the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Mahwah NJ, the former Sheraton Crossroads hotel site is set for a significant transformation following the approval of amendments to its redevelopment plan. The township council has sanctioned an increase in the potential maximum square footage for new buildings from 1.7 million to 4 million square feet on the 140-acre property located at the intersection of routes 17, 87, and 287.
The 250-foot-tall, 25-story Sheraton Crossroads hotel, which closed in December 2023, originally replaced the Ford Motor plant in 1987. The zoning for the site remains unchanged, allowing for the construction of tall buildings on at least part of the land.
Increased Square Footage and Comparison
The amended plan’s increased square footage is notable. For context, the Ford Motor plant, the largest auto processing facility in the U.S. from 1955 to 1980, had 4.7 million square feet on 172 acres. In comparison, One World Trade Center spans 3.5 million square feet.
Several changes were approved by the planning board in June, deemed “not inconsistent” with the master plan. These included increasing building heights from two stories at 55 feet to five stories at 125 feet, allowing a 40-foot-tall, three-story garage, and setting a 55-foot two-story limit for other buildings on the site.
Detailed Presentation and Discussion
The township’s planner, Darlene Green, delivered a 90-minute presentation on the amended proposal during a recent council remote work session. While the agenda did not explicitly name Crossroads, the presentation can be viewed under the “presentation” section of the meeting’s video on the township’s website.
Green explained, “Last week there were some additional requested changes. What you have in front of you tonight is the version that I shared with the planning board, but any changes that have been made since the planning board presentation are highlighted in yellow.”
Key Changes and Concerns
Recent changes included adding “data center” and “fulfillment center” as permitted uses, parking garages as a permitted accessory use, and 8-foot tall security fencing. The most debated change was redefining the 1.7-million-square-foot maximum as a “ground floor limit.” Board members Ward Donigian and Janet Ariemma expressed concerns that this could theoretically allow a five-story building to total 8.5 million square feet.
“I think the zoning stinks,” Donigian remarked. “I think it exposes the town to a disaster. You don’t want any dirty laundry, and dirty laundry is there.”
Councilman David May argued that increased building height wouldn’t necessarily equate to increased parking demands, suggesting that tall machinery might occupy the additional space rather than processing activities.
May stated, “At the planning board meeting they brought up the notion that since the building’s taller, that creates more traffic. I don’t think there’s going to be loading docks on the second through fifth stories, so I don’t think it would add traffic.”
Donigian countered, noting that during his 22 years on the planning board, there had often been variances on parking, and that logistic centers in New York City include indoor multi-story truck ramps that could obscure the site’s true traffic flow.
Green highlighted that the site’s development is naturally limited due to “environmental encumbrances” and that the estimated 14,000 parking spaces required for such square footage would consume 141 acres at ground level, or at least 47 acres if in three-story garages.
Regarding traffic concerns, May mentioned that the warehouse proposal received a “no interest” letter from the state Department of Transportation, which would oversee any changes to local highways for the proposed site plan.
Resolution and Future Proposals
The debate concluded when township attorney Fred Semrau announced that the developer agreed to a 4 million square foot cap on building size. Despite this, Donigian and Ariemma voted against the approval.
Historical Proposals and Future Plans
The Sheraton Crossroads property has seen various development proposals over the years, including plans for an office park, a residential site, and a shopping mall. In 2018, the site was designated for 800 multi-housing units, 120 of which were affordable, as part of the township’s fair share housing settlement. However, this was later revised, reducing the affordable units to 74 and relocating them to Mark Twain Way, with the Crossroads site approved for two warehouses totaling 1.7 million square feet.
As of now, the developer has not yet submitted a site plan proposal, and future proposals will aim to maximize the owners’ options in a changing real estate market.
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Literally DOUBLE the sq footage..
What an incredible shite hole that’s going to turn into.
Good job Mahwah!!
Another town they are overbuilding, is going to be ridiculous and Mahwah. I used to be quiet not anymore.