PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the COUNTY OF UNION is proposing a change in use for a 1.14-acre portion of its Park commonly known as the Clark Reservoir.
With the exception of improvements to the dam, the Clark Reservoir has remained unchanged since the Middlesex Water Company transferred the property to the Township of Clark in the 1990s (and who in turn, subsequently transferred it to the County in 2008).
The proposed change will include constructing: (1) A boat ramp with a floating dock; (2) A fishing pier; (3) A fixed timber pier with kayak storage and floating dock with kayak launches; (3) A boat storage building that will include a stamped concrete patio and public restrooms; (4) Developing new hiking trails, or renovating existing ones, that will entail two pedestrian bridges and a retaining wall in the northeast corner of the central lake (i.e. between the Raritan Road and NJ Parkway Bridges); (5) A stormwater detention area solely serving the Park; (6) Parking facilities that will have access through Madison Ave for the central lake; and (7) a boat ramp on the east lake (i.e. east of the Parkway Bridge) with parking area that will have access through Wendell Avenue (collectively “the Project”).
The Clark Reservoir is a 200-acre park with a large body of water (the “Reservoir”) and surrounding land located in the municipalities of Clark, Scotch Plains and Westfield, New Jersey. It was formerly known as the Middlesex Water Co. Reservoir.
The Project will include work at the following Blocks (“B”) and Lots (“L”) in Clark: B-53, L-35; B-52, L-11.02; B-52, L-12; B-52, L-13; B-33, L-35; B-42, L-89.01 and B-198, L-1.0101. No work will be done in the portions of the Park located in Scotch Plains and Westfield.
Pursuant to N.J.A.C. 7:36-25.6(a)1, a Hearing to obtain public comment on this proposed change of purpose or use will be held at the Clark Council Chambers, 315 Westfield Ave, in Clark, NJ 07066, on Tuesday, November 26, 2024 at 6:00pm.
All information submitted by the County of Union regarding the proposed change in use is available for public inspection with the Union County Department of Parks and Recreation, 10 Elizabethtown Plaza – 2nd Floor, Elizabeth, NJ 07207. This information is also available on the County’s website at https://ucnj.org/public-notices/.
Written comments on the proposed change in purpose or use may be directed to Kevin Campbell, Esq., Assistant County Counsel at kcampbell@ucnj.org or mailed to the Office of the County Counsel, 10 Elizabethtown Plaza, Elizabeth, NJ 07207.
Please send a copy of any comments submitted on this request to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Office of Transactions and Public Land Administration, Public Land Compliance Section, 401 East State Street, 7th Floor, Mail Code 401-07, P.O. Box 420, Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0420. Comments by email can go to PublicLandCompliance@dep.nj.gov.
Public comment on this proposed change in purpose or use will be accepted during the public hearing or until December 10, 2024 for written comments. On or after December 11, 2024, the COUNTY OF UNION may take formal action to approve the proposed change in purpose or use.
