We thought and hoped Justin's Grove was protected by rules from its Green Acres funding, but those who have wanted to develop there found a way around those rules.  Today the State of NJ allowed Union County, via a request by the NJ Department of Environmental "Protection"  to transfer those Green Acres protections to another parcel of land - in a whole other town several miles away, a town that has much more green space than Roselle - thus sentencing the beloved Justin's Grove to be destroyed, to literally pave the way for a 28 million dollar ice rink on that land.  Destroyed will be at least 65 mature trees, mostly oaks 100 years old and older...More trees in the area will likely die due to soil compaction and disturbance from the construction. The picnic area, small basketball court, and playground will be gone. 

Environmental justice -and importantly, social justice, has NOT been served.

The people who use this grove and park are losing a small forest, a quiet neighborhood picnic area, an oasis in the city, cooling shade, flood protection, contact with nature, clean air, and beauty...And the wildlife who use it are losing everything! The "swap" is not going to benefit these people or wildlife...yet somehow it is legal.  On paper it may look like a fair trade, but for the local families who gather in Justin's Grove, the residents who seek relief there from the scorching summer sun, they are being seriously shortchanged.  Moreover, they will be hurt - by the noise, the traffic, the heat generated by the facility.   The damage goes further - any time this amount of large mature trees are cut down, we ALL lose. And in this rapidly urbanizing Union County, we NEED our green spaces - especially those with trees! 

Also lost will be the integrity of this thoughtfully-designed Olmsted Park.  Around the country,  communities have realized the value of these historic parks and are working hard on preserving and restoring them.   Unfortunately, Union County seems to be throwing away its treasures.

For those interested, the actual proposal that was approved at the state house today is copied in italics below.  We are not sure what else we can do to save Justin's Grove in Warinanco Park, though we are not quite giving up yet. Let us ALL continue to speak out, protest, share letters to editors and with our social networks,  let the lawmakers know how we feel, put pressure on them, work to change rules that are too lax, and connect with others and work to preserve what is important to us all.

If you would like to help out or share ideas, send an email to savewarinancowoods@gmail.com.  

Thank you for signing this petition and supporting the cause.  

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FROM THE STATE HOUSE MEETING AGENDA 9/29/25  (approved)

Requesting Party: The NJDEP, on behalf of the County of Union (“County”), requests
approval to change the Green Acres encumbrance classification from “funded” to
“unfunded” for a 1.14 (+-) acre portion of the County’s Warinanco Park (Block 7106, Lot
1) (“Diversion Area”). The proposed diversion will allow the County to construct a new,
fully enclosed indoor ice-skating rink, which would allow for ice skating throughout the
entire year, next to an existing partially enclosed ice rink. The existing ice rink has been
in its current location since 1961, with a partial roof added in 1969. In 2016 and 2017,
the rink underwent a significant multimillion dollar modernization and renovation,
doubling the complex’s overall space and renamed the Warinanco Sports Center. During
warmer months when skating is not possible, turf is installed over the rink to provide
additional recreational opportunities for the public. The current Sports Center occupies
approximately 54,000 square feet (1.25 acres).

Warinanco Park has been encumbered with Green Acres restrictions since the early 1960s
when the County first received Green Acres funding. Subsequent Green Acres funding
projects (Project #2000-94-ADA, and Project #2000-07-054) established the Green Acres
encumbrance status of Warinanco Park as “funded” parkland.
Because Warinanco Park is classified as funded parkland, under N.J.A.C. 7:36-25.7(a),
which is based on the statutory definition of “recreation and conservation purposes”
being limited to public outdoor recreation, construction of indoor recreational facilities is
considered a diversion of parkland. Under N.J.A.C. 7:36-26.2(b)5, a local unit may
propose a minor diversion for the construction of a building for public indoor recreation
on funded parkland, provided the following criteria are met: 1) the proposed diversion
will involve less than 50,000 square feet of disturbance or occupy no more than five
percent of the total area of the parkland parcel not already occupied by structures from
January 3, 2006; 2) the proposed diversion will not have a significant adverse impact on
the use by the applicant or the public of the parkland parcel or surrounding parkland and
will not result in any permanent net loss of recreation and conservation facilities; 3) the
proposed diversion will not have a significant adverse impact on the natural resource
values of the parkland parcel and of any surrounding parkland.

Given the substantialcosts associated with tree planting or a monetary contribution, the County has elected topropose comparable wooded replacement land.
Terms: As compensation, the County proposes to place Green Acres funded parkland
restrictions on a 6.15 (+-) acre wooded parcel of replacement land (part of Block 202, Lot
26 in the Township of Cranford to meet the minimum 1:1 replacement land requirement
for the Diverted Area (based on size), a portion of the 1:1 replacement value requirement
for the Diverted Area (based on value) and the tree compensation requirements (based on
the comparable attributes of the proposed Replacement Land and the trees to be
removed). The replacement land is owned by Union County and is located directly
adjacent to the County’s Nomahegan Park.