WOODCLIFF LAKE—As more than 1,000 housing units go on the market in upcoming years in nearby Montvale and Park Ridge, Woodcliff Lake’s mayor has asked his borough attorney to weigh in on options that the borough has to address potential local impacts of Park Ridge’s 448-unit rental apartment development, including 68 affordable units, planned for a former Sony site near homes and on an adjoining Montvale tract.
The property will house 185 units with 37 affordables, with construction ongoing.
The Park Ridge development was approved in early 2021 as part of its affordable housing settlement after the borough fought for years in court — racking up hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal bills — to oppose any high-density development on the 30-acre Sony site.
As legal bills mounted and court decisions went against Park Ridge, the borough was forced to settle its long-running dispute in late 2020 by agreeing to a 448-unit development, along with other smaller affordable housing projects, to meet its court-mandated affordable obligations.
Asked about Woodcliff Lake residents’ concerns with impacts from its rental apartment complex, Park Ridge Mayor Keith Misciagna said it is “more difficult” to make changes in the project’s details now due to the court-mandated agreement and compliance required.
“Park Ridge is very sympathetic toward all the residents that are potentially impacted by this new development regardless of which town they reside. This is exactly the reason Park Ridge led the fight against overdevelopment in our communities. I think it’s fair to say no town in New Jersey fought as long or harder to stop overdevelopment by aggressive developers than Park Ridge,” Misciagna told Pascack Press on Dec. 22, 2021.
“As you know, Park Ridge was facing a lawsuit that would have allowed over 800 units on this site. We spent a significant amount of money, time and resources to stop that project and succeeded in reducing the project almost in half. We have been very transparent during all of this process and I personally asked every town and all of the area residents to get involved over the past few years,” Misciagna said.
He added, “Unfortunately, not many showed and now as the court decides some of the details it is more difficult to significantly change the project concept. With that said, we will continue to advocate for all the area residents to minimize the impact of this project.”
In addition to Park Ridge, Montvale had settled its affordable housing litigation in 2017, approving 308 rental units on the former Mercedes-Benz site and 185 rental units on the 7-acre former Sony site.
In total, Montvale permitted 615 housing units and 106 affordables as part of its affordable settlement.
Overall, Ghassali told Pascack Press on Dec. 21, that the borough will host 951 total housing units coming to market over the next few years, including 420 assisted and senior living units. Not all the development is tied to its affordable housing settlement.
Montvale’s housing numbers include 80 units at the former A&P site, 25 units on Summit Avenue, 203 senior living units at Thrive, Summit Avenue, and 150 senior living units at the former Western Union building.
Just recently, Woodcliff Lake intervened via legal action with nearby Saddle River and was able to minimize impacts from their affordable housing settlement on local residents.
At the Dec. 6 meeting, Brian LaRose, Claremont Drive, saying he represented 43 people in 22 homes in his neighborhood, said they were “dealing with the impacts” of Park Ridge’s nearby 448-unit rental development at the Sony site and asked for borough help.
He said an email sent to Misciagna that said the development was likely to have “significant impacts” to residents of the Clairmont Drive and Wyandermere Drive neighborhoods in Woodcliff Lake.
He said that email and an appearance at a Park Ridge meeting were not well received by Park Ridge officials.
He said the new reduced property setback distance being allowed via Park Ridge zoning for the complex was a problem. He said current Park Ridge zoning sets a 100-foot setback from Woodcliff Lake.
However the new setback for a multifamily, inclusionary development is only 30 feet, LaRose said.
He said Park Ridge also allows 10 feet for a deck, making the setback between Park Ridge and homes in Woodcliff Lake only 20 feet.
Woodcliff Lake officials noted that the setbacks are set by new zoning adopted by the Park Ridge council and Planning Board for the court-approved affordable housing settlement. LaRose said those changes were approved by the Planning Board in September 2021.
He said residents were interested in preserving a 100-foot buffer between the two communities’ borders, noting the buffer serves as a stormwater swale.
However, he said they were “rebuffed” by land use boards in Park Ridge and appealed for council assistance.
Schettino said the changes that were made were approved several months ago and there’s only a limited period to challenge zoning changes related to Park Ridge’s affordable settlement.
LaRose said construction on Montvale’s site has begun but nothing has yet been built on the Park Ridge site.
Schettino said individual towns can set their own setbacks and must comply with a state-required zero increase in runoff volume post development.
He said to get Park Ridge’s setback changed, Woodcliff Lake’s council would have to authorize litigation to be filed against Park Ridge.
Schettino said it was “unlikely” that Woodcliff Lake could successfully challenge a 30-foot setback limit in Park Ridge.
Rendo said the 448-units’ design and placement must still be heard before its Planning Board, where Woodcliff Lake might challenge the development’s impacts.
Rendo said he believed building heights and setbacks could be challenged before the Park Ridge Planning Board. He said a public notice must be sent to all property owners within 200 feet of the 448-unit inclusionary development.
Higgins claimed the nearby areas would be “avalanched” by water if large, mature trees were removed.
LaRose said they did not want to stop the development but have “an appropriate buffer” of at least 60 feet.
Councilman Stephen Falanga said the reason the setback was so small was because Fair Share Housing Center required “excessive set-asides for our communities in the Pascack Valley” for affordable and market-rate units.
He called for pressing legislators in Trenton to change the current affordable housing system that uses Superior Courts and developers to provide affordable housing statewide. LaRose said he was not against affordable housing, but instead the “density” of the projects approved.
Rendo said Park Ridge challenged the inclusionary, high-density development “as best as they could” on the Sony property.
However, LaRose pressed the council to call for an “appropriate setback” between the two towns.