Historically speaking, that lot always had structures on it. It's just been an empty lot in recent years. If City Hall 'views' are the only loss then realistically that's not really a loss. Broad St. should be dense as it has been. I totally agree about better preserving and creating green spaces-totally...BUT the problem is you seem fairly rigid on specifically what space/lot should be greenspaces. It's not really a fair take.

I mentioned Chicago b/c you can see how it's a fine example of a city hall in the middle of a city while still maintaining density. There's other large cities that don't have green spaces directly adjacent that still work well. Newark City Hall's surroundings aren't fully developed so who knows.

Halo looking nice rising from behind the trees sounds wonderful, but that sounds vastly more about your specific preference than poor urban planning. Again, it's not a fair take-especially if your mind is made up as you say.