City of Trenton ordered to fix damage done by Delaware River clear-cutting

Officials in New Jersey’s beleaguered capital city, eager to show off a more-than-mile-long stretch of Delaware River bank cleared after decades of neglect, boasted on Facebook in late February: “Stacy Park is on its way to becoming THE destination spot in Trenton, NJ.”

They were “blown away by the scenery,” the officials wrote of a vista that had been obscured by overgrowth and illegal dumping in an area once trod by George Washington and his troops. “Can’t wait to share the completed improvements!”

Absent from the post, though, was a key piece of information: The project, involving a crew of a dozen men with chainsaws, dump trucks and chipper-shredders, was shut down by state regulators. Just five days earlier, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection informed the city—which did the work without necessary permits—that 36 fragile acres, part of a disaster-prone flood zone, were destabilized.

Now, Trenton—a city so poor that it relies on state taxpayers for millions of dollars to balance its annual budget—is under orders to repair the damage.

“Trenton gets the privilege of throwing more money—money we don’t even have—at fixing a problem that should have never existed in the first place,” said city resident Michael Ranallo, a 56-year-old engineer who runs a civic engagement Facebook page called Trenton Orbit.

City and environmental officials didn’t immediately respond to detailed questions from The Jersey Vindicator about what went wrong with a project conceived to help Trenton recover from ill-thought-out, 1950s-era urban planning practices that cut access to a prized natural resource and hobbled economic growth.

“We respect their oversight and are committed to addressing any concerns they have raised,” Mayor Reed Gusciora said in a text message, referring to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. “We will continue to collaborate with NJDEP to ensure compliance while preserving the integrity and accessibility of this valued public space.”

The river has breached in and around Stacy Park at least five times in the past 25 years, most recently in 2021, prompting the evacuation of hundreds of Island residents, leaving the four-lane Route 29 underwater, closing the Capitol District and shutting down a water plant that serves roughly 225,000 people in and around the city. In recent weeks, construction crews completed a yearslong, $29.1 million federally funded project intended to prevent more water damage to the highway and downtown.

Trenton blames the state for much of its troubles. As the seat of state government, Trenton can’t tax the public buildings that occupy prime downtown real estate. The flood-prone Route 29, built more than 60 years ago to ease state workers’ suburban commutes, transformed Stacy Park and several more miles of waterfront into forgotten territory. Urban renewal advocates say state-occupied land, if acquired and privately redeveloped, would boost a city where one in four people live below the federal poverty line.

Trenton residents interviewed on March 11 said they were pleased with a newly accessible waterfront but upset about regulators’ findings.

“My first thought: What’s fixing it going to cost?” said Steve Santasiero, 41, whose house overlooks the Delaware in Trenton’s Island neighborhood, abutting the park. “What’s going to happen with erosion?”

Heavy rain has washed away soil that was trucked to the site from an unidentified location, and the state says it must be removed. Of the hundreds of cut trees, scores weren’t removed but were piled in shallow water, where they’re trapping litter and other debris. A chain-link fence, once covered in vines, served as a highway noise buffer. But with the growth stripped—the mayor called it invasive—the traffic’s roar can be deafening.

“It’s great to have a nicer view, but no one likes deforestation,” said Atticus Doyle, a 37-year-old sales representative who lives across from Stacy Park.

The Island neighborhood—which, despite its name, has water on just one side—is home to hundreds of people who enjoy something of a retreat from city life. Charming 1920s cottages are bargain-priced because severe flooding has led to dayslong evacuations and millions of dollars in property damage. Crime, vandalism and other ills that plague the rest of the city are rare.

Homeowners tend to the riverbanks, adding native plantings and bird feeders, and in the summer they swim and kayak.

“I’m not thrilled with the slash and burn,” Island resident Jim Harford, a 70-year-old retiree, said of Stacy Park. “But it’s a work in progress.”

It’s not clear what the city paid for the initial job, where the funding came from, or whether it has an estimated price for restoration. Also unclear is whether the city met the state’s 10-day deadline for “an explanation of the corrective actions you have taken or will take to achieve compliance,” according to a notice of violation sent to Trenton Recreation Director Paul Harris from the Bureau of Coastal and Land Use Compliance and Enforcement.

The notice, dated Feb. 19, cited “unauthorized regulated activities” without permits, including clear-cutting trees and other growth and altering the park’s natural floodplain.

Maurice Nelson, a specialist for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Bureau of Coastal and Land Use Compliance and Enforcement, gave Trenton 30 days to submit a five-point restoration plan, including removing fill material, restoring the park’s natural grade and replanting areas that were torn apart in summer and fall 2024.

“The DEP has been in contact with the city regarding the corrective action plan to resolve the notice of violation but has not received it yet,” Vincent Grassi, a New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection spokesman, said in an email to The Jersey Vindicator. Regulators met with the mayor and staff on Feb. 24, Grassi said, “to discuss the submission of a restoration plan.”

Gusciora referred detailed questions to Harris, who didn’t respond to emails and phone calls for comment. A Democrat in his second term, Gusciora supports an as-yet-unfunded proposal, floated for at least 20 years, to turn Route 29 into a slower-speed boulevard with landscaping and traffic-calming features.

Following the lead of similar urban renewal efforts in Chicago, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and New York, planners say Trenton residents and visitors would have access to Stacy Park, a minor-league baseball stadium, boat ramps, bike paths and other recreational activities.

“Our recent efforts at Stacy Park were driven by community concerns about both aesthetics and safety,” Gusciora said. “Our priority remains the safety and enjoyment of Stacy Park for all residents, and we look forward to working toward a resolution that balances environmental protection with community needs.”