WHO WE ARE:

The New Jersey Meadowlands Commission is the zoning and planning agency for a 30.4-square-mile area along the Hackensack River covering parts of 14 municipalities in Bergen and Hudson Counties in New Jersey. The municipalities with portions in the Meadowlands District are Carlstadt, East Rutherford, Little Ferry, Lyndhurst, Moonachie, North Arlington, Ridgefield, Rutherford, South Hackensack and Teterboro in Bergen County, and Jersey City, Kearny, North Bergen and Secaucus in Hudson County.

The Hackensack Meadowlands Reclamation and Development Act (N.J.S.A. 13:17-1 et seq), effective Jan. 13, 1969, recognizes the importance of the Meadowlands as a unique place for new jobs, thriving communities and recreational opportunities in New Jersey. The Act created the Hackensack Meadowlands Development Commission (HMDC). The agency was renamed the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission on Aug. 27, 2001.

The Hackensack Meadowlands Reclamation and Development Act also created the Hackensack Meadowlands Municipal Committee (HMMC). The HMMC consists of the chief executive of each of the 14 Meadowlands municipalities or a designated alternate. This body is charged with reviewing all proposed codes and standards, master plans or amendments, development and redevelopment, improvement plans or other major decisions of the NJMC. It has the authority to veto proposed zoning or variances.

The Meadowlands District is bordered by Route 46 on the north, Routes 1 and 9 (also known as Tonnelle Avenue) and the freight lines owned by Norfolk Southern and CSX Corp. on the east, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s Trans-Hudson (PATH) commuter rail lines and the Pulaski Skyway on the south, and Route 17, the Pascack Valley rail line and the Kingsland rail line on the West.

The NJMC is in, but not of, the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs. The Board of Commissioners consists of seven members: The DCA Commissioner, ex officio, or his/her alternate, traditionally serving as chairperson and six citizens from Bergen and Hudson counties appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the State Senate. The Executive Director of the NJMC, appointed by the Board, is responsible for the day-to-day operations and the implementation of Commission policies. The Executive Director also serves as the secretary to Board.

 The NJMC’s campus is located at Richard W. DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst. It is named after State Assemblyman Richard W. DeKorte, who was instrumental in passing the legislation creating the NJMC. Constructed in 1982, the NJMC offices became a symbolic and literal barrier between unregulated landfilling and preservation of the Hackensack River’s ecosystem. DeKorte Park includes the Meadowlands Environment Center, an NJMC educational facility operated by Ramapo College of New Jersey, as well as 3.5 miles of trails sceneic overlooks, memorial sculptures and an art gallery. It is also home to our scientific arm, the Meadowlands Environmental Research Institue (MERI) located on the third floor of the NJMC administrative building and our newly opened center for Environmental and Scientific Education and William D. McDowell observatory.