N.J. Stat. tit. 13, ch. 15B

in effect

N.J. Stat. § 13:15B-1 Historic New Bridge Landing Park Commission created; membership; master plan; annual report.

1. a. The Historic New Bridge Landing Park Commission, a body corporate and politic with corporate succession, is created in the Department of Environmental Protection. The commission is an instrumentality exercising public and essential governmental functions. Exercise by the commission of the powers conferred by this act is deemed to be an essential governmental function of the State. b. The commission shall consist of nine members to be appointed and qualified as follows: (1) the Commissioner of Environmental Protection or the commissioner's designee; and (2) eight residents of the State, who shall be recommended by their respective governing body and appointed by the Governor, with the advice and consent of the Senate, among whom shall be one representative each from the County of Bergen, the Blauvelt-Demarest Foundation, River Edge Borough, and New Milford Borough; and two representatives each from the Bergen County Historical Society and Teaneck Township. Each member in office on the effective date of P.L.2009, c.45 (C.13:15B-5 et al.) shall serve for the term of the appointment and until a successor shall have been appointed and qualified. Each member appointed by the Governor shall serve for a term of five years; provided, however, that of the members first appointed, the representative from the County of Bergen shall serve a term of four years, one representative from Teaneck Township shall serve a term of three years and one shall serve a term of four years, one representative from the Bergen County Historical Society shall serve a term of four years and one shall serve a term of five years, the representative from the Blauvelt-Demarest Foundation shall serve a term of five years, and the representatives from River Edge Borough and New Milford Borough shall each serve an initial term of three years. Each member appointed by the Governor may be reappointed upon completion of the term. Each member shall serve for the term of the appointment and until a successor shall have been appointed and qualified. Any vacancy or reappointment shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment. Members of the commission shall serve without compensation but may be reimbursed for necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties. The members of the commission shall elect annually a chairman and vice-chairman from their number, and a secretary and treasurer who need not be members of the commission. The same person may be elected to serve both as secretary and treasurer. The chairman of the commission shall be its presiding officer and the vice-chairman shall serve as chairman in the absence of the chairman. The commission shall organize and adopt procedures for the conduct of its business. Five members of the commission shall constitute a quorum and the concurrence of five members of the commission shall be necessary to validate all acts of the commission. c. Any member of the commission may be removed by the Governor, for cause, after a public hearing. d. Each member of the commission, before entering upon the member's duties, shall take and subscribe an oath to perform the duties of the office faithfully, impartially, and justly to the best of the member's ability. A record of the oath shall be filed in the Office of the Secretary of State. e. The commission shall prepare, adopt, and implement a master plan for the physical development of the property under the commission's jurisdiction, hereby designated as the Historic New Bridge Landing State Park, or a portion thereof; review State and local actions that impact on the park to insure that these actions conform as nearly as possible to the commission's master plan; and coordinate and support activities by citizens' groups to promote and preserve the park. f. On or before December 31 in each year the commission shall make an annual report of its activities for the preceding calendar year to the Governor and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature. The report shall set forth a complete operating and financial statement covering its operations during the year. The commission may, in addition, at any time request the Governor and the Legislature to appropriate funds for commission purposes. g. The commission shall cause an audit of its books and accounts to be made at least once in each year and the cost thereof shall be treated as one incurred by the commission in the administration of this act, and a copy thereof shall be filed with the State Treasurer, the State Comptroller, and the State Auditor. h. (1) No member, officer, employee, or agent of the commission shall be financially interested, either directly or indirectly, in any project or any part of a project area, or in any contract, sale, purchase, lease, or transfer of real or personal property to the Department of Environmental Protection for inclusion in the Historic New Bridge Landing State Park. (2) Any contract or agreement knowingly made in contravention of this section is voidable. (3) Any person who shall willfully violate any of the provisions of this section shall forfeit his office or employment and shall be guilty of a crime of the fourth degree. L.1995, c.260, s.1; amended 2009, c.45, s.1.

N.J. Stat. § 13:15B-2 Objectives, jurisdiction of commission.

2. a. The Historic New Bridge Landing Park Commission shall coordinate and implement federal, State, county, municipal, and private development policies and other activities relating to the historic preservation and recreational use of the property under the commission's jurisdiction. b. The commission has jurisdiction over the area in Bergen County known as New Bridge Landing, in the Borough of River Edge, between Main Street and Hackensack Avenue and extending into Teaneck Township, excluding Block 1002, Lot 2, and the Borough of New Milford, the area being situated along the banks of the Hackensack River. The jurisdiction of the commission shall extend to all publicly-owned lands, buildings, and structures: fronting the Hackensack River at the former village of New Bridge; fronting on Hackensack Avenue and fronting on Main Street, east of Hackensack Avenue and north of Coles Brook, in the Borough of River Edge; fronting on Old New Bridge Road, on Steuben Place in the Borough of New Milford; lying south of Riverview Avenue, east to River Road in Teaneck Township; and fronting on the Hackensack River within two-tenths of a mile of New Bridge Landing and the 1889 iron swing bridge. L.1995, c.260, s.2; amended 2009, c.45, s.2.

N.J. Stat. § 13:15B-3 Powers of commission.

