 |
| August 9, 2007 Dear Owner of Property Within 200 Feet of the Embankment, 6th Street, Jersey City: Approximately 650 properties lie within 200 feet of the Embankment on 6th Street. They’re owned by about 550 different individuals and companies. These properties will be most immediately affected by demolition and redevelopment of the Embankment. Yet ONE investor who bought the property from Conrail in July 2005 is the property owner with the loudest voice. Will you, the silent 550, speak up now? . . . For the public interest, which is for the good of all, and for your private property rights, which are threatened by the developer’s plans? Are you aware that the nine-year citizens’ struggle to preserve the Harsimus Stem Embankment on 6th Street as a historic site, public park, and greenway will be resolved soon, for good or ill? A staff attorney to the federal Surface Transportation Board (STB) has informed us that the board will rule “very shortly” on a petition, filed in January 2006 by the City of Jersey City, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, the Embankment Preservation Coalition, and Assemblyman Louis Manzo, that challenged Conrail’s sale of the property to a private developer without first going through rail-line abandonment process at the federal level. Whether the ruling is favorable to the City or unfavorable, a governmental entity will have to acquire the Embankment very quickly in order to protect it from demolition and inappropriate development that compromises the National Historic Districts. Though the City and elected officials at every level of government have endorsed preservation, and some actions toward acquisition have been made, preservation is by no means assured. Our Coalition of 972 members and subscribers, dozens of neighborhood, citywide, regional, and national organizations, and thousands of citizens who signed petitions, made phone calls, and showed up at meetings over the last nine years have so far saved this historic site for reuse for public purposes. We have secured historic protections, garnered recognitions that made the City eligible for special funding, and helped raise millions of dollars for acquisition. This month we will continue to defend the public interest before land use boards. Ultimately, however, the Embankment’s preservation depends on the will of our elected officials. At this critical time, your voice for preservation must be heard. Please read the following important links, “What Demolition and Inappropriate Development Means to Us” and “What To Do Now!” Additional background information and a chronology of events and actions since 1999 can be found at www.embankment.org . Then take action! It may be your last chance to protect your property and the public interest. Sincerely, Jennifer Meyer President |
| Pennsylvania Railroad Harsimus Stem Embankment Preservation Coalition |
| Embankment Preservation Coalition 495 Monmouth St, Jersey City, NJ 07302 201-963-0232 View: www.embankment.org |
 |