The North Bergen Planning Board approved last Tuesday the application of a proposed $50 million, 12-story, 350-unit condominium complex on River Road, directly across the street from the Palisades Medical Center. But some residents reinstituted a long-time civic organization to fight the project.
By only a vote of 4-0, with two abstentions and two members absent, the Planning Board approved the application submitted by Lane Acquisition Northeast LLC on the land located at 7601 River Road, at the site of a former vacant warehouse.
According to Planning Board attorney Brian Chewcaskie, the application was a simple one and needed no variances to gain approval.
“The only real variance needed was to build an elevator shaft,” Chewcaskie said. “It’s an application that conforms with the township’s master plan, with no significant variances needed and more than sufficient parking spaces.”
Chris Pianese, the township administrator, agreed. “When you look at the overall development, it was solid and sound,” Pianese said. “It had 100 parking spaces more than what was required. The height of the building was within code. We feel it falls in line with the other positive development we’ve been able to accomplish on River Road. It’s another project that moves North Bergen in the right direction.”
However, don’t try to sell that idea to the North Bergen Action Group, which had been an active and viable contingent in the township, fighting for the rights of the residents – especially when it came to conservation and ecological issues – for the better part of the last decade.
The Action Group thought that its civic duties were completed last fall, so it ceased operations.
“We thought there was no real need for it,” said former state assemblyman David Kronick, who was one of the founding fathers of the Action Group. “We figured we could still do cleanups and plantings without having the group name. But this development really got us going again.”
Kronick said that he opposes the development, because it affects the majestic Palisades and the cliffs that he grew to love.
“The Palisades mean so much to me,” Kronick said. “They’re magnificent. There’s nothing like them around anywhere. It’s what makes North Bergen unique. It’s called the most impressive stretch of the Palisades south of the George Washington Bridge. It’s really very scary. What are we doing? We should protect what we have.”
Representatives from Lane Acquisition Northeast, based out of Monmouth County, told the members of the Planning Board that the building would not harm the cliffs and would actually be set away from the cliffs to preserve the natural beauty.
Jeff Price, the president of Lane Acquisition, assured that the height of the proposed building would fall more than 60 feet short of the top of the Palisades, not hindering any views from Boulevard East.
But Kronick and other concerned residents, like Sherry Bloom, believe that the construction will destroy the wildlife that has called the Palisades home for years, including four red-tailed hawks that live in a bird sanctuary off Boulevard East, directly above the proposed development.
“We’re very concerned, because we’re losing more and more of the cliff and the Palisades,” Bloom said. “There are four hawks living in the sanctuary, and I’ve named them Hudson, Cliff, Spot and Henry. The big issue is the effect it will have on the disappearing Palisades. It also has an impact on the overcrowding of the schools, traffic, the sewers, which are already at 80 percent capacity. There are just so many unanswered questions here.”
Couldn’t ask
However, when 60 or so members of the Action Group went to the Planning Board meeting last Tuesday, they weren’t given a chance to speak, much to their anger and disappointment. Apparently, the public portion of the application hearing took place June 29, with only a handful of residents present. When the full organization of the Action Group convened for the meeting July 13, the public portion had already been closed.
“We weren’t allowed to ask questions, and honestly, we weren’t given a reason why we couldn’t,” Bloom said.
But Chewcaskie said, “All the evidence was presented at the June 29 meeting. The public had an opportunity to speak at that meeting. Once that meeting ended, the public portion was closed. The July 13 meeting was reserved for the Planning Board’s right to review the evidence. There were a series of questions raised by the Planning Board, and they wanted answers to those questions. Based on the review of their questions, the board voted and approved the application. Although two abstained and two members weren’t present, there was still sufficient representation to hold the meeting and the vote.”
The stunned members of the Action Group were asked to “clear the room,” which angered several, some of whom told police officers that they were willing to get arrested as a sign of protest to the proceedings.
City sold land
Phone calls to Dennis Oury, the Hackensack-based attorney representing Lane Acquisition, went unreturned by press time, although it was learned that Lane Acquisition has already turned over ownership of the property to a yet-to-be-named developer.
“That is common practice,” Pianese said.
Another sidelight to this application was the sale of two parcels of land by the township to the developer for the price of $175,000, enabling the application to proceed without a glitch.
“The developer needed the land we owned for density purposes,” Pianese said. “There was nothing we could do with that land. So we agreed on a price and got a fair value. Essentially, we were land-locked with those pieces of land. It was a deal that made perfect sense.”
Pianese said that the two parcels of land will not be part of the building’s development, but will be featured as part of the external landscaping that will surround the complex.
Bloom didn’t understand why no one was informed that the township owned the surrounding parcels of land until the last Planning Board meeting.
“We had a red flag before then, but that put up an even bigger red flag,” Bloom said. “It was never made public.”
Kronick said that his group is planning some sort of appeal, although apparently it will be a gigantic uphill battle.
“Not only are there four hawks living in the area, but about nine other different kinds of mammals as well,” Kronick said. “There are 38 different kinds of woody reed plants and trees. That area has to be preserved for the wildlife.”
Kronick cited a July, 1989 ruling made by Hudson County Superior Court Judge Dorothea Wefing, who ruled in favor of preserving the Palisades, blocking a different development project back then.
“The county of Hudson considers the conservation and protection of its natural resources to be a vital component of the long-term quality of life,” Wefing wrote in her ruling. “There still are vast areas in need of conservation.”
“It really scares me,” Kronick said. “There are 523 new units already being built in North Bergen and another 500 being built in Edgewater. Now, there are 350 more coming here. What will it be like on River Road in peak hours? It just doesn’t make sense.”
Bloom vowed that the fight will continue.
“We may be out of time, but we’re far from home,” Bloom said. “We’re going to use every gun we have. We’re doing whatever we can.”
Will appeal
Bloom said that the Action Group is planning to turn out in full force to appeal the decision to the Hudson County Planning Board. They say the project is in contrast to the overall countywide master plan.
“We’re hoping that they just say no to it,” Bloom said. “There are just so many unanswered questions. Due diligence wasn’t done.”
Chewcaskie said that he doesn’t know whether the Action Group has a legal leg to stand on.
“I’m not sure what their objections would be,” Chewcaskie said. “Will the development hurt the Palisades and the cliffs? Apparently not. Will it affect views? Apparently not. As for wildlife, I can’t answer that. But for the building to hurt views from the top of the Palisades, the building would have to be 18 stories and it’s below that, at least 50 to 60 feet below. Whether they file an appeal or not is up to them, but this was not pushed through as they claim. It was part of the planning process for at least a year.”