After two years of negotiation, the township of Bloomfield has officially taken control of 5.7 acres of the Copeck/Ruvo/ DeSimone site off Lion’s Gate Drive.

The site, which for years has been caught in a tug-of-war between developers and environmentalists, was purchased with Open Space Trust Fund money, and will be turned into a “passive recreation” area. There will be environmentally-friendly landscaping and trails, and trees will be left in their natural state.

Tim Delorm of Terra Noble Design will oversee the landscaping and design of the park. Delorm is also the chair of the Glen Ridge Shade Tree Commission and co-chair of the Glen Ridge Glen Park Restoration Committee.

Still at issue is the larger site adjacent to the area which was once home to Scientific Glass. That site sits in a floodplain and was approved for development by the Planning Board. Earlier this week the Bloomfield Council, led by Nick Joanow, voted to send a letter to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection opposing the extension of a Freshwater Wetlands Permit.

If the extension is approved, it would open up development for 104 condominiums. If not, the town could eventually buy that site, too. Stay tuned.

Photo by Geoff Gove

9 replies on “Bloomfield Takes Over 5.7 Acres of Lion’s Gate Site”

  2. indigenous plantings…no ball fields..no swing sets…no beds of flowers to tend

  3. Plantings that don’t require a lot of pesticide or fertilizer, and that are from the growing zone we are in, and that are compatible with the soil chemistry and rain cycles in the area, and that attract local bird life.

  8. Councilman Nick Joanow has been the fuel that kept this project going.

    Many residents of Bloomfield worked very hard to create the Bloomfield Open Space Trust Fund Committee and many committee members have worked on this project. Lois Ross, Mary Shaughnessy, and Susan Hebert come to mind immediately.

    This is great news for Bloomfield and a long time coming. This project has been worked on since 2001. Geoff Gove has many many photos- what the land looked like before it was clearcut by the previous owner. What it looks like now. A lot of work has to be done berfore the land will be parklike again.

    https://bloomfieldgreenways.blogspot.com/

    https://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6840/1993/1600/Slide39.jpg
    https://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6840/1993/1600/Slide32.jpg

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