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JERSEY CITY- A large park featuring a sandy “urban beach” and playground was formally opened by the LeFrak Organization Thursday, with Gov. Christopher J. Christie and the New York Mets coach Mookie Wilson in attendance, at the Newport waterfront community. The festivities celebrated 20-plus years of redevelopment at the former railroad yards site as well as the new park.
“The opening of Newport Green reinforces the vision we have been successfully executing for Newport since 1986, when we broke ground and began transforming forgotten railroad yards and abandoned warehouses into a thriving waterfront hub of activity,” says Richard S. LeFrak, CEO of the development company. “The park maximizes Newport’s privileged waterfront location and provides a unique destination for residents and visitors to play, socialize and relax.”
The new park is set on 4.25 acres at the northern edge of the 600-acre mega-complex that has grown up at Newport. The Newport Green has expansive lawns, garden paths and bench seating with free WiFi service. The 7,650 -square-foot beach edged with a boardwalk faces the Hudson River and is equipped with beach chairs and umbrellas. It is open to residents and guests.
The park also encompasses an elaborate 17,000-square-foot playground with water features, an oval recreational field, and an ocean-themed carousel.
In a nod to history, a PATH tunnel ventilation tower was integrated into park design by Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects, LeFrak says. The site once was part of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad yards, and beneath the yards lie the oldest parts of the PATH tunnel system, dating to the late 19th century.
After LeFrak’s recounting, Christie commented, “It’s good for him to take a moment and look back at all his achievements.” In his remarks, the governor emphasized the importance of public and private interests working together to produce dynamic development.
The next construction planned at the massive mixed-use Newport development is at the other end of the complex. The LeFrak family is aggressively seeking an anchor tenants for a 1.25-million-square-foot office tower it wants to build at the southern tip of Newport.
Newport’s 600-acare community of residential, office and retail buildings already is home to 17 of the global Fortune 500 largest companies.
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