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Resident urges Hudson County to enforce Braddock Park lease, remove trailers left by North Bergen
Summary
A resident told commissioners that North Bergen withdrew an application for long‑term use at Braddock Park but left trailers on county land; the resident said the town is years behind in rent and urged the county to secure removal and site restoration once the DEP administrative consent order is completed.
A resident urged Hudson County Commissioners on Oct. 23 to press North Bergen to remove trailers left on county park land at Braddock Park, to collect overdue rent and to restore the site.
Mark Bloomberg told the Board that the county owns the parkland that North Bergen has leased since 2011 for a preschool use and that the lease requires an annual rental payment of $10,000. Bloomberg said county records show $25,000 in rent received since 2011 and that, if accurate, the town owes more than $100,000. He said North Bergen withdrew its application on Sept. 10 and that, after the withdrawal, some officials discussed leaving one trailer for referee use at high school football games — a use Bloomberg said would not appear to meet the lease’s requirement that the land be used for a school or other county‑approved public purpose.
Bloomberg asked the County to be prepared to act once project permitting with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is resolved, including enforcing the lease, overseeing removal of the trailers and ensuring restoration of the parkland. He said the trailers are presently unused and that North Bergen has had months to remove them.
County counsel was present at the meeting; Bloomberg said the county should track lease payments, confirm the DEP consent order timeline and act to reclaim and restore parkland as needed. The Board did not announce immediate enforcement steps at the meeting.
