Cedar Creek Marsh

East Rutherford, Hudson County, New Jersey

5.3 acres

Located on the edge of the Continental Arena parking lot.

Geology:

The marsh is a five-acre island of mud and tall reeds contaminated by heavy metals and hidden behind chain-link fencing. It is a remnant of what was once called the Cedar Creek Marsh.

The creek that feeds it is splintered into segments by intersecting roads.

History:

1978 – Continental Arena was built.  They chose to build around the marsh rather than fight to eradicate it. 

2003 – the Mills Corp. backed off mall plans for 600 acres of wetlands known as the Empire Tract. As part of its substitute plan to build super-mall Xanadu, the Mills Corp. agreed to donate the tract to preservationists.

The proposed $1.3 billion, 4.7 million-square-foot retail and entertainment complex known as Xanadu is to be built by the Mills Corp. and Mack-Cali. The developers do not want to continue saving Cedar Creek Marsh.

Some environmentalists are still fighting the Xanadu Mall project.

(Source: Colleen Diskin, 4/24/2004; Fighting Over Mud and Reeds, Bergen Record http://www.sierraactivist.org/article.php?sid=44388)