The memorial consists of two parallel walls representing the fallen Twin Towers. The walls are 210 feet long and 30 feet high, with the names of 749 New Jersey residents who died in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks etched into stainless steel panels.
Located across the Hudson River from Ground Zero, the memorial was designed so that a halo effect appears when sunlight strikes it at a certain time of day.
For Mike Donatos, whose brother-in-law, Brian Martineau, worked on the 102nd floor of the South Tower, the project has long held personal significance.
"I got a call from governor McGreevey's office, there was an executive order where he formed the New Jersey 9/11 Family and Survivors Committee, and I was one of the 12 original members. Empty Sky was the clear choice," Donatos said.
Speaking from his home in South Dakota, Donatos said he had high hopes for the memorial when it was planned. Those expectations have faded over time.
"It looks like a sound barrier on the turnpike," he said.
A rendering of the memorial's exterior design included a stainless steel panel displaying the words "Never Forget."
The current appearance, however, features unfinished concrete walls. Of two kiosks intended to help visitors locate names on the memorial panels, one doesn't work.
And of 60 cherry trees planted as part of the memorial, only a handful remain alive.
"It was dedicated for the 10th anniversary in 2011. And essentially nothing has been done since," Donatos said.
The project has spanned six gubernatorial administrations, beginning in 2004 under former Gov. Jim McGreevey and continuing under Gov. Mikie Sherrill.
Frank Gallagher, a former assistant director with the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, who worked on the Empty Sky project, said long-term commitments have been difficult to sustain.
"The long term commitment for both the maintenance and future development of the area, you know, doesn't survive administrations," Gallagher said.
Gallagher said the project's momentum waned after its initial phase.
"It was a capital plan for the first phase and after that it kind of fell apart," he said.
In a written statement to Eyewitness News, the Sherrill administration said: "The Sherrill Administration is committed to the Empty Sky Memorial and ensuring it befits and honors the victims of 9/11 in New Jersey and their families. We will continue working with the families and stakeholders to find the best path forward. They have our unwavering commitment."
Dr. Chris Meeks, founder and chairman of the 9/11 Legacy Foundation and a Sept. 11 survivor, was also critical of the memorial's current condition.
"It's an eyesore. It's a concrete slab. You can't tell it's anything unless you look at the ends and you see the reflection from the steel where it wraps around for the corners," Meeks said.
Meeks said he would like to help advocate for funding to complete the project.
"In terms of this memorial, would love to be involved in terms of doing some advocacy work to help raise the funds, whether it be the state, private, public-private partnership because, again, it's a punch in the gut to the citizens and the victims and the families of those victims," he said.
Meanwhile a $1 billion revitalization effort is underway for 15 areas of Liberty State Park, but Empty Sky is not included in those plans.
Whether through the foundation or another organization, Meeks said completing the memorial remains essential.
"Whether it's us or somebody else, it just needs to be done...too many families have been affected and have been hurt and ignored for 24+ years," he said.
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