OP-ED: A Letter to the EPA

At Monday night's Township Council meeting, Councilman Nicholas Joanow suggested drafting a letter to the New Jersey Environmental Protection Agency regarding the proposed Lion Gate-Scientific Glass project.  Below is the letter in its entirety.

The project aims to build 104 condominium units on an existing floodplain at 8 Lionsgate Drive.  Though already approved by the township's planning board, Joanow implored the council to re-think the idea, saying the structure would be subject to flooding and would bring additional children into an already crowded school system. 

On Monday night the council voted 4-3 in favor of sending the letter to the New Jersey Environmental Protection Agency for their review. This letter was written by Joanow with the Township Council in mind.  It was not written by the Bloomfield Township Council.

RE: Block 871, Lots 55;  8 Liongate Drive, Bloomfield , N.J.

[ Scientific Glass/Liongate ]

We, the Council members of the Township of Bloomfield strongly recommend that you reject the 5 year extension of the Freshwater Wetlands Permit  that is being reviewed by your department.

The  construction of 104 condominiums on a 100 year FEMA designated flood plain/wetland located in the Lower Passaic River Basin  that has a long and well documented history of flooding. This has been noted by the Army Corps of Engineers, F.E.M.A and the latest report issued by Governor Christie. [Executive Order 23]

The Army Corps of Engineers has stated that “Development in the floodplain increases future property losses, threatens the economic stability of communities and puts public health and safety at risk.

The Passaic River Advisory Commission has issued a 15 point plan to mitigate flooding. Two specific points which are critical include” Updated flood maps and a Moratorium on all new development in the Passaic River Basin. Therefore local land use decisions within the Passaic River Basin continue to exacerbate flooding and flood damages.

The proposed construction is at Block 871, Lots 55; 8 Liongate Drive, Bloomfield , N.J. between Spring Brook which is a  tributary of the Third River. This area is now flooding with greater frequency due to rapid overdevelopment in the Third River basin which includes the ongoing construction of more than 800 condos next to its headwaters (start of the river) just four or five miles upstream from our Brookdale neighborhood. In addition this does not include the 69 condominiums which are presently on this site.

Within the past six  years alone, parts of Lakewood Drive that are theoretically outside the flood zone have twice gone under up to 18 inches of water and neighboring properties are suffering accelerating  riverbank erosion. We are deeply concerned that this development will put our homes and our  business district  at a  much greater risk for even worse flooding. This will negatively impact economically on our business district as well as our health and safety. Since this area has  been inundated twice what would be the result of additional development in an area with a pre-existing problem already in place???

This development runs completely counter to all public declarations DEP has made in the past year or two regarding flood mitigation in the state. We know that the 30-year-old Third River flood map that DEP is using to evaluate this application is flawed and outdated. In the interest of public safety, these flaws warrant correction before the department issues any permits to develop at this flood-prone site. We are asking the DEP to come to Bloomfield to see the site first hand and to hear our concerns about the true nature of flooding in the neighborhood.