and appropriately. The NJEDA recently partnered with the NJDEP to expand the program into five new communities, including Paterson. The CCI representative in Paterson will help city leadership overcome complex obstacles and open pathways to successful remediation and redevelopment of contaminated sites, including the Allied Textile Printing site and Hinchcliffe Stadium.

NJEDA Senior Brownfields Advisor Elizabeth Limbrick said, “I am excited to work with Mayor Sayegh, DEP Commissioner McCabe, and the CCI team to bring the NJEDA’s resources for brownfield remediation and revitalization to bear in Paterson to bring new life to spaces that have been vacant or underutilized for years.”

The CCI program is operating and has achieved success in Bayonne, Camden, Perth Amboy and Trenton. In Camden, CCI staff collaborated with local leaders and DEP experts to jumpstart the process of transforming a 61-acre landfill into restored shoreline and uplands, with improvements such as the creation of new tidal wetlands and recreational amenities for residents. In Perth Amboy, CCI facilitated the launch of a project to clean up a six-acre scrap heap and build a new park on the site. In Trenton, CCI staff helped to advance the development of the Assunpink Greenway Park—a 99-acre redevelopment project that will include soccer fields, a waterfront walk and other amenities.

The NJEDA and DEP in March formed a partnership to expand the initiative to include Bridgeton, Jersey City, Millville, Newark, Paterson, Paulsboro, Salem City and Vineland. Under the partnership, NJEDA funding will supplement the existing two full-time equivalent DEP employees dedicated to CCI with an additional six full-time equivalent employees.