Comment period on Hook plan extended
The public comment period on the proposed redevelopment of Fort Hancock on Sandy Hook won’t be up as scheduled on May 6.
Instead, the period will be extended indefinitely while National Park Service officials scramble to make redevelopment proposals public.
Once they are made available, park service officials said they will hold a second public hearing before closing the period for public comment.
"We are working on releasing all the information, and we have not yet received all the responses we need," said Sandy Hook Deputy Superintendent Richard Wells.
Wells said park service hasn’t yet heard back from some of the 22 individuals who submitted proposals to rehabilitate and adaptively reuse historic buildings on Fort Hancock. While the park service has the ultimate say, proposers can request that proprietary business information contained in the proposal be censored.
Park service attorneys are working on redaction of the information from the 22 proposals submitted for the rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of historic Fort Hancock buildings.
"We can’t tell yet when all the documents will be available, and we clearly want to give enough time for them to be reviewed before we schedule the next meeting," Wells said.
He said environmental law requires the comment period remain open for two weeks following a public meeting.
Thus far, two proposals have been released and Wells said the remainder will be released at the same time. Officials are discussing how best to make the proposals available to the public.
Proposals by Sandy Hook Partners, LLC for 36 of the buildings and the American Littoral Society for its building on Sandy Hook were released at an April 20 public hearing on an environmental assessment of the redevelopment.
The versions are redacted with all projected financial information blacked out, including some information that has already been made public, estimates of expenses, projected revenues to the park service, lease terms, and the financial capability and assurances of the proposer.
— Gloria Stravelli