Condo Association Continuing Objection to Ell Road Development

A group of Washington Township residents are continuing to fight a proposed senior housing development in Hillsdale, even after the state supreme court found in favor of the plan.

Caliber Builders returned to the Hillsdale Planning Board Wednesday night seeking final approval of their plan for the 37-unit "Golden Orchards" development off Ell Road on the border of the borough and Washington Township, which the board had initially OK'd in 2008. 

Members of Northgate Condominium Association, along with their attorney and engineer, also came out to the meeting to continue their formal objection to the application, despite a June ruling from the New Jersey Supreme Court which upheld the previous approval and found their arguments against it were lacking.

John Lamb, the attorney representing the condo association, said that Caliber should seek an amended approval before seeking final approval because of more than 20 changes made to the plan by county and state officials since the initial approval from Hillsdale.

"This project was substantially changed," Lamb said. "You are not looking at what was approved in 2007."

Caliber Builders' attorney, Russell Huntington, said he believed that the changes were not significant enough to require an amended approval. 

"There are always going to be little tweaks, especially when you go to other agencies," Huntington said.

Lamb said the Northgate residents were concerned about increased storm water runoff that would be caused by the construction, particularly in light of changes made to the on-site water storage system since the planning board approved the plan. 

The condo association is also objecting to an application for a CVS on the corner of Washington Avenue and Pascack Board which is being heard by the Washington Township Zoning Board. A stream which passes behind that site — and has become a key issue in that case — also passes behind the proposed "golden orchards" property.

"We already have a lot of water and we don't want to be inundated," Northgate Condominium Association President Bob Malone told Patch.

Board attorney Harold Ritvo said the board members would need to listen to testimony from the applicant's and objector's engineers and decide whether or not they believed the changes to the plans were significant enough to warrant an amended application hearing.

Even if the project is approved again, Caliber may need to appear before another board in Washington Township for some pipes and other accessory items with the project, though all of the actual buildings will be in Hillsdale.

The hearing is scheduled to continue at the Hillsdale Planning Board's October 9 meeting.