HILLSDALE—The Borough Council has set a special meeting for Monday, April 25 at 6:30 p.m. at town hall and on Zoom to discuss amendments to the redevelopment plan for a new proposal for a 250-unit, four-story luxury rental apartment complex spanning 5.4 acres at the former Waste Management site.
This is the first proposal to come forward in the borough’s Patterson Street redevelopment zone.
According to Mayor John Ruocco, the purpose of the session is for the full council to consider amendments to the redevelopment plan that will accommodate requests made by the developer.
“The borough’s negotiating team will recommend approval as they are relatively minor [requests],” said Ruocco, a member of the borough’s negotiating committee.
He added, “The developers may attend, as can any member of the public. There will be a public comment period during the meeting. I hope that the agenda that is made public prior to the meeting via our website will be transparent in allowing the public, via modern hyperlinks, to actually see and digest the amendments to the redevelopment plan.”
On April 6, representatives from Claremont Development and March Development showed residents preliminary renderings of buildings and discussed some of the pros and cons of their proposal at a town hall forum held both in-person and on Zoom.
The two-hour April 6 presentation is accessible on the borough website under What’s Happening in Hillsdale, then Redevelopment in Hillsdale, A Town Hall Meeting Was Held April 6 by Claremont Development, LLC.
(Also see “Four-story luxury rental complex on former WM site?” Pascack Press, April 10, 2022.)
The joint development proposal will be presented to the Planning Board and evaluated under special zoning adopted in the redevelopment plan.
Based on Rutgers University studies, development officials estimated that the approximately 400 new residents in 250 apartments, including 24 affordable units, would add approximately six to 13 school-age students to town.
Moreover, redevelopment officials said, 403 parking spaces in a new parking deck and 40 on-street spaces would be created.
At the forum, residents raised questions about the project’s density, traffic, possible flooding, public safety, schools, taxes, and impacts on local emergency services.
Several residents wondered about increasing costs and local impacts on emergency response and public safety services related to the four-story, high-density apartment complex.
Several wondered if the development might pay for an additional fire apparatus or even extra police officers.
Borough special redevelopment counsel Joseph Baumann said the borough’s redevelopment financial advisor would prepare a fiscal impact analysis of the potential costs of the new development related to increased services needed, plus the pros and cons of the PILOT agreement being requested by the redeveloper.
He said the analysis would show whether the project is a net-negative or a net-positive for the town.
Pascack Press asked Ruocco if the public may weigh in on a possible “community benefit” for the bonus density allowance made to the redeveloper.
He said, “The borough’s negotiating team is considering different options, and will make recommendations to the full governing body. I hope that the governing body will be sensitive to the needs of the public that have already been expressed to them by the Special Citizens Committee for Community Center/Field Improvements, and by the general public in the coming weeks as to the type of community benefits that are favored.”
He said, “However, the council majority’s refusal to discuss the merits of a non-binding referendum on the matter of the $3.5 million field improvement project which has already left the station could be an indicator of how willing the council is to be transparent and consultative on the separate matter of a community benefit from redevelopment.”
We reached out on April 18 to Council President Janetta Trochimiuk and members Abby Lundy and Frank Pizzella. Lundy replied that she had not yet seen a formal agenda for the meeting and could not reply.
‘Luxury’ Apartment Rents
Redeveloper officials said likely rents for one- and two-bedroom apartments would depend on features and amenities that varied in certain style apartments, ranging from around $2,300 and up per month for a one-bedroom to up to $3,700 per month for a two-bedroom suite.
“Amenities will be on par with any luxury resort. It will be lending itself to a more affluent [customer] on a par with a hotel that you’d like to stay at,” March Development 50% partner Anthony Marchigiano said.
Several times throughout the meeting, residents asked about The James, a 240-unit five-story luxury rental complex built on Kinderkamack Road in Park Ridge, also built by Claremont Development.
The James is named in honor of Park Ridge native and hometown hero James Gandolfini, the late actor who most famously starred in “The Sopranos” on HBO, and was also well-known for his generosity.
Several cited the development as an example of what they prefer not to see in Hillsdale. Most were concerned that the proposed 250-unit complex would not have adequate setbacks from the street.
Officials said the proposed Hillsdale complex would have a 30-foot street setback and be at least 15 feet from the sidewalk.
Moreover, they noted while The James is about 10 feet from its curb line, the proposed Hillsdale complex would set back much further and also be at least one story lower over the entire building.