HILLSDALE, N.J.—A proposal to create a redevelopment plan for large portions of an area now zoned industrial moved forward Nov. 12 with the Borough Council hiring a consultant to develop the plan.
Redevelopment is a process defined by state law that allows municipalities to create new, often expanded uses for properties meeting certain criteria.
Following closed session talks, the council awarded a $19,140 contract to DMR Architects of Hasbrouck Heights for a plan to produce a redevelopment plan for 17 lots.
A preliminary investigation found the properties met criteria for redevelopment, but added the stipulation that the effort would be “without condemnation,” or eminent domain, often the most controversial component of the 1992 New Jersey Local Redevelopment and Housing Law.
Mayor John Ruocco explained, “We’re still examining the what-ifs and what can go there and what would please the residents of Hillsdale.”
The preliminary work considered 23 lots for redevelopment on 14 acres between the Pascack Brook to the west and New Jersey Transit’s Pascack Valley Line to the east, just south of the Woodcliff Lake Reservoir and north of St. John the Baptist R.C. Church.
In September, the council approved DMR Architects’ 154-page preliminary investigation for determination of an area in need of redevelopment in May 2019.
It’s available on the borough’s website.
Ruocco said a redevelopment plan for the area has been discussed for several years, with Council President Frank Pizzella leading the charge.
Waste Management’s properties in plan?
One possible stumbling block to redevelopment over the years has been a transfer station operated by Waste Management Inc. Ruocco said conversations with WM on the site have been constructive.
The borough had sued to oppose WM’s permit to operate a waste transfer station, as approved by the state Department of Environmental Protection.
WM owns four lots in the study area. Three—totaling 4.42 acres—were recommended to be designated for redevelopment in the preliminary investigation. The fourth and smallest lot, at approximately 0.29 acres, at 77 Brookside Place, was not recommended.
Affordable housing considerations
Another factor in moving a redevelopment plan forward was inclusion of a portion of Hillsdale’s industrial zone in the borough’s affordable housing settlement, approved in October 2017.
That plan carves out 5.8 acres in the industrial zone as an area in need of redevelopment and allows inclusionary housing at a maximum density of 28 units per acre. Such housing usually requires about 20% of the residential units in a major development to be designated affordable.
The borough’s settlement agreement requires compliance within three years of court approval. Municipalities do not need to build affordable housing to be compliant, but rather allow for the reasonable creation of such housing, typically through zoning.
If a redevelopment plan is not approved, Hillsdale could use local zoning measures to create opportunities for affordable housing, according to the settlement.
Asked whether affordable housing was driving the need to create a redevelopment plan, Ruocco told Pascack Press, “We were talking about redeveloping that area prior to even talking about our affordable housing obligations.”
Ruocco said DMR Architects will offer the council redevelopment options for possible rezoning of area properties and said he couldn’t predict what types of zoning will best fit the area and meet with community acceptance.
“We need to do a good job of being transparent with the residents. Sometimes things have a way of getting bogged down,” he said.
Ruocco said rezoning options that the architects might or might not recommend include assisted living, senior living, and mixed-use (residential and retail) housing.
According to Pizzella in an election-related message to voters, “Hillsdale, like so many other small towns, must stabilize taxes while continuing to maintain services and make improvements to infrastructure.”
Pizzella said the council’s recent declaration of a redevelopment zone “ensured a brighter future for our community” and that “Soon we will create a plan that will breathe new life into an entire area of town that has laid misunderstood for over two decades.”
He added, “In doing so, we will generate wealth we do not have today.”
Pizzella said he led efforts to increase local revenues and “worked in good faith with Waste Management and Hillsdale is no longer the garbage-hauling center for the Pascack Valley.”
He said “generating wealth is necessary to achieve goals like restoring recreational facilities and building a community facility, with a senior center.”
In June, Ruocco announced that under the federal Transportation Alternatives Program, the state awarded a $1.3 million grant for streetscaping and safety improvements to Patterson Street and Hillsdale Avenue.
“Both projects will use Complete Streets design methodology to encourage walking and biking along the roadways, the mayor wrote.
He said improvements will be made to Patterson Street in the industrial zone from Parkview Drive to Orchard Street, a stretch of some 2,750 feet.
He said such improvements should complement redevelopment plans. Improvements include dozens of new shade trees, grass median strips, stormwater management devices, and enhanced street lighting.
Ruocco added that the project design “promotes environmental enhancement by its linkage with, and promotion of, any potential future housing redevelopment plans of the borough which might require new stormwater management [and] water quality improvements from the current impervious heavy industrial uses.”
He said the upgrades will help protect Pascack Brook, a nearby Category 1 waterbody that feeds Oradell Reservoir, a regional water supply reservoir.