Westwood Housing War: Developer Sues for 300 Units as Borough Fights to Control Growth
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
WESTWOOD, NJ – A high-stakes legal battle is unfolding in the “Hub of the Pascack Valley.” While Westwood officials have cleared the way for a modest affordable housing expansion, a developer is pushing for nearly ten times that amount, threatening to reshape the borough’s downtown forever.
The conflict centers on the Broadway area, a historic stretch near the railroad tracks that includes the century-old Westwood Cinemas. At the heart of the dispute: how much growth can a fully developed, one-square-mile town actually handle?
The Borough’s Plan: Incremental & Intentional
To meet New Jersey’s strict affordable housing deadlines, the Westwood Mayor and Council recently approved new zoning changes. The highlight is a new “Broadway Overlay Zone” intended for mixed-use commercial and residential development.
The Borough’s vision includes:
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31 Units: Targeted for a one-acre area on the south side of Broadway.
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59 Total Units: The borough’s planned contribution toward its 10-year state-mandated goal.
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Strategic Overlays: Additional density is now permitted near Pascack Valley Medical Center.
“The borough will continue to combine local planning priorities and incremental growth with our duty to provide realistic opportunities for affordable housing.” — Mayor Raymond Arroyo
The Developer’s Challenge: A 300-Unit Mega-Project
Legacy Development Group of Union City has launched a legal challenge against Westwood’s plan. While the town is proposing 31 units for the Broadway site, the developer wants to build 300 units.
The developer claims Westwood is using “thinly veiled” tactics to block the project, specifically pointing to the borough’s attempt to acquire the land via eminent domain to create a municipal parking lot. Legacy argues this violates the Mount Laurel Doctrine, the New Jersey constitutional mandate that requires towns to provide their “fair share” of affordable housing.
The “80/20” Math Problem
The core of the disagreement lies in the math of modern New Jersey development. Most affordable housing is built using an 80/20 template:
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80% of units are sold at market rate.
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20% are set aside as affordable.
Mayor Arroyo points out that to hit the state’s total quota of 235 affordable units using this model, Westwood would have to approve 1,175 new residences.
“That is, on its face, impossible in a fully developed small town with no vacant land,” Arroyo stated. He noted that the 300-unit proposal alone would add nearly as many residents in one year as the town gained in the last 25 years combined.
What’s Next? Key Dates to Watch
The future of Westwood’s downtown now rests in the hands of the court.
| Date | Event | Location |
| April 17, 2026 | Hearing on Developer’s Legal Challenge | Superior Court, Hackensack |
| Summer 2026 | Review of “Conditional Compliance” | State Superior Court |
As the April 17 hearing approaches, residents and business owners are keeping a close eye on Judge Lina Corriston’s courtroom. The ruling could determine whether Westwood maintains its small-town character or enters a new era of rapid high-density urbanism.
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I guess the Union City Developer wants Westwood to mirror the most densely populated city in the nation
70,000 people crammed into one square mile compared to Westwood’s 11,000 in 2.5 square miles
Fueled by money and greed, they’re destroying NJ suburban dream and lifestyle based on a very big lie
Why doesn’t NJ have any data or records since Mt Laurel began including number of units built, how many rolled out of affordable inventory and into market rate…
So many questions but in the end it’s all about 💰
Modern society loves to shame people. We know who the residents of Westwood are, now how about naming the developers and the political contributions they have made. I have to believe Russo Development, Toll Brothers, Lendar Homes, Pulte, Sanzari, Hekemian and Fletcher Creamer are on the list. Developers get all of the candy in the end. How about holding them to a developer’s agreement where they provide infrastructure, parks, schools, roadways, CASH TO THE COMMUNITIES? None of them live locally, other than Saddle River, Franklin Lakes and Alpine. What does it matter to them? Not in their backyard.