TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON, N.J.—The Planning Board finally saw renderings of a multifamily inclusionary housing development on Van Emburgh Avenue that was agreed in a 2015 affordable housing settlement.
No action was taken on the informal presentation, by Fair Lawn-based Franklin Court LLC, but the Planning Board on Dec. 4 saw elevations and a conceptual grading plan of an upscale development bound for block 1102, lots 1.04, 2, 9, and 11.
Both Franklin Court LLC and Fair Share Housing Center were intervenors in a declaratory judgment the township filed in 2015 seeking immunity from builder’s remedy lawsuits.
Under the terms of the settlement, Franklin Court LLC will build its 44-unit complex, mostly two-bedrooms, on Van Emburgh Avenue, with seven units on site designated for affordable housing.
The developer also agreed to build two single-family units on lot 9 and contribute $250,000 in a payment in lieu of taxes, bound for the township’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund.
Developer Uri Cohen told Pascack Press after the Planning Board meeting that his team— Chester, Ploussas, Lisowsky Partnership LLC—will return with an application at a formal hearing in 90 days. This will include technical matters including a current traffic impact report.
Cohen said he would break ground on his 16 acres “as soon as possible, as soon as we get approvals.”
Meanwhile, the Westwood Regional School District has prioritized a demographics and facilities study in light of housing developments proposed in the area, including James Viviano’s American Dream Estates, long eyed for 463 Van Emburgh Ave.
Hearings on that project go back to 2002. After the township and Viviano settled litigation related to the Mount Laurel Doctrine for affordable housing in 2001, the property was zoned for single-family homes and townhouses.
There is no affordable housing planned at that site.
The township got affordable housing credit for special needs group homes on Calvin Street and Ridgewood Boulevard, the redevelopment of the former VFW site on Jefferson Avenue as four affordable units for seniors and veterans, and two subsequent overlay zones.
Habitat for Humanity of Bergen County hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony Dec. 7 at 643, 645, 647, and 649 Jefferson Ave.
