TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON—A new neighbor of a 3.2-acre tract at 450 Pascack Road — the subject of a $430,000 acquisition try by the township — wants to know what the governing body plans to do with the property should the town acquire it via negotiation or eminent domain.
He says other residents have told him they have similar concerns. And he says Mayor Peter Calamari and members of the Township Council have not replied to his queries about why tax dollars are being spent without a plan in place for 450 Pascack Road.
The question is important because the mayor and council did publicly discuss their $1 million bid for acquisition of the 6.4-acre former Washington Township Swim & Recreation Club, which was not successful.
Similar to negotiations for 450 Pascack Road, the talks for the Swim Club were mostly carried out in closed sessions and mostly involved Calamari and Township Attorney Kenneth Poller.
Public debate during at least two council meetings occurred over what the swim club property would possibly be used for — and not used for — plus why the $1 million offer was necessary.
Moreover, Poller discussed the need for a 4-1 council majority to approve any bond-funded amount to be used for the purchase.
Resident Keith Jensen recently purchased 414 Pascack Road for $525,000. His property sits next to Morris’s rundown 1,800-square-foot home and tree-lined property, which Calamari has said is a priority for the township to acquire and which his predecessor’s administration tried for.
Jensen says he has plans for his property and “What I need to consider, and hopefully soon, is if 414 is being discussed for acquisition in addition to 450 by the town before I start with my plans for this property.”
He asks the town, “Please consider selling me the two parcels of land that have been maintained by the previous owner for the past 40 years. In the interim, I will continue to maintain these lots as the master plan for 450 is decided by the [township]”.
He attaches a survey showing two exempted lots on 414 Pascack Road.
Jensen wrote the township of 450, “If there is a follow-on project, what will the cost be for this, as a land grab is not wise if there is more to follow without a cost being associated for the entire plan.”
He said, “Please make known the offers for 450, both past [and] present, and why state grant money was being used in the past and why it is not being used currently, thus causing a tax burden on the township if the eminent domain goes forward without available grant monies.”
And he noted that on Aug. 25, after he questioned the administration and council about plans for 450 Pascack Road, and whether he could purchase the two exempt lots, he was issued a code violation.
He was given 10 days to correct the situation.
His note to the town on Aug. 26 reads, in part, “I have not received a message from anyone with respect to my last two emails and a visit to the public hearing. However, I did receive a violation for a bush that needs trimming [as it is allegedly impeding the view of traffic]. Should I presume that in fact this is a response from the mayor and council?”
He says, “I am trying to communicate directly with the governing body, but instead I received a visit from the property maintenance official. I find it interesting this violation came just two days after I sent the second trailing follow-up email.”
Jensen says, “The bushes in violation are clearly on town property, so I do not know why I am receiving this violation. Nevertheless, I will trim it for the town. Am I supposed to bill the town, will I get a rebate on my taxes, or would it be better for the violation be sent to the mayor and council?”
He writes, “My formal request is to know who directed the zoning official to visit my home and issue this violation.”
Jensen previously expressed fears that the township might move to take his property via eminent domain.
We reached out to Calamari, Business Administrator Robert Tovo, and Council President Stacey Feeney for comment but did not hear back by press time.
What to do with a wooded tract?
While several potential uses for 450 Pascack Road have been floated — including preservation, future school and recreational field parking lots, and passive recreation — no plan or proposal has been discussed publicly, much less approved, by council members.
The majority of public comment has focused on preserving the 3.2-acre tree-studded buffer area, which adjoins the backyards of 12 Ridgewood Boulevard East homes and three Jackson Avenue homes.
However, a letter sent late last year by an attorney hired by three nearby homeowners calls for the property to be preserved and protected from overdevelopment.
Much of the public pressure for preservation of 450 Pascack Road has occurred from nearby Ridgewood Boulevard East homeowners worried about a large development literally in their backyards.
Diane Ferrara, a spokesperson for Stop Township Overdevelopment Projects (STOP) has repeatedly called council meetings since last summer and written emails to mayor and council stressing the property is not even developable based on its current AA single-family, half-acre zoning as it’s landlocked and not accessible.
Last summer, Lakos Construction Inc., owned by developer Nick Tsapatsaris, proposed a 44-unit senior living complex, along with four condo units in two separate buildings, for the site but withdrew its application within weeks due to public pushback against what neighbors criticized as high-density overdevelopment.
One flyer widely distributed by STOP last summer was titled, “This Proposal is Insane” and noted, “Tell the Zoning Board to say ‘No!’ to this crazy idea.”
The flyer cited children’s well-being, destruction of 200 trees, residents’ privacy concerns, and the property’s proximity to Memorial Field and Washington Elementary School as reasons to oppose “this outrageous overdevelopment.”
Poller confirmed to Pascack Press that Morris has hired an attorney but declined to reveal his name. Given that, it appears Morris is entering negotiations for the property.
Morris told Pascack Press recently that no local homeowner would sell a similar property for $430,000 and cited all the benefits of the 3.2 mostly wooded acres at 450 Pascack Road.
Although the township’s initial 450 Pascack bid was $430,000, no discussion has occurred about where those funds will come from, or what’s available in reserves or surplus that might be tapped for such a purchase.
Calamari previously posted on Facebook that he believed the township could “support buying both properties” — meaning the Swim Club and 450 Pascack Road — via taxpayer-supported bonding.
He said their acquisition would prevent overdevelopment or a developer acquiring the property to hold for future high-density development during the next affordable housing round after 2025.