HILLSDALE—The Borough Council on Feb. 11 approved a four-story self-storage facility in the Patterson Street Redevelopment Zone over vocal opposition from parishioners of St. John the Baptist Church, who raised flooding, traffic, public safety, cultural sensitivity, and aesthetic concerns.
The council approved two ordinances Feb. 11 that allow a self storage facility to be constructed in the zone and granted the developer, Piermont Avenue Urban Renewal, a 30-year payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) agreement for the site.
The full text of each ordinance (25-05 and 25-06) is linked to the online agenda. Both ordinances were approved 5-0. Councilman Justin Fox was present remotely for the start of the meeting but was not available for the ordinance votes.
Officials said the proposed building will first generate about $200,000 yearly in PILOT tax revenue for Hillsdale and grow to nearly $400,000 in revenue yearly when fully occupied.
Over the first decade, the self facility was projected to generate $2 million in tax revenue, the second decade it will generate a total of $3.3 million; and the last decade, $4.9 million, said Councilor John Ruocco, quoting from an Acacia Financial analysis.
A financial consultant said the developer will be paying about 80% of normal municipal taxes by the final PILOT year. She said over 30 years, the facility would yield $6 million more in taxes than its former use as a parking lot.
The facility is proposed for Block 1208, lot 1, opposite St. John’s northerly entrance. A 256-unit multifamily, mixed-use development is under construction on Block 1210, also part of the zone. The mixed-use redevelopment includes 20 affordable units and a 5,000-square-foot community center.
Although self storage was allowed in the redevelopment zone, the 5-0 council vote allows a self storage facility on Block 1208, where it previously was not allowed. That block and lot is across from the church’s north entrance.
The site, a parking lot for landscaping vehicles and equipment, generates approximately $17,500 yearly in taxes. The borough’s redevelopment counsel, Joseph Baumann, said self-storage units are “really an accessory to the apartments” and helpful to nearby apartment dwellers and residents who may be downsizing and need to store items.
Baumann said if not developed for self storage, the site would likely be used for multifamily residential as other uses such as retail are not suitable. He said a self storage facility was the “ideal use” for the location, the “least impactful” and “most beneficial to the taxpayers” as no municipal services (i.e. children in schools, no new police officers, etc.) are required.
However, approximately a dozen parishioners of St. John’s, including Msgr. Peter Smutelovich, asked the mayor and Borough Council to halt the borough’s plans and called for a special meeting “and a very deep dive” into issues surrounding the self storage facility.
Most parishioners who spoke said church officials had not been consulted and included in the changes to the Patterson Street Redevelopment Plan, which the council approved in November 2020.
In late January, Smutelovich wrote a four-page letter to Mayor Michael Sheinfield opposing the facility, and copied it to council, plus 10 officials from St. John the Baptist Church and St. John’s Academy, its onsite K-8 elementary school.
Highlights from the letter:
- “Such a structure would serve as a permanent reminder of human and cultural insensitivity and negatively impact the aesthetic and communal integrity of our parish environment.”
- “Our Parish, along with the Civil Corporation of Saint John the Baptist and Saint John’s Academy, is not an ordinary neighbor to be informed as a formality. For nearly a century, we have been a vital human, spiritual, and educational institution in Hillsdale, serving over 2,000 families across Northern New Jersey and Southern New York. Our academy educates 332 children from more than 50 ZIP codes. Every year, countless visitors from across the nation and the world come to our campus. We respectfully request that our community’s voice and concerns be treated with the seriousness they deserve.”
- “Severe flooding regularly occurs on the north side of our property, near the proposed construction site. Torrents of water typically stream from three sources: down Prospect Place directly into the property, through the church’s entrance driveway, and from Pascack Brook overflow. This flooding has repeatedly threatened our offices, rectory, and church building. Ignoring these conditions risks exacerbating water damage.”
- “A thorough geotechnical analysis is essential to confirm that the ground can support the proposed structure. The absence of such a publicly available report raises concerns about potential foundation issues that could jeopardize our buildings’ integrity.”
- “On Aug. 3, 2024, floodwaters near the proposed construction site were so powerful that they carried construction materials and debris onto church property. Despite the Department of Public Works’ prompt cleanup, we received neither an official explanation nor an apology for this incident. Proceeding with the development without addressing these concerns disregards the impact on our community.”
