WOODCLIFF LAKE—Mayor Carlos Rendo said March 21 that council members were waiting to receive copies of the newly adopted Master Plan — adopted on March 16 by the Planning Board — and council discussion was postponed to either the April 11 or May 16 meeting.
However, the 95-page Master Plan had been available online since March 4. Planning officials posted it to meet the legal deadline of at least 10 days in advance of the Planning Board’s March 16 meeting.
Anyone interested can find the 95-page document by looking for 2022 Master Plan on the Planning Board webpage.
At its March 16 meeting, Planning Board members voted, 8-0, to adopt the plan. Master Plan chair and councilwoman Josephine Higgins abstained, apparently based on concerns she had about recommending new zoning for the Egg Farm property, a 5-acre parcel.
Planning Board Chair Robert Friedberg said the new zoning was recommended to offer the elderly property owner and residents a “more affordable” option should the property be redeveloped.
We reached out to Higgins for comment but did not hear back by press time. It was unclear what zoning ordinances may be pursued first by council members seeking to implement the new Master Plan. The borough’s planner, Liz Leheny, who helped update the plan, likely will be consulted soon on what zoning ordinance priorities should be.
While the council may discuss the Master Plan, the Master Plan is adopted by the Planning Board alone. Borough Attorney John Schettino said March 21 that the governing body has authority to request a reexamination or a new Master Plan, but does not vote on or change the Master Plan.
The council provided approximately $70,000 to planning consultant Phillips Preiss Grygiel Leheny Hughes LLC, in association with Neglia Engineering, to update the plan.
The Master Plan is a policy guide on growth in the community. Generally when a Master Plan is updated the council will consider a series of zoning ordinances proposed to implement it.
Without zoning ordinances to implement the Master Plan, the document may be ineffective, but even worse, open to challenge from developers looking to build a certain style or density of development not currently allowed. The zoning ordinances that implement a Master Plan form the town code that developers and general contractors must follow.
At the March 21 meeting, some East Side residents again disagreed with density and height recommendations in the new Master Plan.
AnnMarie Borelli said the Master Plan public survey found that residents wanted no tall buildings, no overdevelopment and to keep the community quaint.
She requested planners and council set a vision for Broadway “not to turn it into looking like an urban-looking street.”
At the March 16 meeting, borough planner Liz Leheny, of Phillips Preiss Grygiel Leheny Hughes LLC, told Borelli that the Broadway design standards call for buildings that “must look residential” and be consistent with guidelines.