Ultra-exclusive golf club wants to expand into Liberty State Park

A private golf club that charges its members $300,000 to join wants to expand onto a piece of Liberty State Park that park advocates say is used by hundreds of schoolchildren each year to learn about nature along the Hudson River.

Liberty National Golf Course has submitted plans to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to relocate three of its holes onto a 21-acre peninsula called Caven Point that juts out into the river near the Statue of Liberty.

The plans were the only ones submitted in response to a public bid request last month in the waning days of the the Christie administration to lease the land. Former Gov. Chris Christie had tried for years to bring more large-scale private development to New Jersey's most-visited park including a hotel and conference center, but those efforts failed.

Park advocates said it is "outrageous" that New Jersey would try to lease land used by children in environmental education programs. The site has marshlands 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.

“Caven Point is public land with tremendous ecological and environmental education value, that must remain that way," said Greg Remaud, who sits on a state advisory board for the park.

Paul Fireman, Liberty National Golf Club's billionaire owner, said in a statement that he would look to work with park advocates and environmental groups "to fully ensure that the natural resources and environmental sensitivities are responsibly resolved."

The state's bid request requires bidders to "preserve and enhance" the area and "minimize any impacts" to public access to marshlands.

A spokesman for Gov. Phil Murphy, who took office last week, was not immediately available for comment Wednesday. But Murphy indicated he is not in favor of large-scale projects in the park when asked about a proposal supported by Christie to build a second marina.

"I support the preservation of Liberty State Park so it can be enjoyed by current and future generations," he said earlier this month.

Liberty National Golf Club was ranked No. 1 in the world for the most expensive membership last year by Golf News Net. Its members include: Rudolph Giuliani, Home Depot co-founder Ken Langone and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft.

Fireman said part of the expansion is to bring a youth-golfing program called The First Tee to the ultra-exclsuive club "to serve the underprivileged children of Jersey City, Hudson County and the surrounding metropolitan area."

"Liberty National is proposing to develop a headquarters for The First Tee, plus a designated practice facility and golf holes to significantly contribute to the effort of The First Tee’s mission within the local community," he said. "We do not expect to create the next Jordan Spieth – although that could happen – but we fully expect to foster positive growth for young ladies and gentlemen and assist them in reaching higher education to enrich their lives."

Fireman and his family members have donated tens of thousands of dollars to both Democrat and Republican state lawmakers in recent years, according to state campaign finance records. The family gave at least $11,400 to Christie in September 2013 during his reelection campaign.

Despite Fireman's assurances, the Friends of Liberty State Park, NY/NJ Baykeeper and the New Jersey Sierra Club all voiced strong opposition Wednesday to the proposed plans and urged Murphy to reject them.

A spokesman for the Department of Environmental Protection would not release details of the proposal on Wednesday.

"It's still in the preliminary stage," said Larry Hajna.

The proposal would need to be vetted by the DEP. The final say on the plan rests with the Statehouse Commission, a legislative body that controls the sale and leasing of state-owned land.

Liberty National Golf Course was built adjacent to the park on a former landfill and industrial wasteland.

The course, which opened in 2006, had its highest profile event last year when it hosted the Presidents Cup. Along with some of the world's top golfers, the event drew President Donald Trump along with former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

“Liberty National did a fine job transforming polluted land adjacent to Liberty State Park into a top private golf course," Remaud said. "However, like all good neighbors they need to recognize boundaries."

The golf course proposal comes more than a year after the Christie administration dropped an effort to bring private development to the park.

A consultant's suggestions included a low-rise hotel at dilapidated train sheds and a conference center in the adjoining terminal building. It also called for developing the park's southern end, possibly with an amusement park, field house for indoor sports, outdoor amphitheater and another marina.

The plans faced strong local opposition, and former DEP Commissioner Bob Martin announced that the state was not going to pursue them at a legislative hearing in 2016.

Plans for the marina surfaced late last year under the Christie administration to dock hundreds of boats at the southern end of the park. Jersey City officials sued to block the proposal, but a judge last week allowed it to move forward. Like the golf course, the Murphy administration will determine if it is approved.

Suntex Marinas will hold a public presentation of its plans on Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. at Liberty House restaurant.