A major home builder is trying to bring a 151-unit multifamily project to Bergen County.
Hovnanian has proposed a townhouse and apartment complex in Oakland, New Jersey, north of Indian Hills High School, NorthJersey.com reported. Two apartment buildings in the complex will include 45 affordable units, which could be one reason that local opposition to the project has arisen.
Critics, however, have voiced another classic objection to suburban apartment construction: environmental impact.
In this case, the opponents say runoff from the complex could pollute Pond Brook and flow into a lake a mile away. They have also said the project could exacerbate flooding.
At a recent meeting, residents demanded developer engineer John Coté promise that the flow of stormwater from the site be slowed to avoid reaching the waterway.
Mayor Linda Schwager and Councilman Lewis Levy were among those expressing concerns about the protections from storm runoff. Schwager pointed out that a previous project created water problems, despite assurances it would not.
Read more
Commercial
New York
Climate change’s higher tides could threaten $34B of coastal real estate
Commercial
Tri-State
Bergen County apartments trade for $22M in 1031 exchange
Residential
New York
Bergen County residents told to close windows after fire at chlorine plant
One resident suggested Hovnanian help pay to repair a dam on the lake.
Residents don’t have the backing of experts or a legal basis to force a denial from the local board for the project. Nonetheless, they hope to sway the board toward a rejection or alteration of the plans.
The engineer, meanwhile, has estimated that the project would only contribute 1 percent of the runoff that reaches the lake.
The locality has not proposed banning lawn fertilizer, a major contributor to suburban runoff.
The next planning hearing will be in mid-October.
Developers are likely to face increasing concerns about water as climate change progresses. Residents are growing increasingly concerned about flooding. New Jersey nonprofit Climate Central projected rising sea levels could threaten approximately $34 billion worth of real estate across the country’s coasts in the next 30 years.
One of the most vulnerable areas is Hudson County, where low elevation and high property values adds up to the largest estimated value of buildings at risk in the country.
— Holden Walter-Warner