To the editor:
As a governing body we were happy to see the article “Park Ridge on Trial?” [by Michael Olohan, April 1] in this week’s Pascack Press. The article highlights our fight against high density housing being forced upon our community. Developers have been preying on municipalities with the threat of a builder’s remedy lawsuit for far too long. They have used this threat to force high density housing to create huge profits for developers at the expense of the community.
More than two years ago Hornrock used this tactic to try to force Park Ridge to approve 972 residential units claiming that we had not met our affordable housing obligation.
Their allegation is totally false. We have met our constitutional obligation for affordable housing, and as a community, have a rich history of inclusion. Along with the current projects in progress, we have made plans to build a 100 percent affordable development, in partnership with the United Way. This project will accommodate veterans, seniors, and those with disabilities, as well as individuals and families in need of affordable housing. Our plan was submitted to the court and clearly meets the requirements as defined by the accepted methodology, while not adversely affecting the character of our community.
We believe this is the type of plan that Fair Share should support, because it so closely aligns with their mission to provide affordable housing to those in need.
We also believe that the courts and Fair Share Housing should not be concerned with developer’s profits, but whether municipalities are making real progress, and in Park Ridge, we certainly are.
While we find this process unreasonable and costly to the taxpayers, we will continue to fight before allowing others to force excessive high density housing in our town.