Protections for Liberty State Park fail amid billionaire's push to expand golf course into park

Scott Fallon | NorthJersey

Show Caption Hide Caption Video: View from Caven Point View from Caven Point of New York harbor at Liberty State Park

UPDATE 1/13/2020

An almost two-year effort to protect Liberty State Park from major development collapsed on Monday amid lobbying efforts by a billionaire to expand his ultra-exclusive golf course into a nature preserve at the park.

Although the bill was passed by the state Senate, Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin did not post the bill for a vote.

Coughlin was unavailable for comment Monday.

Park advocates said they would renew their push for the Liberty State Park Protection Act as the new legislative session gets underway this week.

The bill was killed as representatives of Liberty National Golf Club called for amendments that would allow its billionaire owner, Paul Fireman, to build three holes onto Caven Point natural area. The expansion could attract larger PGA tournaments to the club, which costs upwards of $400,000 to join.

The Fireman family has given more than $400,000 in campaign contributions to New Jersey politicians over the past 10 years including $5,200 to Coughlin in November, according to records filed with the state Election Law Enforcement Commission.

They also gave at least $20,800 last year to Democratic candidates for office in Middlesex County, Coughlin's home county and power base.

When asked about the campaign contributions, a spokesman for Coughlin responded:

“The very framing of this question is offensive and doesn’t deserve to be dignified with a response," said Kevin McCardle, a spokesman for the Assembly Democrats. "Legislation is posted when it is ready and after a thorough and thoughtful process. To imply anything else is reprehensible.”

Sam Pesin, president of the Friends of Liberty State Park, said Fireman's desire to build on the park goes against the wishes of park goers.

"Mr. Fireman arrogantly ignores that the overwhelming majority for over four decades has clearly and strongly opposed LSP privatization no matter what revenue was promised," said "He ignores that Caven Point is a critical, priceless, and irreplaceable natural area – a migratory bird habitat and nesting area and is used as an urban environmental education resource and a peaceful urban sanctuary."

Chris Donnelly, a spokesman for Fireman, said the billionaire would work to keep "99 percent" of Liberty State Park preserved in exchange for "1 percent," meaning Caven Point, as a "light recreational use."

"Our goal has always been to protect, forever, 99% of Liberty State Park while making private investments to make the Park even more attractive for local residents," Donnelly said. ​​​

"This will also drastically increase the likelihood of the continuation of PGA Tour events in Jersey City, which contribute tens of millions of dollars to the state and regional economy," he said.

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UPDATE 12/5/2019

The Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee approved a bill Thursday that would bar a billionaire from expanding his golf course into a natural preserve at Liberty State Park.

But senators pressed park advocates to meet with representatives of Liberty National Golf Club, which wants to build three holes onto Caven Point natural area, and negotiate some type of compromise.

Its owner, Paul Fireman, and his family have given more than $400,000 to lawmakers over the past decade.

Committee Chairman Paul Sarlo, D-Bergen, said the state would be "leaving money on the table" if it didn't consider leasing land to the golf club, which also said it would clean up contamination at Caven Point.

"We need to make sure that the bill is not weakened and watered down to exempt Caven’s Point for the expansion of Liberty National Golf Club. Vigilance is the price of stewardship,” said Jeff Tittel, director of the NJ Sierra Club. “This was a win today, but we still have a big fight ahead of us."

The bill would also bar large private development in the park, which has been coveted for decades by developers for its panoramic views of New York City.

The next legislative step will likely be a full vote in the Assembly and Senate before this legislative session ends on Jan. 14.

“Moves to expand a nearby golf course into the park underscore the importance of this legislation in protecting Liberty State Park and I look forward to meeting with those who take issue with the bill,” said Sen. Sandra Cunningham, D-Hudson, the bill's sponsor. “Ensuring that the park continues to remain as a recreational area free for everyone to enjoy is crucial."

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The billionaire owner of a New Jersey golf club for millionaires still has his sights set on expanding his golf course onto a waterfront portion of Liberty State Park in Jersey City used mostly by children to learn about the ecology of New York Harbor.

The renewed push by Paul Fireman, owner of Liberty National Golf Club, to build three holes on undeveloped Caven Point comes at a time when state lawmakers may ban such projects from New Jersey’s most visited park.

