Grasshopper Kidz Korse at Hilltop Bulldozed!?!?

Delish

Delish

Well-Known Member
Although our little ones have been too young to race the Grasshopper kids MTB race at Hilltop, it is such a great event, not only because it's for kids, but because as far as I know, its the only legal mountain bike riding that has occurred in Essex Co since 1995.

It's been a few weeks since I have been to Hilltop but as I was strolling through there today I was shocked to discover that the Grasshopper Kids Korse along with a huge amount of acreage that contained other trails was LEVELED. Not a tree left standing from the road by the condos all the way down to the start/finish of the Grasshopper course. Honestly, my stomach turned when I saw it.

Anybody know what the story is? Did that scumbag Joe D give it away to one of his developer cronies to build some more shitty condos? @overbrook @Zaskar @the schwartz @moose35 ?

sorry for the crappy photo. what you see in brown used to be a forest.
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I feel sick. Wish you were kidding. My daughter is gonna be so sad to hear.
I really feel for @overbrook. I know he loves to get the kids out racing. It's such a great event.
 
Voters in Essex County - Joe D'Vicenzo is up for re-election in a few weeks.
His development of Hilltop (more bocce courts, less open space) make my blood boil. Let's send this corrupt guy packing.
 
This was in the cards all along but it's devastating none the less. It started like a week after the Kidz race and they've been at it ever since.

62 single family starting in the "low" 800k will be going in.
 
Red outline area is the part that has been cleared. I think its all part of North Caldwell. A bunch of single family homes with some low income housing thrown in to make it look altruistic. This is a separate development than the 460 unit development approved by Cedar Grove on the Fairview Ave. side. What a shame.

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I'm down for helping to create a new kidz course within the conservancy boundary if there is political will to make it happen.
 
Holy crap!
Such a travesty
Joe D will be in for life. He's a Democrat in Essex county.
1,000 more commuters on Bloomfield and should be awesome too.
 
Such little woodlands left in Essex Co. This area should have been preserved, what a travesty.
 
Unfortunately the area outlined in red is owned by K Hovnanian. I can't find a sale date for the property, but they've owned it since at least 2010 if not longer.

Doesn't suck any less to have the kids course destroyed.
 

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rlb said:
Unfortunately the area outlined in red is owned by K Hovnanian. I can't find a sale date for the property, but they've owned it since at least 2010 if not longer.

Doesn't suck any less to have the kids course destroyed.
Click to expand...

They own most of everything from the sanitorium, sanitarium, and jail. Part of the deal was to demo all three at a very slow pace and they could build on it. That property where the jump lines are that connect to the rail trail will eventually go too.
 
gtluke said:
They own most of everything from the sanitorium, sanitarium, and jail. Part of the deal was to demo all three at a very slow pace and they could build on it. That property where the jump lines are that connect to the rail trail will eventually go too.
Click to expand...

That's known as Wally World and seems to be safe since that new Cedar Grove Park boarders it down to the rail trail.
 
Delish said:
Yep, showing as "county open space" on the plan
http://www.najarian.com/projects/hilltop-essex-county-project/
Click to expand...

sweet, ~7-8 years ago when I was involved over there before anything was bulldozed or built they were supposed to build a park inside the new development that was going to be the way to the bike path, and put homes where Wally World is. It's actually the reason why the Lenape Trail continues along the bike path and out onto the street instead of up into hilltop. Using Wally World was turned down because it was supposed to be demolished. I pushed to get Hilltop included in the Lenape Trail but in the end was denied because of the non permanent nature of the area.
I actually got to hike Wally World with Al Kent, the guy who blazed the Lenape Trail in 1979. I believe he's still around, now in his mid 90's IIRC.
Though I totally don't remember the discussion of more forest being taken from the main Hilltop area for homes. That totally blows. Trying to remember what else is in that area, the twisties and the concrete staircase in the forest?
 
gtluke said:
Trying to remember what else is in that area, the twisties and the concrete staircase in the forest?
Click to expand...

The twisties to the staircase is safe, however the staircase was removed as part of the Hilltop Res master plan clean up.
 
It's a shame how much cool stuff was lost. There used to be a hand made brick channel, aquifer? I think there is a better name for this... that brought water from the hillside down to the brick houses on Fairview. Those were the doctor's houses, and the water was watering system for their gardens. It's all gone.
not that we need a sanitarium or sanitorium anymore, but man those were cool old buildings. That jail was actually the biggest loss, that thing would have survived nuclear holocaust. It was made out of huge stones. They had to bring in mining equipment to demo it.
 
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