BY MICHAEL OLOHAN
OF PASCACK PRESS
MONTVALE, N.J. –– The borough’s deadline for submitting its affordable housing plan was extended until Nov. 30 – providing another month to negotiate details – and the mayor said he hopes a settlement is reached “fairly soon.”
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Mayor Michael Ghassali said Oct. 30 that the deadline for submitting an approved affordable housing plan was extended for 30 days in response to a question at the end of the Oct. 30 council meeting.
The borough has been in negotiations since 2015 to develop an affordable housing plan.
“We appreciate all the input and involvement in the process,” said Ghassali when reached Nov. 2. He said the negotiators are “trying to wrap it up” and that he hopes for a resolution to nearly two years of negotiations.
Borough Attorney Joseph Voytus said the borough was working hard to conclude negotiations.
“If the borough’s plan is not fully completed by Nov. 30, we would of course be seeking an additional extension of immunity. We believe the borough has acted in good faith and would be entitled to a further extension,” said Voytus via email Nov. 1.
Montvale’s negotiations include its counsel, Jeffrey R. Surenian & Associates, and three intervenors: the Fair Share Housing Center, and two developers, Hornrock Properties, owner of the former Sony property, and S. Hekemian Group, LLC, owner of a former 37-acre Mercedes campus.
In late September, the council tabled a resolution that would have allowed S. Hekemian Group LLC to erect 350 units of multi-family housing at its Mercedes site. In response to tabling the decision, Hekemian filed a “builder’s remedy” lawsuit against Montvale to construct up to 1,000 units at the site, the mayor said at the time.
Hornrock, meanwhile, has proposed multi-family housing for its property, claiming this will help Montvale meet its affordable housing obligations. The majority of the former Sony campus is in Park Ridge, with smaller portions in Montvale and Woodcliff Lake.
In May, the borough submitted a plan to a special court master who has been working with Montvale to determine a “fair share” of affordable housing units it must provide.
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Previously, the Fair Share Housing Center had determined the borough needed to provide 683 units of low- and moderate-income housing.
Efforts to reach Jeff Surenian for comment were not returned by press time.
Prior to the Oct. 30 meeting, the council met in closed session to discuss two items: Council on Affordable Housing (COAH), and “ERUV.”
No details were made public about either matter.
On Oct. 18, the borough became the third municipality sued by the Bergen Rockland Eruv Association for restricting construction of an eruv, a religious boundary that allows Orthodox Jews to “fully and freely practice their religion.”
According to the lawsuit, Ghassali allegedly issued a “stop-work order” on July 10 after the association had obtained approvals from Orange and Rockland Utilities in June 2015 to install slim PVC pipes – known as “lechis” – on 27 borough utility poles on Chestnut Ridge Road and Summit Avenue.
The eruv enclosure area allows Orthodox Jews to push and carry objects outside their homes on Saturdays and Jewish holidays.
Mahwah and Upper Saddle River are also being sued by the Bergen Rockland Eruv Association for restricting eruv construction.
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