Economic engine

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A feature that once carted commuters between Essex and Hudson counties is being converted to let them do it themselves instead – by foot or bicycle.

The Open Space Institute entered into a preliminary purchase agreement with Norfolk Southern Railway Co. last year that, if finalized, could result in an 8.6-mile walking and biking trail connecting eight towns from Montclair to Jersey City along a retired railroad bed.

The rail line that the trail will replace has been silent since 2002, when New Jersey Transit opened the Montclair Connection to link Montclair east to New York City. In partnership with the New Jersey Bike & Walk Coalition and September 11th National Memorial Trail Alliance, OSI is currently in talks with state and local officials about how to foot the Essex Hudson Greenway project’s $65 million bill, according to OSI Senior Director of Northeast Land Dene Lee.

“We have the engagement of the state, of the county, of OSI and Norfolk Southern, all trying to work collectively around this timeline to take advantage of a once in a lifetime opportunity to purchase this piece of property. Because of the work of OSI and other partners, we’re as close as we’ve ever been,” said Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill, who has been involved in talks over how to acquire and use the 135-acre tract since he joined the commissioner board in 2012.

The economic benefits of trails like the Essex Hudson Greenway are well documented. A 2014 study of Indianapolis’ eight-mile Indianapolis Cultural Trail by the Indiana University Public Policy Institute found that since its opening in 2008, the value of properties within a block of the trail has risen by 148%.

The 8-mile trail cost Indianapolis $62.5 million, the covered mostly by private or philanthropic sources and a federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery grant. For that investment, the combined value of the nearly 1,800 parcels within 500 feet of the trail increased by more than $1 billion from 2008 to 2014.

The impact study examining the 33-mile multi-use Camden County Link trail found the trail pumps more than $19.5 million per year into Camden, supports a total of $9.8 million in economic activity, added 114 jobs along the route and $4.2 million in labor income countywide. The study, executed by NV5, Rails to Trails, and Economic Consultant Inc., also found that the trail saved $6.8 million annually in health care costs.

A 2018 study by the North Carolina Department of Transportation found that for every dollar invested in one-time trail construction annually, $1.72 is generated from local business revenue, sales tax revenue, and benefits related to health and transportation. Rails to Trails Conservancy Project Manager Anya Saretzky found that $10.6 billion in local spending annually correlates to $20 billion in annual local health care cost savings from increased physical activities.

OSI has executed a number of rail trail conversion projects and has more still in the hopper. The organization acquired 11.5 miles of abandoned Wallkill Valley Railroad between New Paltz and Kingston, N.Y. in 2009 and thereafter raised $1.5 million to convert the 950-foot Rosendale Trestle for public enjoyment, as it exists today. OSI has other active projects in New York and New Jersey.

Beyond the economic impact, New Jersey Bike & Walk Coalition Executive Director Debra Kagan cites the hidden costs of health care and safety which would be addressed by the trail. “In New Jersey, over 40% of our greenhouse gas emissions is from transportation. [It would be a] benefit to the communities, in particular overburdened communities where they don’t have as much open space, [where] they have higher instances of asthma and obesity,” Kagan said.

Several officials—Gill, Montclair Center BID Executive Director Jason Gleason, Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop—said establishing the Essex Hudson trail is a rare opportunity. If funding isn’t allocated and the sale isn’t finalized other entities could purchase the plaza along the tract, therefore eliminating the opportunity for one long continuous trail. Norfolk Southern did not return a request for comment on whether any other parties have expressed interest in all or part of the property.

Fulop said his administration is advocating for the county to allocate funding for the project. “There’s a small window of opportunity to get this done, and it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. If Hudson County doesn’t capitalize on it, it’ll never happen again. It’ll be foolish if we aren’t willing to spend the necessary money which in the long term is just pittance,” he said.

By connecting Montclair, Glen Ridge, Bloomfield, Belleville, Newark, Kearny, Secaucus, and Jersey City, property management company Commercial District Services LLC President and CEO Chris Bernardo said the potential greenway would “undoubtedly it will change the way people experience Essex County.”

“It’ll create linkages to neighborhoods that never had that before. It spurs the opportunities to get connected to transportation nodes … especially in the North Ward, where we have several light rails,” he said. “It also creates this experiential sort of opportunity to move between communities which we’ve never really had in Essex County, and it creates a whole new sense of place with Essex and Hudson counties, as those two counties become connected,” he said.

Gleason called the potential for heavy foot and bike traffic without burdening local parking infrastructure “a huge dream” for him.

The connectivity and economic benefits that await the towns along the Essex Hudson Greenway can be seen a stone’s throw away along the 15-mile Columbia Trail, which runs between High Bridge in Hunterdon County and Flanders in Morris County.

“Imagine High Bridge, Califon, all the small towns across that thing, if the trail didn’t exist. What’s the impact? In the summertime, thousands of people who are on that trail become potential customers along the way. The trail provides the opportunity for me to enjoy the outdoors as I want to, but at the same time, the moment I’m out on that trail, there’s an opportunity for someone to fulfill another need of mine, which is food, beverage, or some other things,” said Hunterdon County Commissioner Matt Holt.

“This is why you have to recognize the economy is focused not just on business, it’s focused on ‘how do we bring people out to the area and how does the local system meet their needs and create that economy?’… Focusing on that type of passive outdoor recreation is an initial expenditure, absolutely, but the long-term effect is bolstering the economy [of] multiple towns,” Holt said.