Cranford Residents Continue Development Fight Wednesday

CRANFORD, NJ - Its been referred to as the dragon at Cranford's gates, the monstrosity, a sign of the times, but whatever it is called the next battleground in the hotly contested redevelopment of 750 Walnut Ave. is a Planning Board meeting Wednesday night.

Hartz Mountain Industries has applied to build 905 apartment units on that property, which is currently a commercial zone. On Wednesday night the Planning Board will hear from the Hartz civil engineer and architect will return to testify on a new environmental impact study.

According to Dawn Beresford, one of the founding members of Cranford Residents Against Overdevelopment (CRAO) her group has numerous concerns, specifically about the infrastructure of the town being overwhelmed by having so many new residents.

"Our main goal is to stop the Planning Board from rezoning 750 Walnut Ave. We also want to make sure that if Hartz does get approval to build, we can keep the density down and ensure that the town does not give Hartz a PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes)," Beresford said. "CRAO is also involved with a statewide group who are trying to get the state Senate to change the laws regarding Builder’s Remedy lawsuits, which allow big developers to build high-density apartment buildings in the name of affordable housing."

Beresford said that the group began as a group of residents who live in the vicinity of 750 Walnut Ave. who were concerned about 905 apartments being built at that site.

"A Facebook group was started and then a few of us decided to take it one step further and developed a website and to get more involved in the legislative aspect of Affordable Housing and overdevelopment of our towns," she said. "We have had Assemblyman Jon Bramnick come and speak to residents as to how they can get involved both locally and at the state level as there is a possibility Hartz will sue us in 2019 using a Builder’s Remedy lawsuit."

A Builder's Remedy lawsuit is filed by a real estate developer in an attempt to force a town to allow the construction of a large, multi-family housing complex that includes some affordable housing alongside ordinary housing.

Beresford said there are many things that could be done with the site, including a state of the art office complex with bike paths, small eateries and retail.

"If the Planning Board does rezone the property, a 55+ adult community would be ideal," Beresford said.

But the goal, Beresford said, is to never let it get that far.

"Everyone we have spoken to in town understands that this is a town-wide concern. An influx of potentially 3,000 people is going to have a negative effect on every resident," Beresford said. "As you drive around Cranford, you can see 'Say No to 750 Walnut' signs displayed in many yards. Our Facebook group has over 2,100 members. We have many members who have helped sell signs, hand out flyers, attend every meeting and speak out against the project."

That engagement, Beresford said, is key and that is why she is hoping residents come to the Wednesday meeting.

"Every Planning Board meeting is crucial. The more people who show up and ask questions shows both the Planning Board and Hartz that the residents are invested in what happens to our town regarding 750 Walnut," Beresford said. "Our hopes are that the Planning Board listens to the resident’s concerns about the negative impact this project would have on traffic, infrastructure, schools, taxes, etc."

Beyond this immediate concern, Beresford said her group is working with other groups to stop overdevelopment statewide, and to get the state legislature to take Affordable Housing away from the state courts and developers and back into the legislature where the process of creating Affordable Housing could be done more efficiently, effectively and fairly.

As for the dragon at Cranford's gates? Beresford said that is for the resident's to slay.

"It’s up to the residents to convince the Planning Board that a high-density project like 750 Walnut is not the right fit for Cranford," she said.

The public portion of the Planning Board meeting is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. at the Municipal Building at 8 Springfield Ave.

You can see the agenda here.

(Photo courtesy of Shutterstock)

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