the staff of the Ridgewood blog
SADDLE RIVER, NJ — Saddle River officials are considering the purchase of a 0.6-acre property at 22 E. Allendale Road for affordable housing, with the price set at $860,000. The proposal, introduced at the Aug. 18 Borough Council meeting, is set for a public hearing and vote on Sept. 15.
If approved, the borough would issue $819,000 in bonds to finance the deal.
The property — a four-bedroom farmhouse built in 1918 — was most recently listed as “off market” on Zillow, with a Zestimate of $684,700. Its future use is tied to Saddle River’s ongoing affordable housing obligations.
Ties to Neighboring Affordable Housing Plans
It remains unclear whether the purchase of 22 E. Allendale Road will supplement or replace the borough-owned 1.05-acre site next door at 20 E. Allendale Road. That property was previously approved in 2020 for a 23-unit special needs affordable housing project.
The East Allendale Road sites are part of Saddle River’s wider plan to address state housing requirements. Nearby, the Choctaw Trail development opened pre-leasing registration earlier this year for a 112-unit affordable housing complex near Route 17, approved in 2022 with little public opposition.
Part of a Larger Affordable Housing Strategy
Back in 2020, Saddle River designated five sites for affordable housing, including:
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20 E. Allendale Road (23-unit special needs project)
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115 E. Allendale Road (Rosie O’Donnell’s former estate) — originally proposed for 60 townhouses, eight affordable
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14 Algonquin Trail & 167 W. Saddle River Road — approved for 60 units, including 12 affordable
The Rosie O’Donnell estate proposal was rejected by the Planning Board in 2022 and upheld on appeal. A new developer now owns the property and is preparing revised plans.
What’s Next?
The fate of 22 E. Allendale Road will be decided at the Sept. 15 public hearing. Residents and stakeholders will have the opportunity to weigh in before the borough moves forward.
đź“Ś Public Hearing Date: Sept. 15, 2025
đź“Ť Location: Saddle River Borough Council
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‘Affordable Housing’ and ‘Upper Saddle River’ in the same sentence.
Yeah, sure.
At the August 18th Mayor and Council meeting, Ordinance 25-1099 was voted on and passed unanimously, authorizing the purchase of 22 East Allendale Rd. for $830,000. This property is intended to be combined with 20 East Allendale Rd, which was previously purchased by the Borough for $450,000 in 2018. They are to be sold to The Michaels Organization, the developer of Choctaw, for $1 and a 42 unit 100% Affordable Housing project will be built on the site, which sits next door to the soon-to-be completed Choctaw project.
Previously, 20 E. Allendale Rd was slated to receive a standalone 23 unit 100% Affordable Housing project. This was mentioned in the 2020 FSHC Settlement Agreement. Now the plan is to combine it with 22 E. Allendale, and increase the size of the project to 42 units.
With the pending completion of Choctaw Trail, the upcoming Toll Brothers projects, and the original 20 E. Allendale Rd. project, Saddle River is on track to exceed its 132 Third Round Affordable Housing RDP obligation by 22 units. This is without needing to build on the new 22 E. Allendale Rd. site. These excess credits can be carried over to the 4th Round to satisfy that round’s 6 required RDP units, and still leave the Borough with 16 unused credits. Again, this is without any construction on the soon-to-be acquired 22 E. Allendale Rd site.
The Michaels Organization is being awarded the newly expanded 20-22 E. Allendale project on a Non-Competitive basis. Zero proposals were solicited from other developers. When questioned, the Council said this was done for the sake of “efficiency” because Michaels still has its equipment onsite at Choctaw. This is difficult to accept, since Choctaw is nearly complete (expected full completion in October) and residents have already begun moving in. I personally thought that projects of this scale require multiple bids, but apparently not.
So why is the Mayor and Council spending $830,000 on an unneeded property and literally giving it away to a developer? They say it is necessary to satisfy the Borough’s 3rd and 4th round Affordable Housing obligations, but if you actually examine the numbers, those obligations can be met without the new property. In any event, why not wait until after the election in November and the possibility that this unpopular Affordable Housing land grab gets scaled back? Why the urgency?
Hekemian & Co. is developing an affordable housing project in Wayne, NJ on the site of the Preakness Shopping Center. The Saddle River Council President is also President of Hekemian & Co. Why would the residents of Saddle River believe that the Mayor and Council are against building more Affordable Housing in Saddle River?
Hekemian & Co. is developing an affordable housing project in Wayne, NJ on the site of the Preakness Shopping Center. The Saddle River Council President is also President of Hekemian & Co.
Why would the residents of Saddle River actually believe that the Mayor and Council are against building more Affordable Housing in Saddle River?