Sheraton Mahwah Hotel plans to lay off 91 employees. Here's why

Marsha A. Stoltz, NorthJersey.com
·2 min read

MAHWAH — The Sheraton Mahwah Hotel has issued a notice to the state that it intends to lay off 91 employees by Dec. 15.

It is unclear if the layoffs signal a closing or only a service reduction at the hotel. Officials at parent company Marriott could not be immediately reached for comment. Businesses are now required to issue a "WARN notice" to the state's Department of Labor & Workforce Development at least 90 days in advance of a layoff of more than 50 employees.

The Sheraton Crossroads in Mahwah, N.J. on Wednesday Jan. 18, 2023.
The Sheraton Crossroads in Mahwah, N.J. on Wednesday Jan. 18, 2023.

The notice comes as a proposal to replace the 22-story hotel on 143 acres with two warehouses awaits a second hearing before the township's Planning Board on Monday.

The hotel, built in 1987, is known for its sweeping views and metropolitan vibe in the midst of Bergen County's commuter bedroom suburbs. The property was zoned as an "office park" in the township's 2012 master plan and approved for a shopping mall in 2014.

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In 2015, the property surrounding the hotel was approved for a combination of multi-unit housing and retail. In 2018 the same property was designated for 800 housing units, 120 of them affordable, to settle the borough's fair share housing requirement.

In August 2022, hotel owners sued the township after its Planning Board and Township Council designated the property as "an area in need of condemnation redevelopment," a designation that carried with it the power to acquire the property by eminent domain.

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However, in March, the township announced that it had reached an agreement with the owners and the Fair Share Housing Center to move a reduced 74-unit affordable housing complex to Mark Twain Way and eliminate the "builder's remedy" 680 market-rate units that some said would turn the interchange of Routes 17 and 287 into a traffic and emergency services challenge.

Hearings on development of the Sheraton Crossroads property off Route 17 in Mahwah with warehouses replacing the hotel will continue before its Planning Board Sept.11.
Hearings on development of the Sheraton Crossroads property off Route 17 in Mahwah with warehouses replacing the hotel will continue before its Planning Board Sept.11.

Instead, the owner now proposes two warehouses on the site of the hotel.

The owner was expected to submit a site plan by this month if it intend to develop the Mark Twain Way property.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Sheraton Mahwah Hotel prepares to lay off 91 employees. Here's why