3. The Historic New Bridge Landing Park Commission shall have the following powers: a. To sue and be sued in its own name, but the members of the commission shall be held harmless for acts performed in good faith; b. To adopt a seal and alter the same at its pleasure; c. To adopt bylaws for the regulation of its affairs and the conduct of its business; d. To maintain an office or offices at such place or places within the State as it may designate; e. To appoint officers, who need not be members of the commission, in addition to a secretary and a treasurer, as the commission deems advisable, and to employ other employees and agents as may be necessary or desirable in its judgment, to fix their compensation, and to promote and discharge officers, employees and agents all without regard to the provisions of Title 11A, Civil Service, of the New Jersey Statutes; f. To acquire in the name of the commission, hold and dispose of real and personal property in the exercise of its powers and the performance of its duties under this act; g. To make, enter into, and perform all contracts and agreements necessary or incidental to the performance of its duties and the execution of its powers under this act, including agreements to indemnify and hold harmless a local government unit against any claim arising from the use of property leased from that local government unit by the Historic New Bridge Landing Park Commission; h. To request the State Historic Preservation Officer to place the lands and buildings under the commission's jurisdiction on the National Register of Historic Places pursuant to the "National Historic Preservation Act," Pub.L.89-665 (16 U.S.C. s.470 et al.), as amended and supplemented by the "National Historic Preservation Act Amendments of 1980," Pub.L.96-515, and the "National Historic Preservation Act Amendments of 1992," Pub.L.102-575, or any future amendments or supplements thereto; i. To acquire and hold real and personal property by gift, purchase, devise, bequest, or by other means and to preserve and administer these properties; j. To conduct public information and education programs relating to the historic nature of the property under the commission's jurisdiction; k. To apply to the Department of Environmental Protection for grants from the Green Acres or historic preservation bond programs or other appropriate funding sources, for the purpose of acquisitions pursuant to subsection f. of this section or for the purposes of development, preservation, or maintenance of those acquired properties; and l. To do all acts and things necessary or convenient to carry out the powers expressly granted in this act. L.1995,c.260,s.3; amended 2000, c.158, s.1.

N.J. Stat. § 13:15B-4 Specific powers of commission.

4. a. The Historic New Bridge Landing Park Commission has the specific power to contract for the construction, reconstruction, restoration, or maintenance of all lands, buildings, landscaping, bridges, docks, and facilities under its jurisdiction including the maintenance, restoration, and reconstruction of the Steuben House, the Demarest House, the Campbell-Christie House, the Westervelt-Thomas Barn and the construction and operation of a visitor center, library, mill site, curator's residence, parking area, and other appropriate structures. The Historic New Bridge Landing Park Commission also has the specific power to agree to indemnify and hold harmless any local government unit against claims arising from the use of property leased from that local government unit by the commission. b. Upon an annual determination by the Commissioner of Environmental Protection that the Historic New Bridge Landing Park Commission has fulfilled all conditions required pursuant to section 1 of P.L.1995, c.260 (C.13:15B-1) and following the commissioner's approval of the master plan required pursuant to section 4 of P.L.2009, c.45 (C.13:15B-5): (1) the commission shall administer the Historic New Bridge Landing State Park, including but not limited to the Steuben House; and (2) any State funds appropriated to the Department of Environmental Protection or the Division of Parks and Forestry in the department specifically for, or related to the administration of, the Steuben House or the Historic New Bridge Landing State Park shall be reallocated to the Historic New Bridge Landing Park Commission for the purposes of the administration of the Historic New Bridge Landing State Park. c. In addition to any other powers pursuant to P.L.1995, c.260 (C.13:15B-1 et seq.), the commission shall review and approve all proposed changes, developments or improvements to publicly-owned lands, buildings, and structures within its jurisdiction to prevent or mitigate any adverse impact upon pre-historic or historic resources that have a significant potential to add to the knowledge and appreciation of the story of Historic New Bridge Landing and its vicinity or to enhance its preservation as a Revolutionary War site. L.1995, c.260, s.4; amended 2000, c.158, s.2; 2009, c.45, s.3.

N.J. Stat. § 13:15B-5 Master plan for physical development of Historic New Bridge Landing State Park.

4. a. The Historic New Bridge Landing Park Commission shall prepare, or cause to be prepared, and, after a public hearing, or public hearings, adopt a master plan or portion thereof for the physical development of the Historic New Bridge Landing State Park, or amend the master plan. The master plan shall consist of a general management plan and an interpretive plan. The master plan may include proposals for various stages in the future development or preservation of the park. The master plan shall include a report presenting the objectives, assumptions, standards and principles which are embodied in the various interlocking portions of the master plan. The master plan shall be a composite of the one or more written proposals recommending the physical development and expansion of the park either in its entirety or a portion thereof which the commission shall prepare after meetings with the governing bodies of the affected municipalities and counties, and any agencies and instrumentalities thereof. b. In preparing the master plan or any portion thereof or amendment thereto the commission shall consider existing patterns of development and any relevant master plan or other plan of development, and shall insure widespread citizen involvement and participation in the planning process. c. The commission shall act in support of local suggestions or desires to complement the park master plan. Consultation, planning, and technical expertise shall be made available to local planning bodies that wish to implement land-use policy to enhance the park area. The commission shall act on or refer complaints by citizens' groups or private residents who discover hazardous situations, pollution, or evidence of noncompliance with use regulations. d. Upon completion, the commission shall submit the master plan or any amendment to the master plan to the Commissioner of Environmental Protection for review and approval. The commissioner shall approve or disapprove the master plan or any amendment thereto within 90 days of receipt thereof. The commissioner may, for cause, disapprove the master plan or any amendment thereto. In the event that the commissioner fails to take action on the master plan or any amendment thereto within the 90-day period specified herein, then the master plan or amendment, as appropriate, shall be deemed to have been approved. L.2009, c.45, s.4.

Source: Open US Law by Vaquill AI (CC BY 4.0)URL: https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/legislative-activity/statutesFetched: 10/17/2026