HILLSDALE, N.J.—Just because you can build on something does it follow that you should? The borough says yes in this case, eyeing the 2 Chestnut St. green, near the Township of Washington border, for a unit of affordable housing per its court-ordered obligation.
Residents in the area say no, and point to a copse of 20 fully mature trees and the wildlife and swaying respite it nurtures as their reason why.
Watching with interest is Habitat for Humanity of Bergen County, which is considering the borough’s land offer to help it help a family of no great means set down roots in the community.
The property, 50 feet by 100 feet at a dead end paper street and undersized for new development according to borough code, was one of approximately a dozen considered for affordable housing.
To the residents the land is a cherished vestige of pristine woodland in the 20-square-block tract in Hillsdale and neighboring Township of Washington known as the tree section. Surface streets here are named for such species as Beech, Cherry, Chestnut, Fern, Hickory, Oak, and Walnut.
The residents are particularly concerned that the borough will push their road through, suburbanizing their increasingly rare retreat, but the borough says this is not part of the plan.
The tract is home to animal, plant, and bird species, including a white oak and, neighbors say, a barred owl, which is a New Jersey-listed threatened species. They’re also concerned about flooding.
Dennis Cesa, a 30-year resident of Chestnut Street, told Pascack Press last week, “Residents have been maintaining this undersized lot for generations, from clearing fallen tree limbs, planting, sustaining wildlife and carefully guarding against littering and use of any pesticides at all.”
Habitat for Humanity of Bergen County declined a previous Hillsdale lot over flood concerns. It has not formally accepted this lot either, but its executive director, Maureen Cameron, told Pascack Press on Feb. 21 that it’s a great spot for an attractive 1,500-square-foot 3-bedroom home with attached garage for a family of moderate means.
“We haven’t decided to earmark that for seniors, veterans, or anyone yet. We have a bit of work to do,” Cameron said.
She said clearing trees would be the borough’s responsibility before it conveys the land, adding that she expects the borough would save as many trees as possible.
The borough has extended its deadline for the offer to March 15, Ruocco told Pascack Press last week.
Meanwhile, the residents have trumpeted the fact that they’ve established the lot, trees and all, as a National Wildlife Federation (NWF) Certified Wildlife Habitat, co-certified with The New Jersey Audubon.
On the occasion of a signage ceremony on Feb. 16, NWF said it celebrates the residents’ effort “to create a garden that supports birds, butterflies, bees, frogs, and other local wildlife.”
It added, “Every Certified Wildlife Habitat garden provides natural sources of food, water, cover and conserves water and does not rely on pesticides.”
NWF says it’s America’s largest wildlife conservation and education organization. The certification is not a legal protection against development.
Cesa said, “We are proud of this designation and are steadfast in our belief that the destruction of 20 fully grown trees and eviction of wildlife is a price too high to pay for one unit of housing, especially where there are other options.”
He said, “We hope this designation is a celebration of our beloved environment rather than a eulogy for it. There must be a better way.”
When Pascack Press asked Ruocco about the certification on Feb. 21, he said it was the first he’d heard of it.
He emphasized that the process behind the donation has been transparent, that there are other open spaces in Hillsdale for all to enjoy, and that neighbors need not worry about a through street.
“The Borough is obligated to fulfill the terms of an agreement it made with the Fair Share Housing Corporation in 2017, accepted and approved subsequently by the Superior Court of New Jersey,” he said.
“One of those terms is that the Borough will donate a property to Habitat for Humanity for the construction of an affordable home for a family,” he added.
Ruocco said the court conducted a public fairness hearing on the agreement in 2018. The borough, with input from its engineer, “worked diligently to identify appropriate donation properties,” and all settled on this lot, which the town has no other use for.
The Borough Council passed a resolution on June 11, 2019, approving the donation.
“We are engaged in final discussions with Habitat for Humanity to consummate the donation so that construction of the home for an eligible and needy family may proceed,” Ruocco said.
He said the residents in the immediate neighborhood brought concerns to his and the council’s attention at a public meeting in the latter half of 2019.
“I, along with borough professionals, have met with them to explain our obligations, the approval process that was followed, and to address their concerns,” he said.
The residents, Ruocco, the borough’s engineer, Habitat for Humanity of Bergen County, and other stakeholders are meeting on Thursday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. at the library.
Neighbors said they learned of the development about a year after it was agreed, when two men from Habitat for Humanity showed up to look around, startling a family dog.
Approved council meeting minutes of Nov. 12, 2019, show Ruocco assuring Chestnut Street residents that the street would remain a dead end.
“We are going to work with our engineer as there are no plans to make that a through street. When I was campaigning, the neighbors expressed that to me and I am conscious of that,” Ruocco said, according to the minutes.
‘Partnering with people in need’
Habitat for Humanity of Bergen County enjoys widespread respect for its mission: “to provide decent, affordable homes for hardworking Bergen County families. We join in a common goal with other affiliates of this international organization to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the face of the earth by working in partnership with people in need.”
Using volunteer labor and donated funds and materials, Habitat builds or rehabilitates “simple, decent, homes and sells them to low income families at cost but with no interest charged.”
The organization recently cut a ribbon on four units on nearby Jefferson Avenue in the Township of Washington and broke ground for a 1,500-square-foot single-family affordable home on Sand Road in Westwood.
Affordable housing—governed by state law and backed by judicial precedent—requires towns to allow for the “reasonable” creation of such housing in a comprehensive manner.
The borough also is studying redevelopment of its industrial zone, which likely would include an affordable housing component.
Municipalities are likely to be compelled to negotiate anew, in 2025, for a fourth round of state-wide affordable housing obligations.
Meanwhile, New Jersey Audubon says on its Gardening for Wildlife page, “With less than 20% of unclaimed space available, New Jersey is running out of land and is projected to be the first state in our nation to reach build out.”
Residents speak out
John Herring, who helps organize the annual Friends of the Pascack Brook Fishing Contest, lives across the street from the threatened green. His father founded the fishing contest.
“We’re not against Habitat and what they do. And every resident opposing this feels the same way. It’s just how it’s being done. We’ve had a meeting with the town, and they say, ‘Well, we have to give away a lot to meet our obligation to the state,’ basically, but they don’t inform the residents in the area, they just go and do it,” he told Pascack Press on Feb. 20.
He said, “Years ago when I was a kid growing up—I’ve lived in Hillsdale 65 years—kids always had a place like this—there was woods around. We’d be playing in a lot like that, building a tree fort, trying to catch a snake or a turtle. Kids don’t have places to hang out in anymore, they really don’t.”
He said, “You’ve got to put your foot down at a point. You can’t just build on every little square inch that you have, just because you’re obligated to. There’s got to be a little more thought put into it.”
His wife, Maureen, told Pascack Press she spoke her mind with town officials.
“I said, ‘Didn’t any of you have the decency to think about the neighbors that have lived here, who have maintained the property, and now who are going to be affected? What about the humanity for the neighbors?”
She said, “The mayor was the only one who cared.”