TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON—The township attorney said Feb. 21 that the town has not yet filed to condemn 450 Pascack Road and will continue negotiations despite calls from nearly a dozen residents to purchase the 3.2-acre mostly wooded property now before a developer proposes a development or it is no longer available.
For over two years, some residents have pressed council to acquire the property, hoping to preserve the property sandwiched between Ridgewood Boulevard East homes and Washington Elementary School and Memorial Field.
In summer 2021, the township had the property appraised and bid $430,000 for the property. Negotiations have continued since, mostly in closed session, with recent rumors that the prior developer was waiting for summer 2025 to propose another multifamily development that included affordable housing. (That could not be confirmed,)
The next round of affordable housing obligations begins in July 2025.
Moreover, several residents suggested on Feb. 21 that affordable housing developments could bypass zoning boards or require minimal Planning Board approval due to a previously court-approved affordable housing settlement. (No such settlement has yet been approved nor has any such development been proposed for the 450 property.)
What’s more, no development application has been filed for the 450 Pascack property since the failed senior complex proposal was withdrawn almost three years ago.
Prior to the township’s bid of $430,000 for the property in mid-2021, Lakos Construction Inc., had proposed and withdrew an application for a 48-unit senior complex. Prior to the township’s bid, under threat of condemnation.
Of nearly a dozen speakers Feb. 21, several suggested council speak with Westwood Regional School District officials to find out if they’re interested in splitting the cost of acquiring 450 Pascack Road.
Officials did not indicate any such contacts had been made.
Poller said should the township file a condemnation complaint against 450 Pascack Road — due to failed negotiations to acquire it — that each side would likely present appraisal reports, and expert witnesses at a hearing before condemnation commissioners.
He said the commissioners would then set the price for 450 Pascack Road, requiring the township to “pay fair market value for the property” under eminent domain law.
Tommy Snee of Koch Peak Road said a “rumored cost” of $500,000 for 430 Pascack Road was being speculated and Poller said the $430,000 bid, “rounding up” with soft costs (possible legal expenses) might be close to $500,000.
“Condemnation commissioners will decide what it’s worth. They may decide it’s worth that, they may decide it’s worth more. There’s no way to tell without having a trial. It’s a full trial on the issue of valuation,” Poller told Snee.
He said filing a “complaint of condemnation” would start that process; Poller said that nothing has been filed.
Isabel Iglesias of Pascack Road said for nearly 43 years she has lived opposite 450 Pascack Road, “staring at this dilapidated property for years, nobody in this town ever did anything about it. He should have been fined or that should have been condemned ages ago. Unbelievable,” she said.
The township’s new code enforcement official, Dino DeVirgilio, recently sent a “nuisance property” violation to 450 Pascack’s owners, requiring action by March 6, 2023. “Correct the dilapidated appearance and other conditions that exist with the property, including the fallen front porch overhang and rear building (barn),” states the notice. (See “‘Nuisance’ houses face deadline on repairs,” Michael Olohan, Feb. 20, 2023, Pascack Press.)
She said she strongly supported 450’s purchase, noting another speaker’s comment that its purchase would likely only cost $16 yearly for an average homeowner. (Pascack Press could not verify that estimate, which appeared based on bonding costs for $500,000 for 20 years.)
Iglesias said a “threat of a developer coming around is real” and said the property should remain zoned as single-family residential.
Several residents referred to Council President Desserie Morgan’s recent letter to Pascack Press decrying what she called “scare tactics” being used to pressure council to purchase the property. Most residents said they expect a developer to try again to develop the property if the township does not purchase it.
On the Feb. 21 agenda, the topic of “Proposed acquisition/litigation/450 Pascack Road; Litigation/tax appeals” was listed under closed session discussion.
Several residents repeated prior police chief comments about traffic congestion and safety concerns around Washington Elementary School during student pickup and dropoff times.
Most said it was only getting worse, and would continue to deteriorate as more children entered the school from new developments, including Franklin Court and Viviano’s American Dream complex approved in recent years.
Nicole Vogel of Ridgewood Boulevard East reminded councilors that 450 Pascack was being marketed on commercial property sites for $2.1 million. She advised them to “see how it’s being presented…it’s something that would take away from the beauty of our town.”
Other residents noted councilman Thomas Sears’ recent concerns about the township’s disappearing tree canopy, citing 450 Pascack’s forested property. Sears said the township had lost 49% of its tree canopy, which declined from 27% loss only five years ago.
Residents also expressed worries about increased stormwater flows and more local flooding should the 450 Pascack property be developed with multifamily or high-density housing.