Two more affordable housing developments in Mahwah? Public hearing set for Monday
MAHWAH — Ordinances to reduce the density of one affordable housing project and create another new rental housing project on a different site will be presented for public hearings at the Township Council meeting Monday.
Ordinance 2002 proposes to reduce the density of the affordable housing project designated for 1 Fyke Road from 40 units in eight buildings to 25 units in five buildings on 3 acres of the 5.3-acre site. In both cases 20% of the rental units would be reserved for low- to moderate-income households.
Ordinance 2003 proposes to established a new 80-unit rental housing project on a 4.7-acre triangular site at 457 Ridge Road, including 74 affordable units and up to 6 market rate units. The project would replace one previously proposed for the Mahwah Sheraton Crossroads as part of a revised settlement agreement reached in December.
Changes due to lawsuits
The Fyke Road changes are the result of two lawsuits filed against the township.
A December 2021 suit by the Rio Vista Homeowners Association and the Darlington Village Condominium Association accused the township of adopting its revised affordable housing code with insufficient notice to property owners within 200 feet of the site. A second suit filed by Rio Vista last May objected to the township's Planning Board procedures while reevaluating the suitability of the Fyke site's zoning.
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As a result, the township was forced to readopt its entire affordable housing ordinance last March. However, the Fyke property was held out for further review based on the lawsuit's charges that the site had been inadequately evaluated, and contained less buildable land than previously proposed.
Ridge Road site
The Ridge Road site was originally proposed as an alternate locale for a 74-unit complex proposed for the Mahwah Sheraton Crossroads property as part of a major reorganization of the township's affordable housing obligations in December.
The 137-acre Sheraton property was assigned up to 800 units, 120 of them affordable, as part of the township's third-round affordable housing obligation in May 2018. Last year, the developer signaled the plan as no longer viable, and sought a new design dominated by warehouses.
Agreement with Fair Share Housing Center
By reevaluating existing and proposed affordable sites, the township reached agreement with the Fair Share Housing Center in December to revamp most of the Crossroads site for warehousing with 74 affordable housing units. However, because the access to the housing project required a bridge over the Ramapo River, the revised agreement gave the developer until the end of February to pick another site, and 457 Ridge Road was designated an alternative locale.
The Ridge Road proposal was submitted by lot and block only. The developer has until September to submit a plan for the site. It is located 1.5 miles south of four district schools and the township library.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Hearing on two new affordable housing projects in Mahwah Monday
