Judge Denies Intervention Motion In Chatham Post Office Plaza Case

CHATHAM, NJ — After various setbacks, Superior Court Judge Stephan C. Hansbury made his decision regarding Chatham Borough's Post Office Plaza redevelopment project during a hearing on Thursday in the Morris County Courthouse.

The hearing was the last phase of the ongoing legal conflict between the Borough of Chatham and developers whose plans for the Post Office Plaza redevelopment project were turned down.

Judge Hansbury upheld Chatham Borough's decision to construct a 15-unit, single-building affordable housing complex on borough-owned land at the southeast corner of Post Office Plaza and Bowers Lane.

The in-person hearing addressed the Affordable Housing Compliance/Redeveloper Intervention request filed in Morris County Superior Court by SV Chatham PO LLC.

According to Jonathan Drill, Chatham's affordable housing attorney, Judge Hansbury denied the motions, siding with the borough.

"I'm extremely pleased that the judge denied SV's motion and denied Fair Share's motion and granted our motion," Drill said.

Last May, Chatham Borough Mayor Thaddeus Kobylarz cast the deciding vote in the Borough of Chatham Council's 4-3 decision to proceed with the plan for 15 all-affordable units.

SV Chatham PO claimed that the borough worked behind the scenes to severely limit the amount of residential density and affordable housing produced as part of any redevelopment.

According to Judge Hansbury, he denied SV's motion because he did not believe they met the legal standard for intervention and denied the claim for the litigant's rights.

The redevelopment project has been in the works for months, and additional discussions and disclosures about the project will be made at a later date, according to Chatham Borough officials.

Many residents have spoken out during the project's various special meetings over the last few months, criticizing the borough's lack of transparency throughout the redevelopment project, which has been a source of dissatisfaction for many.

"I believe that we'll be able to do what Fair Share wants us to do to make the 15-unit project acceptable to them. I'm optimistic," Drill said.