Jersey City is not sitting back and waiting to see how the proposed development of Liberty State Park plays out.

The city announced this morning that it has hired the law firm of Riker Danzig, Scherer, Hyland, & Perretti, LLP to protect Liberty State Park against the development of a new marina.

The Jersey Journal reported last week that Suntex, which operates Liberty Landing Marina on the north side of the park, has a proposal before the state Department of Environmental Protection to lease 45 acres of the the south side of the park to open another marina; and to expand the existing marina by 10 acres.

"Once again, the Christie Administration has proven their utter disregard for the importance of public parks in New Jersey," Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop said. "This development is one that would drastically change the landscape of one of the state's best public parks, and to add insult to injury, has progressed up until this point behind closed doors.

"This lack of integrity has become business as usual, and this time, one of our best public assets will suffer unless we as a city fight back."

City officials said the law firm will pursue legal options against the proposed marina, citing a misalignment between the proposed use and the original purpose of the public park, as well as safety concerns for residents and local wildlife.

The contract with the firm is not to exceed $25,000, according to a resolution on the agenda for tonight's City Council meeting.

"We are immensely grateful to Mayor Fulop for delivering the legal resources necessary to protect the south side of Liberty State Park for the public to continue to picnic, fish, walk and enjoy unblemished views of the New York Harbor freely," Greg Remaud, deputy director of the NY/NJ Baykeeper, said in a statement.

Sam Pesin, president of the Friends of Liberty State Park, has been vocal in his opposition to the proposal. He organized a rally in the park on Dec. 2 to show state leaders the immense local opposition to the plan.

"The Friends of Liberty State Park and all supporters of the park as a local, state, and national treasure with open space and priceless open vistas, are very grateful to the Fulop administration for his determination and dedication in stopping this destructive marina plan from going forward," said Pesin, who made details of the park proposal public after making an Open Public Records Act request for the plan.

The park may be the most-visited of the state parks, but according to reports Liberty State Park loses hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. In early 2015 the "Liberty State Park assessment report" was developed and submitted to the state DEP as part of Gov. Chris Christie's "sustainable parks" initiative.

Last year the Friends of Liberty State Park and the city fought a plan to allow commercial barges to be installed on the Hudson River adjacent to Liberty State Park. The plan was eventually scrapped.