WEST ORANGE — About 30 people turned out for a Planning Board meeting last week to hear a consultant talk about the stormwater plan for a nearly 500 unit residential development proposed for land on the Second Watchung Mountain Ridge.
A presentation was given by Mark Gallagher of Princeton Hydro on the Wetlands Impact of the project, known as West Essex Highlands. The proposed development calls for clearing about 30 acres for a 496-unit residential development, including 100 affordable housing units.
The developer, Garden Homes, a subsidiary of the Wilf family, already owns the wooded tract of land and has been granted initial approval for the project. Zygi Wilf is well-known as the owner of the NFL team, the Minnesota Vikings.
The proposal has faced public opposition from the local community for years, raising environmental, safety, and community connectivity concerns. A community group, West Essex Committee Against Rezoning Excesses (WE CARE NJ), was formed in 2000 and carried the fight against this development through a 7-2 victory before the West Orange Planning Board in 2006 and onward.
The Planning Board held a public hearing regarding the proposal at the municipal building on Thursday. About 30 people, other than the Planning Board, attorneys and witnesses, attended the meeting.
Gallagher, who is a consultant for WE CARE, gave a PowerPoint presentation after questions were raised about whether his expertise was needed since the Planning Board already had an engineer who was qualified to speak on the matter and an objection was raised by an attorney for the applicant, who said his client was exempt because of the Settlement Agreement previously reached with the town. He also said his client has met all state Department of Environmental Protection regulations, which should render discussions mute.
The township reached an agreement with Garden Homes which allowed the project to go forward if 100 of the homes being built were classified as affordable.
Gallagher spoke specifically about water runoff and how it would be impacted by the development, which sits at the headwaters of the Canoe Brook.
The forested wetlands will be reduced by 28 % on the west side and 32% on the east side and the water flow will be redirected if the proposal goes forward as planned.
“The large building in the center of the development would cut off the flow of groundwater,” he said. “Some of the current wetlands won’t be anymore. They will become uplands.”
Gallagher said the soil testing had not been done properly and somewhere along the line a step was missed.
“My firm’s concern is their stormwater management plan is flawed,” Gallagher said.
The plan calls for water to move uphill to the wetland, he said. “If the seasonal high water table is above the basin, that is a problem,” Gallagher said.
Usually infiltration basins are above the water table so water can get into the ground, the groundwater and then ultimately a wetland or a stream, he said.
“Which is why the infiltration basin being below the wetlands doesn’t make sense,” Gallagher said.
In general, water tends to move down gradient, underground and it is discharged to the lowest point.
As it gets closer to the surface ultimately that’s where you find the wet spot where the ground water is closest to the surface.
There is ground water below the surface and that water that will ultimately discharge into wetlands or a stream.
Headwaters, such as the current site which has the start of the Canoe Brook, are particularly important.
“It is the source of water that is ultimately part of the drinking water for part of New Jersey,” Gallagher said. “We do have concerns about water quality since it is ultimately part of the drinking water supply.”
The plan calls for water from the basin to be fed directly into the Canoe Brook which is currently in good shape but increased volume is going to cause that stream to widen.
In response to a question from the audience, Gallagher said there could be an increase in water going down the hill into the neighborhood below.
“This is a complicated site,” Gallagher said. “It’s hard to describe what will happen but the water will have to go somewhere.”
In a phone interview after the meeting, Gallagher said he understood the concerns of residents living below the proposed development.
“If the storm water plan doesn’t meet the requirements of New Jersey DEP, the water will be going towards their homes, downhill,” he said.
The next Planning Board meeting is scheduled for June 23 for that same application in Council Chambers.
It will be available to watch live via Zoom. The meeting link and any additional updates will be posted on the township website.
The water has to go somewhere added by Joe Ungaro on
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