Fair Lawn meeting on Nabisco building leaves redevelopment questions unanswered
FAIR LAWN — Monday's Planning Board meeting about the redevelopment of the Nabisco building left many significant questions unanswered as the meeting ended before residents were allowed to speak.
Some Fair Lawn and Glen Rock residents called the meeting “deceptive" and said it did not focus enough on public health concerns.
Although the meeting was intended to allow residents to ask questions and comment on the plan, this did not happen, causing an uproar among attendees. Greek Development’s presentations and questioning by the Planning Board ran long, occupying the allotted three hours for the meeting. The venue, the Fair Lawn Senior Center, did not allow the meeting to run past 10 p.m.
Despite this, a resident attempted to ask a question about how Greek Development would address water contamination issues, but the resident was stopped by the Planning Board. The hearing will continue Aug. 21 at 7 p.m. at the Fair Lawn municipal building, where residents will have time to ask questions, according to the board.
The Nabisco building was originally set to be demolished by implosion using dynamite. However, due to concerns about contaminants being released into the surrounding residential areas, an alternative method of demolition will be used. It has yet to be discussed in detail.
An environmental assessment conducted by Langan Engineering and Environmental Services on behalf of Greek Development was discussed at the meeting. Residents who read the entire report, which is available online, said it was not discussed in enough detail.
Residents at the meeting were concerned about water contamination of the Westmoreland Well Field. It was determined by environmental agencies that the contamination originates from the Fair Lawn Industrial Park, where the redevelopment site is located, and is caused by chemicals, including carcinogens, from companies in the industrial park leaking into the water supply.
According to the assessment, water quality measures were not required by the state Department of Environmental Protection because the paved areas will be reduced from 14.11 acres to 11.09 acres. The assessment says there will be no adverse impact on water quality because of the reduced impervious surface area.
However, it remains unclear how Greek Development will address the existing contamination issue.
The environmental assessment also found that measures of air quality are below national ambient air quality standards. No odors are anticipated from the planned warehouse. Temporary construction impacts on air quality are anticipated, and they will be mitigated through a soil erosion and sediment control plan.
Residents who read the full assessment noted that the cited air quality monitoring stations were in Fort Lee and Jersey City, which they felt were not representative of Fair Lawn. The assessment notes that “the data collected at these monitoring stations is anticipated to be representative of the ambient air quality at the project site.”
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Residents also had unanswered questions about how vehicle and truck emissions may affect the air quality. They felt it was unclear whether the assessment took these into account. The traffic impact on air quality is estimated to be less than the Nabisco factory’s, and the warehouse does not initially have to apply for a Title V air permit.
Traffic was not discussed in detail at the meeting because the Fair Lawn Planning Board is waiting for the results of an independent traffic study. However, residents expressed concerns that the company’s expectation of 386 daily truck trips is greater than the approximately 134 daily truck trips that all their other facilities see combined. Greek Development said the number of trips expected is lower than the number seen at the Nabisco site.
Residents are hoping that the Aug. 21 meeting will provide them an opportunity to discuss their biggest concerns in detail.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Fair Lawn Nabisco meeting leaves unanswered questions on building fate
