The Camden Labs site, once a major illegal dumping ground in the Whitman Park neighborhood, was secured through a collaborative effort led by the Camden Collaborative Initiative (CCI), NJDEP, and local agencies, resulting in the prosecution of offenders and securing over $15 million in grants for remediation. CCI and partners are now working to transform the site into recreational space while educating residents on reporting illegal dumping.

During initial CCI meetings with City officials, Perth Amboy prioritized a 6-acre former scrap yard contaminated with PCBs, located near an elementary school, the Raritan River, and the NJ Transit Shore Line. After nearly 20 years of stagnation, CCI secured over $7 million in State funding to remediate the site and create a municipal park, breaking ground in Fall 2020.

The Assunpink Creek Daylighting Park project in downtown Trenton revitalizes a long-blighted area by addressing flooding and restoring the aquatic ecosystem, after failed development efforts left the site fenced off for nearly 20 years. CCI revived the stalled project in 2015, securing $3.2 million in NJDEP funding, leading to park and stream restoration beginning in 2018, with a ribbon-cutting planned for early 2021.

The Salvation Army awarded Camden a $59 million grant to build a community center on the only available site, the 86-acre Harrison Avenue Landfill, requiring rapid NJDEP intervention. NJDEP secured over $30 million in funding and completed remediation in just six months, enabling the Salvation Army Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center to provide vital services to over 8,000 residents.

The Waterfront South Rain Gardens Park, born from the environmental justice efforts in Camden’s Waterfront South neighborhood, became New Jersey’s first community-based green infrastructure project on a brownfield site. With partners including CCMUA, NJDEP, and local organizations, the project addressed illegal activities and stormwater flooding, leading to the formation of the Camden Collaborative Initiative in 2011.

The “STEAM in Brownfields” program will teach high school and middle school students about brownfield redevelopment using the historic Hinchliffe Stadium as a case study. In partnership with USEPA, CCI is piloting this semester-long program in Paterson, with plans to expand it nationwide.

Rovagnati Specialty Meats, an Italian food processing company, chose the City of Vineland as its North American headquarters to process, distribute, and wholesale specialty meats. CCI successfully assisted Rovagnati with the recertification of the 2001 Prospective Purchaser Agreement and expedited the permitting process by working with the City of Vineland, Rovagnati, and the Division of Land Use Regulation, facilitating the construction of a 500,000-square-foot manufacturing facility that will employ up to 60 people.

Being on the ground in Perth Amboy allowed CCI to discover the city’s treasured 200-year-old English Elm tree at City Hall, under which Thomas Mundy Peterson became the first African American to vote in the U.S. in 1870. Recognizing the tree’s historical significance and declining health, CCI facilitated NJDEP’s collection and nurturing of its clones and ensured its seeds were preserved at the National Seed Repository to safeguard its legacy for future generations.

On October 29, 2019, NJDEP Commissioner Catherine McCabe, the Office of Environmental Justice, and CCI held a listening session in Trenton, where residents identified illegal dumping as a major concern, specifically at the 3.5-acre Amtico site. CCI mobilized local stakeholders and NJDEP programs to launch a cleanup effort, resulting in the removal of 527 tons of debris and 1,240 recycled tires. A press conference on February 27, 2020, highlighted the success of the cleanup and prosecution efforts. The site is now being transformed into a recreational area, with plans for a skatepark, soccer field, and environmental education amenities, thanks to the work of Freedom NJ and a $1.2 million Green Acres grant.

CCI enhanced a 100-acre former steel mill site on the Raritan River through early involvement with the City and redeveloper, transforming it into a project that created 800 local jobs and provided significant social and environmental benefits. By incorporating green infrastructure like a 2-acre retention basin, rain gardens, and permeable pavement, CCI also advocated for a linear park to offer waterfront access. The rehabilitation of a historic building will house the Perth Amboy Office of Economic and Community Development. CCI’s collaboration with NJDEP experts streamlined the project, saving time and money while fostering trust with stakeholders.

Fitzpatrick Park in Bayonne, originally completed in 1937, was renovated to address flooding issues and Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) by incorporating Green Infrastructure. CCI collaborated with the City, consultants, and NJDEP to design a $2.1 million renovation, which included a splash park, roller hockey rink, basketball court, updated play equipment, and stormwater management features like rain gardens and permeable pavement. The park reopened in October 2022 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, receiving the Project of the Year Award from the New Jersey Society of Municipal Engineers, and plans for a new bell and clock tower were also announced.