MONTVALE—Mayor Michael Ghassali says five new major projects will bring 950 new housing units to the borough this year, starting in April. He says half will be senior living and assisted living, and half will be one-, two- and three-bedroom units, including rentals and ownership.
“We expect about $2.2 million [more] a year in tax revenue and hoping that some of the seniors stay in town and move into these apartments,” Ghassali said Jan. 26 at the Greater Pascack Valley Chamber of Commerce Breakfast With the Mayors, a Zoom event.
He said local corporate office space can accommodate 25,000 employees working daily in Montvale, where today there are fewer than 8,000 employees. “We have several vacant office buildings.”
He said Montvale is “pushing hard” focusing on “medical and professional uses” and said that he was hoping to soon announce a major medical company coming to town before April.
Ghassali said he had recently asked the council and planning professional to rezone certain areas of town to help bring in light manufacturing businesses that handle furniture assembly, small signs, and over-the-counter creams and shampoos.
He said the borough lost 50 businesses and gained 55 as of December 2021. He said Montvale is trying to work with the county and state to help local businesses suffering Covid’s economic impacts.
He said “on a light note” this year, he has issued a mayor’s fitness challenge to Montvale residents to join together to help shed 1,000 total pounds, assisted by gym owners, trainers, and Zumba dancers and instructors. He said the challenge would be mutually beneficial for local businesses and residents to get into better health overall.
Regarding traffic, he said a borough traffic study, in 2017 when Wegmans was built, “said we’ll be fine but we do have more traffic now especially coming from New York.” He said one Rockland County school project involves 1,000 students and 60 buses daily traveling via the Garden State Parkway and then through Montvale.
He said Montvale was working with the N.J. Turnpike Authority, which controls the parkway, to help minimize traffic concerns.
He said two council members, Dieter Koelling and Douglas Arendacs, were working with Teterboro Airport officials to help address noise concerns and reduce flights over borough homes. The officials were attending regular meetings of TANAAC (Teterboro Aircraft Noise Abatement Advisory Committee).
Meanwhile, other Pascack Valley mayors and council members have been regularly advocating for reduced flights and noise over the Pascack Valley.
The mayors also spoke at length about affordable housing. We broke that out separately, as “At breakfast, mayors urge regional strategy on 2025 housing mandates.” You can see the entire breakfast session on WCTV-NJ. For more information on the GPVCOC visit its website.
Planning Board Applications
Separately, Ghassali has reported on recent planning board applications:
- Gray Capital, LLC – 100 Summit Ave. (former Western Union campus) – the applicant is proposing to demolish the easternmost building and construct a 180-bed, three-story nursing home while using the existing (western) building for offices, support services and meeting rooms. The existing building would be refaced to complement the proposed nursing home addition. Site improvements are also proposed including parking, landscaping and stormwater.
- Montvale Grove, LLC – 24 Spring Valley Road – This application proposes the construction of 19-individual age-restricted buildings including a 3-unit affordable building located on 4 acres northwest of the intersection of Spring Valley Road and Grand Avenue with proposed access opposite Akers Avenue. The initial hearing date has not been set.
- Metropolitan Homes – 91 Spring Valley Road – This application for the construction of four single-family homes at the end of Deep Wood Lane (off Stem Brook), and seven single-family homes on Spring Valley Road opposite Bear Brook Village was approved by the Board on May 21, 2019. The applicant submitted a final subdivision for review by CED and several changes were identified requiring a return to the Board for an amended approval.
- Montvale Family Apartments – The Resolution granting Final Site Plan Approval was approved by the Planning Board at their Jan. 18 meeting. This application is for construction of a 25-unit development on Summit Avenue at the intersection with Craig Road.
- Safari Energy/Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) Solar Carports – This application was deemed incomplete on Oct. 26, 2021 and CED has requested additional information and revised plans from the Applicant. The applicant has requested approval to install 6-carport structures containing 3,312 solar panels above 342-parking spaces north of the MSK building.
- Mobius Solar I, LLC, 5 Paragon Drive – This application for installation of solar panels over portions of the parking lot was approved at the March 2, 2021 meeting. There has been no activity on this application or permits requested from the Borough.
- Balchem Corp, 5 Paragon Drive – This application for a new tenant includes several site improvements related to their operations. No hearing date has been set.
- Moksha/Valley View Subdivision – 89 Valley View Terrace – CED issued the Resolution Compliance and Bonding recommendation to the Borough. A Developer’s Agreement will be prepared ahead of the issuance of any permits for the start of construction. The applicant received approval on Oct. 6, 2020 for the construction of two homes on this undeveloped lot, which will be accessed from a new cul-de-sac off Valley View Terrace.