- “The flooding has already caused our church floor to buckle, prompting an insurance claim and structural integrity assessment in collaboration with the Archdiocesan Insurance Program. The church’s concrete slab foundation could suffer irreparable damage if the situation worsens.”
- “Early redevelopment activities have already resulted in increased traffic through Valley Street and our church parking lot as drivers seek shortcuts around Patterson Street and Hillsdale Avenue. This traffic poses significant safety risks to the children attending Saint John’s Academy.”
- “The church’s park-like property on the west side of Broadway has long been an informal community gathering space. As new residents move into the redeveloped area, we anticipate increased use of this space. We expect the Borough to treat our green space with the same respect and consideration afforded to its other parks.”
Project next steps
The project developer must now present a preliminary and final site plan to the Planning Board, where public hearings will be held. The board must make sure the plan follows the Redevelopment Plan’s zoning and remains consistent with the local Master Plan.
Officials stressed that state DEP requirements mandate that post-development site storm runoff be reduced below pre-development levels. Following its hearings, the Planning Board will make the final decision on approval of the self storage development. The public may ask questions and voice opinions during Planning Board hearings. The Planning Board’s decision is final; the council does not need to approve that decision, Administrator Mike Ghassali told us.
It’s not clear when a proposal will be before the Planning Board, officials told Pascack Press.
Principal, parishioners speak out
Parishioners spoke out during general public comment and during adoption of the ordinances related to Block 1208, Lot 1.
Annie Mitchell, principal of St. John’s Academy, said the church’s parking lot is used as a traffic cut-through, noting there are traffic and safety issues to be addressed. She said 332 students attend the school in pre-K through eighth grade, approximately 3 to 14 years of age. She asked officials
Gina Bianchi-McBreen, a 41-year resident, said there has “always been a water issue over at St. John’s” and questioned how the borough could move ahead with a development when the flooding remains uncorrected over decades. She said the church should be “treated with better respect and consideration.”
River Vale resident Patricia Keats, also a parishioner, said she didn’t think local officials had an appreciation of what it was like living downstream from a new development. She said two new developments were built upstream of her River Vale property, which she bought three decades ago. She said she was given assurances that no extra runoff or flooding would occur, However, she says now that flooding occurs with even a smaller rain storm.
“Nobody gives a care about correcting the drainage, the amount of water that flows down the stream,” she said. She said that often debris and garbage floods onto her property during heavy rain storms. She predicted increased flooding would occur at St. John’s with a new development. “I hope you listen,” she added.
Julianne Lipnick, of Washington Township and a parishioner, cited a Pascack Press article quoting Mayor Michael Sheinfield about fixing flooding at the borough’s DPW building. She urged officials to consider the St. John’s community “just like your DPW: Do not let this facility be built that could wipe out our church and our school. This is our place of worship, this is our place of peace, and our place of refuge,” she said.
Another resident wondered why the self storage proposal needed to move forward now. He suggested that it wait until the new multifamily complex under construction is finished, and officials had a chance to evaluate the impacts of its stormwater runoff on the church.
He suggested some PILOT tax revenues be “reinvested” into resiliency and flood damage mitigation strategies to reduce flooding impacts. He said the planning should look at preparing for 100-year storms that appear to come more frequently now.
Other parishioners suggested a storage facility would attract “transients” from other towns and questioned security and a possible need for exterminators at the facility. Others questioned where earth removed for the building’s foundation would go; whether lithium batteries might cause fires if stored there; and many urged closer consultation with St. John’s moving forward.
At one point, Borough Attorney Mark Madaio, who said he has acted as counsel for six Planning Boards, said most towns want self storage facilities, and that after the first three to six months, traffic and activity near the facilities generally drops off. Echoing other officials, he said the self storage facility does not add extra school children or require municipal services, thus costing very little while generating increasing tax revenues.Ordinance 25-05 allows construction of a four-story self-storage facility on Block 1208, Lot 1. Ordinance 25-06 grants a 30-year PILOT agreement with Piermont Avenue Urban Renewal. The items passed unanimously Feb. 11.