A public Zoom conference, conducted by the NJ Historic Sites Council, will discuss the future of the Bloomfield historic train station located on Raymond J. McCarthy Boulevard, on Thursday, Aug. 15, at 10 a.m.
Once considered the “linch-pin” of downtown Bloomfield redevelopment, the locked and derelict underground pedestrian underpass connecting eastbound and westbound New Jersey Transit tracks will have another day in the light of public scrutiny.
NJT owns the underpass and applied to the council with plans of rehabilitation.
In a response to The Independent Press, NJT said its application before the council was a necessary preliminary step toward bringing enhancements to the Bloomfield station and is required because the station is listed on the New Jersey Register of Historic Sites.
“The proposed upgrades to the station will make it fully accessible under the Americans With Disability Act, including replacing the current low-level platforms with high-level platforms and adding elevators. These upgrades are part of NJT’s continuing effort to make all stations accessible to all customers while improving the customer experience. We look forward to presenting the project to the Historic Sites Council and demonstrating the wide range of benefits.”
The council was unmoved. It responded to Jacquelyn Lipson, the NJT manager of environmental programs, that it determined the proposal was an encroachment on the station.
“The plan as proposed will destroy the historic integrity of the building,” the council responded. “The proposed alterations are incompatible in terms of massing, materials and design. Character-defining features, which include the overall footprint, massing, platforms, canopies and stairs, all of which contribute to the architectural significance of the station complex, will be negatively impacted by the proposed changes, which include demolition of the canopies and platforms. This is heightened by the fact that the station is a monolithic structure, which means that the canopies, platforms, balustrades, stairs and building are integral and interconnected.”
To link to the meeting, please go to: https://nj.gov/dep/hpo/.
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