Jones Lang LaSalle

NJMC to study tainted Koppers Koke site
Monday, November 28, 2005
By JENNIFER MOSSCROP
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

One of the largest brownfield sites in the area may be the key to creating thousands of jobs in Kearny.

The New Jersey Meadowlands Commission has approved a plan to conduct a formal study on the contaminated, 100-acre Koppers Koke site in Kearny.

NJMC staff will investigate the former industrial site which borders the Hackensack River, Route 7, and the NJ Turnpike, to see if it meets the criteria for redevelopment.

If it qualifies and is approved, NJMC planners and engineers will develop new zoning regulations and site plans in order to attract developers for logistical operations such as warehousing, light manufacturing, or importing and exporting goods, according to NJMC spokesperson Chris Gale.
The report is expected back from the planners in February.

According to Kearny Mayor Albert Santos, Koppers Koke is owned by the state, the Hudson County Improvement Authority, and the NJMC, making it a very complex site in regard to who funds what.

There are infrastructure, access, sewage and environmental issues that will cost millions to resolve, Santos said.

"We partnered with NJMC to find good use for the land," said Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise, who stressed the importance of the study. "Now we're headed in the right direction."
Funding for the study will come from the NJMC's operating budget, according to Gale.
"After the site is clear of contamination, the area should be kept in the public eye so no one could pollute it again," said Hackensack Riverkeeper Captain Bill Sheehan, who was part of the vision committee formed by the NJMC earlier this year.