TRENTON, NJ – New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has announced a proposed investment of nearly $100 million for projects to develop or update parks and preserve open space, including a new initiative to fund construction of inclusive playgrounds for differently abled children.
The funding, announced during Earth Week 2023 through the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Green Acres Program, will enhance the quality of life for residents across New Jersey, especially in many overburdened communities.
The investment includes $92.2 million in funding subject to approval by the Garden State Preservation Trust, and an additional $7.7 million for Urban Parks projects, bringing the total to $99.9 million. This year’s national Earth Week theme is “Invest in Our Planet.”
Green Acres funding allows governments and nonprofits to leverage millions of additional preservation dollars through matching federal, state, county, and local funds, as well as from private sources. For the first time, Green Acres is providing non-matching grants to incentivize projects in Adversely Stressed Overburdened Communities in Urban Aid municipalities.
The $92.2 million in projects recommended to the Garden State Preservation Trust includes $27.2 million for municipal and county land acquisition projects, $45.1 million for local development of parks and recreation facilities, $7.4 million to counties for development of Completely Inclusive Playgrounds as part of Jake’s Law, $3.8 million for local stewardship projects, $4.4 million for acquisition projects by nonprofit organizations, $3.6 million for nonprofit recreational development projects, and $720,000 for nonprofit stewardship projects.
DEP has approved $7.7 million for park development projects serving Adversely Stressed Overburdened Communities in Urban Aid municipalities, further emphasizing the Murphy Administration’s commitment to environmental justice.
Sixteen municipalities in nine counties have been recommended to receive funding for projects in their communities, including Mount Holly Township in Burlington County, East Orange in Essex County, Paterson in Passaic County, and Salem City in Salem County.
New this year, the Green Acres Jake’s Law Pilot Program provides 75% matching grant funding to county governments to construct Completely Inclusive Playgrounds in compliance with standards established by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs. The eight Completely Inclusive Playground projects recommended for funding are Riverside County Park South in North Arlington Borough and Lyndhurst Township in Bergen County, among others.