BOROUGH OF CALDWELL OPEN SPACE AND RECREATION PLAN UPDATE ESSEX COUNTY October 24, 2019 OPEN SPACE AND RECREATION PLAN UPDATE for Borough of Caldwell County of Essex Prepared by: The Land Conservancy of New Jersey An accredited land trust 19 Boonton Avenue Boonton, NJ 07005 Barbara Heskins Davis, PP, AICP NJ Professional Planner (License No.: 5926) This original document was appropriately signed and sealed in accordance with Chapter 41, Title 13 of the State Board of Professional Planners OPEN SPACE AND RECREATION PLAN UPDATE for Borough of Caldwell County of Essex Produced by: The Land Conservancy of New Jersey David Epstein, President Barbara Heskins Davis, PP, AICP, Vice President, Programs Kenneth Fung, Senior GIS Manager Planning Interns: Brian Corrigan, Andrea Dunchus, Christine Leonhardt, Jessica Schottanes For further information, please contact: The Land Conservancy of New Jersey Borough of Caldwell 19 Boonton Avenue 1 Provost Square Boonton, NJ 07005 Caldwell, NJ 07006 PH: 973-541-1010 PH: 973-226-6100 www.tlc-nj.org www.caldwell-nj.com ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Land Conservancy of New Jersey wishes to acknowledge the following individuals and organizations for their help in providing information, guidance, and materials for the Borough of Caldwell Open Space and Recreation Plan Update. Their contributions have been instrumental in the creation of the Plan Update. Mayor and Borough Council: John Kelley, Mayor Francis Rodgers, Council President Thomas O’Donnell, Council Member Pasquale Capozzoli, Council Member Henderson Cole, Council Member Jonathan Lace, Council Member Christine Schmidt, Council Member Environmental Commission: Ann Marchioni, Co-Chairperson Robert Edelstein, Co-Chairperson Jane Kinkle, Steve Flack, Ann Martin, Kristine Mathieson, Members Jonathan Lace, Council Liaison Phoebe J. Epstein, Alternate Sister Jeanne Goyette, OP, Alternate Borough Staff: Glenn Beckmeyer, Borough Engineer Thomas Banker, Acting Borough Administrator Lisa O'Neill, Deputy Clerk George Librizzi, Tax Assessor Borough of Caldwell Open Space and Recreation Plan Update i TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................ 1 Goals of the Open Space Program .................................................................................................. 2 Community Meetings...................................................................................................................... 3 History of the Open Space Program ............................................................................................... 4 Open Space Inventory ................................................................................................................... 10 Historic and Cultural Resources ................................................................................................... 15 Planning Consistency .................................................................................................................... 17 Recreation Resources .................................................................................................................... 27 Preservation Recommendations .................................................................................................... 32 Action Plan.................................................................................................................................... 35 Maps .............................................................................................................................................. 38 Map 1. Open Space Map 2. The Glen Bird Sanctuary, Essex Falls and Caldwell Map 3. Four Seasons, North Caldwell and Caldwell Map 4. Former Erie Railroad Line Map 5. Greenways Appendix ....................................................................................................................................... 39 Appendix A. Public Meetings – Agendas and Handouts Appendix B. Resolution and Ordinance Appendix C. Recreation and Open Space Inventory for Caldwell Borough (2015) Parcel Data Tables ........................................................................................................................ 40 Literature Cited ............................................................................................................................. 41 Cover Photograph: Caldwell Pollinator Garden on Personette Street Provided by Ann Marchioni, Chair, Caldwell Borough Environmental Commission Borough of Caldwell Open Space and Recreation Plan Update ii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In 2005, Caldwell voters approved the establishment of a local Open Space Trust Fund to protect open space, preserve historic and cultural resources, and create new recreational opportunities. Following this, the Borough completed its initial Open Space and Recreation Plan in 2007. An Open Space Committee was appointed to identify and inventory lands suitable for preservation, and adopt a strategy for protecting the Borough’s cultural, natural, and recreational resources. Now managed by the Environmental Commission, the Borough has identified a series of goals to steward Caldwell’s existing parks and preserve its remaining open space lands. Located in western Essex County, the Borough is a tight-knit suburban community of 7,970 people, living within 1.2 square miles. Members of the Caldwell Environmental Commission Garden Committee have installed Monarch Butterfly Waystations at its crossroads, helping transform the downtown. In addition, the annual Rotary/Kiwanis Caldwell Street Fair and Memorial Day Parade attract visitors to the Borough each year. The Borough of Caldwell, established in 1798, was named in honor of Reverend James Caldwell, a hero of the American cause during Revolutionary War. Caldwell gradually developed around the “Big Road,” or Bloomfield Avenue. Home to the birthplace of Grover Cleveland, Caldwell Borough hosts two parks honoring his legacy – his home and grounds on Bloomfield Avenue, and Essex County’s Grover Cleveland Park along the Caldwell-Essex Fells border along Brookside Avenue. The Olmsted Brothers developed the park plan, and it is now the seventh largest park in the county park system. Dedication and passion are hallmarks of the local volunteers in Caldwell, typified by the Grover Cleveland Birthplace Memorial Association which was awarded the 2019 Outstanding Service Award by the Governor’s Office on Volunteerism this spring and also recognized by the State’s Division of Parks and Forestry for the Association’s historical events and community programs. The Borough prepared the Open Space and Recreation Plan to guide land preservation in the Borough, and to qualify for funding through the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) Green Acres program. The Borough has received $1,177,374 from the State of New Jersey and $525,000 from Essex County for local open space and recreation projects. Since the establishment of its municipal open space trust fund, Caldwell Borough has expended $969,776 for land acquisition, preservation, and park improvement. The Environmental Commission is updating this plan to continue to qualify for state funds and ensure the municipal program is meeting the current needs and objectives of its residents. Borough of Caldwell Open Space and Recreation Plan Update 1 GOALS OF THE OPEN SPACE PROGRAM Preservation of open space must be planned, just as any municipal infrastructure. A proactive approach to preservation, recreation, and land stewardship complements other traditional municipal initiatives. This update to the 2007 Open Space and Recreation Plan reflects the Borough’s commitment to preserving, protecting, and maintaining the community’s parks and natural areas. The Goals Section of the Open Space and Recreation Plan Update acts as a guide for the Borough to protect and manage its public open space lands for natural resource protection and recreation. In 2019, the Environmental Commission, acting as the Borough’s Open Space Committee, reviewed the goals and updated them as follows: • Preserve the Borough’s open space and natural areas. • Increase the amount of recreational space for both active and passive recreation. • Explore possible locations for neighborhood pocket parks, and expansion of existing parks with the creation of pollinator gardens in those spaces. • Preserve open space to enhance the historical ambience of the downtown. • Promote architectural design to reflect the current “streetscape” to ensure the historic integrity of the Borough’s neighborhoods, educational and business districts. • Partner with neighboring Essex Fells and West Caldwell, Essex County, the Board of Education, local recreation groups, and private owners to enhance recreational opportunities and programs for residents. • Encourage the walkability of the town through signs and brochures to: . Help diminish the effects of pollution and automobile gas usage. Encourage students of Caldwell University to walk into town. • Offer educational opportunities to promote sustainable land use practices on public and private lands, based on the Borough’s model network of pollinator gardens and sites. • Support the establishment of a community garden for Borough residents. Borough of Caldwell Open Space and Recreation Plan Update 2 COMMUNITY MEETINGS As an initial step to developing the 2019 Open Space and Recreation Plan Update, the members of the Caldwell Borough Environmental Commission hosted an initial meeting