PARK RIDGE, N.J.— The borough’s updated affordable housing plan drastically reduces the number of required future affordable units following a vacant land adjustment that shows nearly no developable land remains in town.
A public hearing on the Housing Element and Fair Share Plan (HEFSP) is scheduled for Wednesday, June 11 at 8 p.m. at Borough Hall. The submission deadline to the state is June 30.
The full plan is posted at:
👉 Park Ridge 2025 Housing Element and Fair Share Plan
Only One Developable Parcel Remains
Park Ridge originally faced an obligation of 124 affordable housing units for future construction. That number stemmed from a negotiated settlement with the New Jersey Builders Association.
However, a new vacant land adjustment conducted for the Fourth Round (2025–2035) found only one parcel newly developable: 155 Park Avenue, currently home to Park Terrace Apartments. A 2023 application approved construction of 16 additional apartment units, including two affordable units.
“We have determined that at this time only one property represents a changed circumstance requiring a Fourth Round RDP obligation. This site is at 155 Park Avenue,” says the plan.
The plan concludes that Park Ridge’s realistic development potential (RDP) is three affordable units based on this site.
Land Constraints Confirmed
“Park Ridge continues to be severely lacking in vacant, developable land. As such, we undertook a detailed analysis of potential changed circumstances… This analysis included a review of all development applications… and an assessment of all vacant lots in private and public ownership (Class 1 and Class 15), as well as all farm qualified (Class 3B) properties within Planning Areas 1 and 2 in the Borough,” notes the HEFSP.
Rehabilitation Need Drops to 45 Units
The borough’s rehabilitation obligation has been lowered to 45 units (down from 138), following a structural conditions survey by the construction official. That survey found 52 units in need of repair and used census data to estimate how many are occupied by low- and moderate-income households.
To meet the need, Park Ridge will continue contracting with Community Grants, Planning & Housing (CGP&H)and participate in the Bergen County Home Improvement Program (BCHIP) if funding is available.
The Borough will utilize funds from its affordable housing trust fund to fund this program
To meet its obligation, the borough will allocate $450,000 from its affordable housing trust fund—$10,000 per unit. As of Dec. 31, 2024, the fund had a balance of $597,731.
Existing Affordable Housing Sites in Park Ridge
The HEFSP lists more than a dozen sites that contribute to the borough’s existing affordable housing stock. Here’s the full inventory:
- Woodland Gardens / Lehmann Gardens, 12 Sulak Lane
- 35 affordable rental units (wheelchair accessible)
- Built 1985; owned by the Housing Authority of Bergen County
- Care Plus NJ Group Home, 83 Spring Valley Road
- 4 special needs bedrooms
- Opened 1989; licensed by NJ Division of Mental Health Services
- Everas Community Services Group Home, 99 DeGroff Place
- Four special needs bedrooms (three original, one added in 2014)
- Opened 2001 by Jawonio; transferred to Everas in 2014
- New Concepts for Living Group Home, 221 Doxey Drive
- 6 special needs bedrooms (four original, two added circa 2019)
- Opened 1992; licensed by NJ Division of Developmental Disabilities
- Quail Run (Hawthorne West), 107 Hawthorne Ave.
- 20 total units, including four affordable family rentals
- Built 2002 with 30-year deed restrictions
- Krell Building, 70–72 Park Avenue
- Mixed-use development with one affordable family rental unit
- Six total apartments above offices; site area 0.49 acres
- Park Ridge Properties, 26 Hawthorne Ave.
- 10 total units, including five affordable family rentals
- Renovated and expanded in 2013; site area 0.23 acre
- Ridge Manor, 71–91 Hawthorne Ave.
- 56 units total (44 original + 12 added in 2012), including one affordable unit
- Hawthorne Terrace, 79–81 Berthoud St.
- 41 units total (29 original with 12 added in 2017), including one affordable unit
- PRAH Associates, 40 Park Ave.
- Mixed-use development; two affordable family rentals among 22 total units
- Built 2016; retail on ground floor
- The James (Park Ridge Transit), 87 Madison Ave.
- Mixed-use development with 24 affordable family rental units
- 240 total residential units; 17,600 sq. ft. retail
- Completed 2021; 30-year deed restrictions
- The Residence at Park Ridge (Atrium Senior Living), 124 Noyes Drive
- 28 deed-restricted assisted living units (of existing total)
- Agreement signed in 2019 for 30-year restriction; facility built in 1995