Murphy Supports American Scheme; Financial Nightmare

Today Governor Murphy stood alongside developers to promote the American Dream mega-mall proposal in the Meadowlands. The American Dream proposal includes 109 acres being added to the Paterson Plank Road Redevelopment Area. This project with a mall and entertainment complex was supposed to open years ago. The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority would give the final approval on which properties would be added for redevelopment. The Meadowlands is an extremely environmentally sensitive and flood-prone area and the New Jersey Sierra Club opposes this development.

“Governor Murphy is out there touting New Jersey’s biggest land-use and financial failure of the last 20 years. The American Scheme mega-mall has been the largest corporate subsidy in the state’s history. He’s promoting this project but failing to mention all the public money that’s been pumped into it: $1.15 billion of taxpayer money. This doesn’t include the hundreds of millions in road improvements and tax giveaways. That money could have been better spend putting Positive Control in NJ Transit trains, building a new university or investing in advanced technology. The American Dream project has done nothing but suck up money and put environmentally-sensitive areas at risk for development. Overdeveloping the Meadowlands will not only put more people in danger of flooding, but will actually impact wetlands and the fragile ecosystems,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “While he’s supporting Christie’s biggest corporate giveaway, Murphy remains quiet about the massive proposed power-plant in the Meadowlands that would create environmental and safety concerns for the entire region.”

The Meadowlands Commission throughout the years, has helped protect thousands of acres of wetlands in the Meadowlands, while trying to steer development to less environmentally sensitive areas. Originally the Commission’s role was development and has changed more towards conservation working to clean up landfills and toxic sites. Since Christie dismantled the Meadowland Commission and turned them pro-development, the goals have changed. Instead of focusing on protecting and enhancing the natural habitat, they focus on building flood control projects, dikes, and walls around the Meadowlands. These types of hard structures are just used as an excuse for more intensive development on flood-prone areas.

“Malls are dying across the country and investing in this one is like investing in a phone booth. Even if the American Dream succeeds, it will cause a traffic nightmare. The project, which comprises 7.1 million square feet of office and commercial space, will generate more than 150,000 cars a day, gridlocking an area of the state already overburdened with traffic.  Everyday traffic will be like game day at Giants Stadium proposing to allow gambling here will make this area a traffic nightmare,” said Jeff Tittel. “What happens to the traffic in the region if on a Saturday people are going to the racetrack, shoppers are coming to the American Dream, and there is a Saturday football game at the Meadowlands?”

The Meadowlands is an oasis of nature being an environmentally sensitive area in one of the most developed places anywhere in the country. In the Meadowlands you can be kayaking between salt grass and then turn the corner to see the New York skyline. There are migratory birds flying over the New Jersey Turnpike. The Meadowlands is a very important environmentally sensitive area in the most densely populated part of the state. Its resources are important for flood control, fisheries, and migratory birds. Even though it has its toxic legacy the contaminated sites and landfills are being cleaned up and it is getting better, but now overdevelopment is a big threat.

“The wetlands in the Meadowlands should not be paved over for an unnecessary megamall. Any growth in the region must be carefully balanced with protecting its natural resources and preventing flooding. The region is already overburdened with traffic and pollution. We cannot have new high-density development area without real planning or environmental protections. All of this money could clearly be better spent on building new schools, taking lead of our drinking water, and cleaning up our toxic sites. New Jersey needs another mall like they need another Superfund Site. Instead of the American Dream, this project should be called the American Scheme,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “Instead of pushing overdevelopment with more casinos and shopping malls, we should be working to balance economic growth with the unique and environmentally-sensitive area.”