HILLSDALE—Would you like to swap the free community center to be built by redeveloper CP Hillsdale — as part of its community benefit giveback for increased housing density — in exchange for a $750,000 payment to Hillsdale, plus six additional apartments for the redeveloper?
That was the gist of the off-consent resolution, Resolution 22248, that was tabled, 5-0, at council on Dec. 13 and appeared to surprise at least two residents at the meeting.
Councilwoman Abby Lundy moved to table the resolution. No council discussion occurred following the tabling. Councilman Zoltan Horvath was absent.
The redeveloper’s proposed $750,000 payment in exchange for the Patterson Street community center space would provide a total of $1.5 million to the borough, when added to a prior $750,000 contribution required as part of the original redevelopment agreement.
The proposed addition of six rental apartment units — for a total of 261 apartments — would also be part of a revised agreement, noted the resolution.
Pascack Press reached out to Lundy and Mayor John Ruocco following the meeting to find out how the resolution evolved and appeared on the Dec. 13 agenda.
Lundy told us that she hopes to “untable” the resolution sometime next year for a council discussion once more information is known about any potential transaction involving the Patterson Street community center.
She said she was not aware how the resolution managed to be placed on the agenda. “I really need more information about this,” she said Dec. 14. She said she was always in favor of a community center at Stonybrook Swim Club, and having a total of 10,000 square feet of space between at least two locations.
She said that the council needs to present the community center options to residents, noting council should “spell it out and sell it” to the residents.
Last week, the council approved a $9,500 due diligence study of Stonybrook to get a better handle on the site’s environmental constraints for a future community center.
In an email, Ruocco said, “I too, was surprised at the decision to table and events leading up to it since Friday, Dec. 2 when I was first informed that (Business Administrator David Troast) was engaged in discussions with the developer to this end. But I never expected a resolution and draft amendment to be presented at last night’s meeting. until Monday afternoon Dec. 12. It all seemed rather rushed given the significance of the change.”
Ruocco noted he had always opposed having two community centers, calling the prospect “financially and administratively burdensome.” He said the proposed resolution eliminates the Patterson Street community center.
“Now I know that this warms the hearts of those who desired to build a community center at Stonybrook (Swim Club), but for some reason during the seven months of negotiations with the developer, (they) never spoke up publicly. No doubt it would help meet the latest $3.2 million estimate of building such a community center at the pool site,” he said.
He added, “Unfortunately, it still leaves the taxpayer in a position of having to fork up the difference, about $1.7 million.”
Ruocco said on Dec. 3 he asked Troast and special redevelopment counsel Joseph Baumann to take two steps before placing such a resolution on the agenda.
First, Ruocco said he asked that Acacia Financial Group update its financial analysis and determine what six additional rental units would add to the redeveloper’s bottom line, and whether $750,000 was a “reasonable” offer.
Second, Ruocco requested a document that “justifies the (community center) location being at Stonybrook” and not Patterson Street.
He said the council has not yet produced a document to show what programs might be at a Patterson Street center versus a Stonybrook center. He said no financial analysis nor breakdown of programs for a specific community center were done.
He told Pascack Press, “No council member seems to be asking the question of why it is appropriate to use Hillsdale taxpayer funds to build a community center on a pool club site where the majority of its members are out of town and to which only a small minority of Hillsdale residents belong?”
Public comments
At the meeting, resident Leonard Lyons said he previously thought the council had agreed to provide a community/senior center at the new Patterson Street redevelopment. That center, estimated at 5,000 square feet of indoor space and approx. 3,000 square feet of outdoor space was to be provided “free” to the borough by the redeveloper in exchange for a housing “density bonus” to build a 255-unit rental complex.
Lyons called the $750,000 offered to Hillsdale “a paltry sum” in exchange for not constructing a community center at the Patterson Street apartment complex, plus allowing six more apartments to the redeveloper.
“It’s a very bad deal for the town. I wanted to register my strong objections to that amendment,” said Lyons.
Resident Don Hansen also questioned why the borough would give up a free community center for $750,000.
He said “This doesn’t make any sense” and asked when the council might make a decision on the matter.