The Legislature is considering a bill that would prohibit large developments at Liberty State Park after 40 years of attempts by developers to build everything from a hotel to an amusement park on land coveted for its panoramic views of Manhattan.

A section of the bill would appear to quash the golf course expansion. It contains language that prohibits "any concession, conveyance, or lease" at Caven Point, a peninsula that juts out into the harbor near the Statue of Liberty.

But a lobbyist for the golf course who has ties to Gov. Phil Murphy asked lawmakers at a recent Senate committee hearing to consider amending the bill to take out the language protecting Caven Point. Eric Shuffler served on Murphy’s "Transition Leadership Team as a senior adviser for strategic communications," according to his firm's website.

The committee declined to make amendments but told Shuffler that there "will be continuing discussion.”

Sam Pesin, president of the Friends of Liberty State Park, called the golf proposal "an obscene giveaway to the 1 percent."

Chris Donnelly, a spokesman for Fireman, said the billionaire and former CEO of Reebok sneakers has the "highest regard" for advocates like Pesin but believes the golf course expansion would benefit the entire park.

Story continues below the photo gallery.

The expansion suffered a setback last year when the Murphy administration appeared to turn down the project.

But supporters have long feared that it would be resurrected. They say a May 2018 letter from the Department of Environmental Protection left the door open for future consideration when it told Liberty National it would not pursue the project "at this time."

A spokeswoman for Murphy did not respond last week to a request for comment.

The issue dates back to the waning days of Gov. Chris Christie's administration, when Liberty National submitted plans in 2017 to build greens for three holes on 21-acre Caven Point.

The site, a prime habitat for migrating birds, has marshland and a sandy beach where 500 to 600 students each year capture and release fish, crabs, seahorses and other marine life found in local waters.

The proposal generated fierce opposition from park advocates, who said it was another attempt to take away open space from the public and give it to an exclusive golf club that reportedly charges its members $450,000 to join.

Liberty National was built for $150 million by the Fireman family. It sits adjacent to the park on a former landfill and industrial wasteland. It opened in 2006 and has hosted some high-profile tournaments, including the Presidents Cup in 2017, which drew President Donald Trump along with former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

Donnelly said the Fireman family "shares the goal of protecting and enhancing Liberty State Park."

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He said the project would clean Caven Point and generate revenue to improve the entirety of Liberty State Park. The project would also create a golf center "to help support underserved youth in Hudson County."

Park advocates say Caven Point is fine the way it is and a golf academy is window-dressing for a raid of parkland already used by underserved youth.

"To me and my family it is our playing field as well as our backyard," Rafael Torres, a retired Jersey City firefighter, told a Senate committee last month. "And one thing we don’t like is someone coming to our backyard to privatize our Hudson home."

Park advocates worry that Fireman may have an outsized influence on decision-makers.

Fireman and his wife, son and daughter-in-law have given almost $400,000 to state lawmakers of both parties, local officials and political parties over the past decade, according to a NorthJersey.com review of campaign finance data.

Among the recipients have been Senate President Steve Sweeney and Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, political rivals who had joined together to fight against development plans at Liberty State Park during the Christie years.

Shuffler, the lobbyist, said his connection to Murphy's transition team has little impact because the bill, called the "Liberty State Park Protection Act," is in the hands of the Legislature. Governors often try to shape legislation as it winds through the Assembly and Senate and have the power to send it back with recommendations after it is passed by the Legislature.

"We believe that our plan to both preserve Liberty State Park and remediate Caven Point with a low-impact green space to green space golf use will allow investment in improved park access and improved park amenities, which will create a better overall visitor experience," Shuffler said.

Despite that, the bill opposing such development has moved through Assembly and Senate committees. The Senate Budget Committee is expected to hold a hearing on it Thursday.

Pesin said he has hope that the Legislature will pass the bill and Murphy will sign it without any concession to Fireman.

"We have faith [they] will do the right thing for social justice, urban people and all New Jerseyans," he said, "and sign this epic, historic bill into law with essential protections of this New Jersey and American sacred public land behind Lady Liberty for future generations."

Staff Writer Terrence McDonald contributed to this story.

Scott Fallon covers the environment for NorthJersey.com. To get unlimited access to the latest news about how New Jersey’s environment affects your health and well being, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: fallon@northjersey.com Twitter: @newsfallon