Mahwah OK's Ridge Road affordable housing site over residents' objections
MAHWAH — Council members voted 4-3 on Monday night to approve an ordinance establishing an affordable multi-housing overlay district at 457 Ridge Road.
The vote followed an hour of testimony opposing the change by 17 speakers from a standing-room-only crowd of more than 100 residents. The speakers were mostly from nearby Ridge Gardens, a former affordable housing complex.
The property is already zoned for garden apartments. The vote was only to supplement the township's zoning allowing up to 76 units of affordable housing to be constructed on the 4.7-acre property south of Mark Twain Way. The developer has until September to submit a site plan, if it chooses to build there.
The affordable housing overlay is an alternative to one assigned to the Mahwah Sheraton Crossroads property as part of an amended plan negotiated by the township with the Fair Share Housing Center in December. While a number of properties were involved, the key goal was to eliminate an 800-unit housing development previously assigned to the Sheraton Crossroads that included 120 affordable units.
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As written, the ordinance calls for a maximum of 76 units, at least 74 affordable, no more than two market rate. The 74 units would include 14 one-bedroom units, 45 two-bedroom units and 15 three-bedroom units. At least 10 of the 74 units would be very-low-income, and of those, three would be three-bedroom units, two one-bedroom units and five of them two-bedroom units.
Township Attorney Fred Semrau said developers do not find affordable housing complexes to be profitable, and typically negotiate a "builder's remedy" in which they are allowed to build four market-rate units for every affordable unit. In this case, Semrau said, the developer was willing to shoulder the entire cost of an affordable housing complex in return for being allowed to change the Crossroads property from residential to warehousing.
Residents struggled to understand the complicated process, frequently digressing to criticize a "monstrosity" warehouse approved by the planning board in at the intersection of Macarthur Boulevard and Ridge Road in 2021 a mile north of 457 Ridge Road over which Township Council had no input.
Residents also frequently suggested moving the 74 units to the former post office property at the intersection of Franklin Turnpike and Ramapo Avenue. The property is already the subject of prolonged public hearings about what is now a 149-unit senior care complex.
Although Ridge Gardens and neighboring Society Hill began existence as affordable housing projects around 1995, resident owners now contend the proposed rental units would negatively affect their property values.
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"This will negatively, seriously, drastically impact my quality of life, to enjoy my home that I purchased," said Barbara Pallatta of Mark Twain Way. "Ridge Gardens is all owned. You're looking to put in rental units. We have an interest in our quality of life, our investment. A corporation, a business, all they're looking for is profit. This needs to be someplace else."
Voting against the change were council members Janet Ariemma, Kim Bolan and Ward Donigian. Council President David May broke the tie, voting in favor along with Council members Robert Ferguson, Michelle Crowe Paz and Jonathan Wong.
"Our hands are tied," May said. "We are forced to do affordable housing. Do I think this is the perfect site? No. I think there's still some room for movement on that, and this would be my first choice of a site to reduce. With all that said, I will vote yes because it's part of the affordable housing settlement we agreed to, and I can't go against that."
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Mahwah OK's Ridge Road affordable housing over residents' objections
