Perth Amboy evening news., 1919-02-12
aBzS
WATERFRONT DEVELOPMENT

Tho letter from Carl T.. Chr1StenSc on lc Iici iiVht PA'"
was published yesterday, emphasizes a point IN the city "a'eiii"
DEVELOPMENT that must be given serious consideration. Before IL IS
finally decided to locate the soldiers memorial IN the proposed pafA
perth Ambov must consider whether it desires so much OF Its river
front for a pleasure ground or whether 1T is not deslraDe 10 u'''0
iarse part of it TO commercial and industrial purposes.
A few DAYS ago the EVENING NEWS called attention to N ac'
that while the Wonderland and Hayes tracts were bought expressly
for park purposes, the Gregory property asDought o
= A terminal for commerce and industry that while the park commS
simcrs have jurisdiction over the Wonderland and Hayes tractS' the
Iarbor board is in control Of the Gregory site. 1t is possible that adoF
tional legislation will be necessary to get all OF this properly unei
a single branch of the city government.
One of the greatest arguments advanced in favor OF n purchase
Of he Gregory property several years ago VAS that the river Ton was
thc logical place for future port development. While most OF "f snip
ping today is done along the Staten Island sound 'front.' there Is no
the room there for large vessels to maneouvre and ocean commerce
cannot be accommodated along the sound to any great extent.
On the other hand, by a little dredging, the material taken ut 10
make a channel being used to fill back of the extended Duikhead, inc
river front could be turned into an ideal port terminal for all kinds u
shipping even for the largest freighters that float.
Peter C. Olsen, who, together with DR.. Fritz Abegg, made the
model for the proposed park now On exhibition, was president Oh 'e
barbor board at the time the Gregory property was purchased and at
that time he drew plans bringing out the wonderful possibilities OIL '
Gregory site as a port terminal with Its aliroa SldhgS ao eA'e"''
docks for shipping.
Probably those plans for the development of the Gregory site are
still in existence. If so, they might be placed alongside the park model
in order that the people might get the contrast.
After all, it is the welfare of Perth AmbOy that everyone has at
heart The question is will not Perth Amboy derive greater benefit
by developing the water front along commercial lines rather than Tor
olnuscments exclusively
But it would be very shortsighted, indeed, to devote the entire
water front to commercial purposes, shutting the people out altogether
from the great pleasures to be derived from the beaches. New York,
even congested as that port is, still retains its Battery Park and River
side Drive and any suggestion to abandon them for commercial pur-
poses is met with the stifest kind of opposition.
Perth Amboy, too, should have her Battery Park and Riverside
Drive, only known by different names, perhaps. But 1t is a question
whether practically the entire water front shouIl be devoted to such
purposes.
,WhhF1rrfre{ ~ zf9v +SaGE VAS bought it was realized that in order
TO get a railroad siding into that tract right of way would have to be
secured across the Wonderland Beach tract and the desirablity OF the
city owning the Wonderland tract as well as the Gregory tract was
evident Rut the DroDoStiOu a considered too expensive at tnat lime,
particularly as a great many people could not see beyond a mud ole
and a lot of rotten hulks that then occupied the Gregory site, which
they claimed, were being pawned off on the city at afabulous
price. Today, however, the true value of the purchase is beng under
Stood.
Now that the city owns the Wonderland Beach tract, however, as
well as the Hayes tract and the site at the foot of High street.-the lat
or already made into an attractive little park-mght it not be possible
to secure the rest of the waterfront that remains in private hands
along the river so a. to give the city possession of all the water front
from the railroad to High street, Then with the Gregory tract already
in the hands of The harbor board for commercial development, turn the
Wonderland beach tract over to the harbor board also for the same pur-
pose. BY filling in to the bulkhead line and, being adjacent
10 the railroad, the whole river front as far east a Brighton avenue.
might be developed as a port terminal to be used commercially, FUR
nihng employment for thousands of men and bringing millions OF dol
lar into the city.
Then. from Brighton avenue eastward to High street, and eventu-
ally ell the way around the Bluff to the Market street park, the water
front could be devoted to recreation purposes. This would give the
Wonderland beach tract, which is meet to the railroad and nearest to
the Rantan Copper Works, and the Gregory tract over to commercial
development, while the Hayes tract and all property east of Brighton
avenue as far as High street would be used for park purposes.
Under this scheme the city would have its commercial develop
ment as well as its water front park.
The question of commercial development becomes all the more i'm
portant when we realize that before many years pass there Is going to
he a great ship canal across New Jersey terminating directly opposite
this city on Rartan bay. All the shipping of New England as well as
from the Great Lakes by way of the barge canal across New York state,
is going to meet the shipping coming up from Norfolk and Phladel-
phia at this point. New York, already oyercrowded, will not be able
TO accommodate these additional terminal demands and Perth Amboy
is the logical place.
Before we develop our entire river front as a park, therefore, this
side of the question should be seriously considered. With an enor-
nous shipping terminal with rail and water facilities sc convenient,
the Gregory and Wonderland tracts would make Perth Amboy one
Of The greatest ports on the Atlantic coast. With the Hayes tract and
all the water front property eastward to Iigh street and possibly
around TO the foot of Market street, developed as a park, the people
would have ample facilities oenjoy the water and there would also be
ample space for a fitting memorial for the soldiers should it still be
deemed advisable TO have the monument placed there.
There is no desire on the part of anyone TO block any project for
q suitable memorial for the soldiers or to hold up any important devel-
opment of the city, but the waterfront means so much to the future of