City of Wildwood to host community meeting for Back Bay Landfill & Vicinity Revitalization Plans ~ Wednesday, October 11th

PRESS RELEASE

WILDWOOD - The City of Wildwood is pleased to present the Wildwood Back Bay Landfill & Vicinity Revitalization Plans in a public forum - Wednesday, October 11 at 5 pm, at City Hall (4400 New Jersey Avenue).

Wildwood residents and/or property owners are encouraged to attend in-person for a presentation of future planned use and community benefits. The Board of Commissioners Meeting Room will seat 35 people on a first come, first serve basis.

Presenters will include:

• City of Wildwood
• Appalachia Hydrogeologic & Environmental Consulting, LLC (Appalachia Consultant for NJDEP Landfill Solid Waste and Site Remediation Planning and Permitting
• David A. Stires Associates, LLC (DAS) - Landfill Engineering and Permitting
• New Jersey Department of Transporation (NJDOT) Maritime services - Channel Maintenance Program

The Wildwood Back Bay Landfill operated between the 1930's and late 1970's, when individual municipalities were responsible for their disposal of domestic waste. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) requires that inactive historical municipal landfills are appropriately closed. 

Since the early 2000's numerous investigations and attempts to formally close the landfill and ultimately revitalize the Back Bay area of Wildwood have occurred. Landfill closure and redevelopment have included mixed-use development, solar farm installation and just landfill closure with no development. In general, these previous attempts were thwarted by permitting or compliance issues and/or the lack of sufficient funding.

In February 2022, Appalachia/DAS met with city officials to evaluate potential closure options, prioritize NJDEP landfill compliance requirements, discuss possible public amenities on the landfill and identify non-tax funding opportunities. The interaction with city commissioners, administrators and multiple department officers concluded with six (6) conceptual closure/revitalization plans that were later narrowed through filed investigations, cost-benefit analyses and evaluation of community benefits.

Appalachia/DAS have conducted investigations and property surveys to supplement previous investigations and comply with current regulatory standards. The city and Appalachia/DAS have development a landfill closure plan that complies with NJDEP requirements through multiple meetings/discussions with various NJDEP departments and agencies such as USACE.

IN addition, the city and Appalachia/DAS learned that NJDOT was in need of a dredge material resuse location to complete maritime channel maintenance including two (2) channels within the City of Wildwood limits (Post Creek Basin and Otten's Harbor). The city and NJDOT collaboration has proven mutually beneficial, allowing NJDOT to implement the channel maintenance program and provide the city with the volume (about 100,000 cubic yards) of clean dredge material needed for landfill closure.

There is no cost to the city for the dredge material that reduce overall landfill closure costs by millions of dollars.

The Wildwood Back Bay Landfill Closure Plan & Permitting is under review by the NJDEP and Army Corps of Engineers. The NJDOT channel maintenance program has been approved and will commence in November/December 2023.

The Wildwood Back Bay Landfill & Vicinity Revitalization Plan to be presented includes: 

* NJDOT Channel Maintenance Program with emphasis on Post Creek Basin and Otten's Harbor channels within the City of Wildwood limits

* Wildwood Back Bay Landfill Closure Plan

• Landfill cover, including extent and final evaluations
• Shoreline stabilization, including construction of living shoreline
• Critical Wildlife Habitat Area for migrating raptors

* Vicinity Revitalization Plan (Community Benefits)

• Compliance with the NJDEP Solid Waste rules and regulations
• Improved landfill aesthetics - replacement of evasive phragmites, vegetation with native grasses and trees (vegetation plan)
• Public access - lighted sidewalks along landfill perimeter (Critical Wildlife Habitat Area)
• Public access - lighted pathway along western boundary of landfill for views of shore, bay and sunsets
• Pre-development activities on city's former Department of Public Works (DPW) property to maximize property value for sale
• Improved landfill aesthetics and construction of public amenities to:               
• Increase existing, neighboring property values
• Promote residential development on vacant neighboring properties

* Project Funding:

• Triad Associates has submitted a funding application to the State of New Jersey for landfill closure activities on behalf of the city
• Sale of former DPW property for residential development