Ridgewood’s VC needs to follow Hawthorne’s lead. If every town builds high-end or affordable housing there will be a glut of housing to fill. The only ones benefiting from all these projects are the developers. What a scam! Ed
Hawthorne zoners reject housing development of Wagaraw Road property
NOVEMBER 23, 2015, 9:12 PM LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2015, 9:12 PM
BY MINJAE PARK
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
HAWTHORNE — The zoning board on Monday night rejected a plan to build high-end apartments on Wagaraw Road, concluding an 11-month application to develop a long-vacant property that was once proposed as the site of a Walmart supermarket.
Board members said they weren’t persuaded by the case made by the property’s owner, the Bedrin Organization, that apartments designed for New York City commuters suited the site, which lies in an industrial and commercial zone, next to a beverage distributor. The vote was 6-1 against.
“While we are certainly disappointed, the real losers here are the hardworking taxpayers of Hawthorne,” said Gerald Bedrin, a partner in the organization.
The 8.6-acre property on the southern end of the borough remains the borough’s largest undeveloped property. Walmart planned to build a 42,000-square-foot supermarket there until lawsuits by borough residents delayed the development, and the retailer withdrew.
At last month’s zoning board meeting, about 20 residents spoke out in support of the project, many showing up with blue “Rivergate YES!” stickers.
