Residents speak out on Hilltop housing

Residents speak out on Hilltop housing
Thursday, September 30, 2010
BY MICHAEL O’LEARY
VERONA-CEDAR GROVE TIMES
STAFF WRITER

Cedar Grove residents at Monday’s township council meeting voiced their disapproval of the proposed Hilltop housing complex early and often.

When a representative from the developer called the proposal awaiting a vote by Cedar Grove "a pretty good compromise," an anonymous and intentional guffaw let out from the back of the standing-room only crowd.

"Well, we’ll get to the chuckling later," Joe Riggs, group president of K. Hovnanian Homes, responded.

Residents’ playful skepticism quickly became ardent and overwhelming opposition and an informal poll taken of the audience at the end of the night revealed just four supporters for the project.

The council invited representatives from Hovnanian, county officials and Cedar Grove residents to speak on the proposal to build 464 townhouses on the site of the old Essex County Hospital Center Monday night. The townhouse plan presented to the township calls for the construction of a 65-acre county park adjacent to the homes.

The residents who spoke out against the proposal objected to it for a number of reasons including increased traffic, more children in the schools, increased property taxes and environmental degradation.

"We don’t need more homes, we don’t need more congestion, we don’t need more cars," Lesley Andrews of Upland Way said.

Rapturous applause followed nearly every resident who spoke out against the project.

Joe Moroney, of Beverly Road, said the housing project would destroy Cedar Grove and everyone in favor of it is "out of their minds."

Opponents of the proposal demanded that the county executive proceed with his lawsuit against the developer in order to block the construction of the townhouses once and for all.

Hovnanian is suing Essex County, charging breach of contract in a 2000 agreement to develop a retirement community on the land east of Fairview Avenue.

The developer has said it would drop its lawsuit against the county if Cedar Grove approved of the townhouse proposal. The decrepit buildings on the disputed property east of Fairview cannot be demolished while litigation is ongoing, Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. said.

Litigation between the developer and the county could take months or years and would likely result in one of two extreme outcomes.

The county has said it would build a 90-acre park if it won the lawsuit, while Hovnanian would likely develop a much larger residential community covering all of the disputed land.

When DiVincenzo called the county’s chances of prevailing in the suit "50-50," Riggs fired back saying he believed Hovnanian’s chances of winning the suit are much better than even.

Under the compromise presented to Cedar Grove, Hovnanian would provide fees to the township for several purposes should it be allowed to build the townhouses.

The developer would provide $1.8 million to put towards the construction of ball fields, $500,000 to renovate the firehouse and $3.9 million toward the township’s potential affordable housing obligation or other projects.

If Cedar Grove rejects the proposal and Hovnanian wins its lawsuit against the county, the developer would not provide any of that money to the township.

Councilman Joseph Chiusolo urged supporters of the project to speak too, after numerous opponents of the project made their concerns clear.

After the meeting, he noted that the speakers represented a "cross-section" of the community and many of them lived on streets very close to the potential construction site, such as Winding Way, Skytop Road and Upland Way.

Joseph Lipman, a Crestmont Road resident and Cedar Grove business owner, called the proposal a good plan and a good idea.

"We need, as a business, more people purchasing in our hometown. We need people to shop in Foodtown. We need people to shop in my travel agency. We need people to come to our local restaurants and stores," he said.

One thing residents on both sides of the debate could agree upon was that the council has a tough decision ahead of itself and, according to several speakers, no one envies the position of any of the councilmen.

Although DiVincenzo had set Monday as the deadline for the vote - he told Cedar Grove a decision by Sept. 27 was needed to secure Green Acres funds to build the park – there is now no firm date for approving or rejecting the proposal.

A key sticking point that remains is what the township’s affordable housing obligation will be under state Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) law, referred to by Hovnanian as a "Mt. Laurel obligation."

Township Attorney Tom Scrivo issued an opinion last Monday saying he believes the town would be responsible for building 92 moderate/low income units somewhere in the town. An affordable housing bill working its way through the N.J. legislature could radically change COAH regulations if it is signed into law.

The bill, known as the "COAH killer," would wipe out the township’s COAH obligation but a new affordable housing agency with new requirements would replace it, said Riggs.

Chiusolo, who has referred to the COAH obligation as a "moving target," said he was worried about the township’s finances if the cost to build the affordable housing units exceeded the $3.9 million that Hovnanian is providing.

"We don’t have those dollars to satisfy the obligation so it’s like I’m selling the township out for what we’re getting in return and that would be irresponsible," he said.

Hovnanian said it will not allow any of the 464 units to go towards fulfilling the COAH obligation, so long as it is providing the township with $3.9 million toward building the affordable housing units.

"There are any number of potential solutions to the affordable housing issue," Riggs said. He added that those who talk about COAH as a "moving target" are correct.

The proposed development could add 78 children to the school district, according to Riggs. That estimate, first given at a council meeting in June and repeated on Monday, is based on the number of bedrooms in the homes and academic and expert analyses cross-referenced with the developer’s own past findings, he said. At Monday’s meeting, Riggs said the developer’s estimates tend to be higher than actual figures.

The school district’s own demographic report will not be available until the end of October, according to Township Manager Tom Tucci.

Last Thursday, DiVincenzo met with representatives from Hovnanian to announce the demolition of buildings on developer-owned land west of Fairview Avenue near the Verona border.

The buildings, which include an old firehouse and several abandoned homes, sit on a 20-acre parcel the developer bought from the county for $12 million. If the plan before Cedar Grove is approved, Hovnanian said it will sell the property back to the county for $1 so it may be converted into passive parkland.

With no agreement reached between the township, the developer and the county, Hovnanian would be within its legal right to begin building single-family homes on the land that they own in Cedar Grove. The developer has already constructed 33 such homes in West Caldwell, North Caldwell and Verona. The Verona cluster sits adjacent to the Cedar Grove parcel.

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Original Article Link: [url:2sdmhm3q]www.northjersey.com/realestate/104061039...n_plan.html?page=all[/url]

OMFG!!!!!!!!!! I AM SO HAPPY I COULD SHIT RAINBOWS D D

*crosses fingers for a long and drawn out legal battle*

LONG LIVE OVERBROOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ashley25 wrote: OMFG!!!!!!!!!! I AM SO HAPPY I COULD SHIT RAINBOWS D D

*crosses fingers for a long and drawn out legal battle*

LONG LIVE OVERBROOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HAHAHAHHA I'll be sure to follow the rainbow to find my new exploring buddy!

Sweetness!!! Let it stay tied up in litigation for as long as possible....gotta love our legal system!! Overbrook 1, Government....0!

What really sucks is the fact that no matter how long they stayed tied up in litigation, time and the elements are closing in fast and giving the town more and more oppertunity to demolish these era significant pieces of art due to deplorable conditions/safety concerns. I realize theres an intrest for change and beautification, and if this is truly what the masses want for the future then restoration is a valid option vs destroying.


Fingers crossed!!!!!!!

I don't think the county really cares about your opinions.

Your probly right but then such is life.