EMERSON—Mayor Danielle DiPaola said that at least six businesses have opened or reopened in Emerson in 2021 and noted the borough is a “pass-through town” without the commercial district most towns have.
Speaking at the Greater Pascack Valley Chamber of Commerce annual Breakfast With the Mayors — on Zoom again, initial plans to host the event at Westwood’s Iron Horse Restaurant having been nixed over Covid concerns — she said a large chunk of the downtown is undergoing redevelopment, with no clear idea when the work will be finished.
DiPaola said the borough is continuing to seek remedies for traffic bottlenecks in town, including the “6-minute light” for motorists traveling on Linwood Avenue at the Kinderkamack Road intersection.
She said the borough constantly reaches out to Bergen County and NJ Transit officials to see whether they can do something about the light timing.
The mayor said Emerson outdoor dining has been a constant at the Emerson Hotel for at least a century and stressed local restaurants have a strong take-out business. She said that Emerson is helping to keep the food take-out business vibrant throughout the Pascack Valley.
DiPaola said Emerson has commercial space available and some active liquor licenses are available privately. “We do hope that we will have some restaurants moving in with a liquor license that will afford a more vibrant restaurant persona in Emerson.”
She said “we continue to wait” to hear what’s going on with the now-vacant Armenian Home. She said they had heard it will continue as a medical facility but they await “definitive plans” from the owners. (See “Armenian Home’s plans? ‘No comment,’ we’re told,” Pascack Press, July 23, 2021.)
The mayor said Subaru Motors also has applied for an expansion of its facility in town to the council and land use board. No details could be shared, she said.
Regarding the stalled Emerson Station Block 419 downtown redevelopment, being contested in Superior Court, she said, “We look forward to working with the developers on this ongoing project and we look forward to it coming to fruition.”
Site demolition work was halted in fall 2021 due to a finding of perchlorethylene, a common cleaning agent, in soil beneath the former Ranch Cleaners at 190 Kinderkamack Road. It was unclear if work had restarted and
Our calls to the construction official for an update were not returned.
The developer, Emerson Redevelopers Urban Renewal, and the borough were ordered by the Superior Court last year to expedite construction of 29 affordable housing units, agreed to in a late 2018 settlement agreement. An implementation manager, retired Superior Court Judge Harry G. Carroll, was assigned by the court to expedite construction.
Twenty-two affordable units are required on site and seven elsewhere in Emerson. Moreover, the borough and redeveloper have filed dueling lawsuits, the redeveloper charging the borough with delays, obstruction
Also, DiPaola said the borough is “working very hard” on a new emergency services building and the addition/renovation of its historic Borough Hall. She said the renovations will preserve the historic building as well as provide additional space for police, ambulance and municipal court.
She said the 250-year-old American Legion Post 169 Building, also known as the DeBaun House, which is owned by the post and one of the borough’s oldest remaining buildings, will be knocked down and replaced by four new apartments for disabled veterans to be built in cooperation with the Bergen County Housing Authority.
Previously, officials said they were told the DeBaun House was not restorable due to its rundown condition, water damage, and mold, despite prior efforts to save it. (See “Time’s up for DeBaun House: Home served American Legion, generations of Emersonians,” Pascack Press, Nov. 6, 2021.)
“We are sad that the building will be razed. We have gone through every avenue to save it but it doesn’t seem that anything can be done. And the post needs a home, our veterans deserve a home, and that will be moving forward this year,” she said. (As of Feb. 3, the building was still standing.)
DiPaola said an urgent care practice and a speech therapy business are inbound at Stop & Shop Plaza this year.
She said Hand & Stone Massage & Facial Spa celebrated its 10th anniversary this year at the plaza.
Check out the breakfast on WCTV-NJ, learn more about the GPVCOC at its website, and check out Michael Olohan’s report of the mayors’ breakfast discussion on affordable housing: “At breakfast, mayors urge regional strategy on 2025 housing mandates.”