Green Light For Lackawanna: Montclair Council Takes Long-Awaited Vote

MONTCLAIR, NJ — It’s a green light for Lackawanna Plaza.

On Tuesday evening, the Montclair Town Council took a highly anticipated vote on one of the town’s most controversial real estate projects in years: the Lackawanna Plaza Redevelopment Plan.

The council voted 4-2 in favor of the plan, with one abstention: Robert Russo. Meanwhile, Sean Spiller, Lori Price Abrams, Peter Yacobellis and Robin Schlager voted “yes,” and William Hurlock and David Cummings voted “no.”

The plan aims to revitalize the ailing Lackawanna Plana shopping center with a mix of land uses and the addition of new buildings, including a new supermarket and 300 units of housing – 20 percent of which must be “affordable” under state and local standards.

• See Related: Amazon Fresh Is Lackawanna's New Supermarket, Montclair Official Says

Five new buildings (five to six stories) are allowed, with maximum heights of 60 to 85 feet (as measured from the street line). The plan also includes stipulations that aim to preserve historical elements of the plaza, including a train terminal that once made a list of the “Most Endangered New Jersey Historic Places.”

The plan has seen several changes since it was first put forward. See the new version online here. The previous version and other supporting documents can be found on the town’s website.

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While a major hurdle has now been overcome, there will be more hearings as the project shapes up. Next, the developer, BDP Holdings, will have to clear a site plan with the Montclair Planning Board, which has taken a leery approach to the proposal in the past – recently voting 6-1 that the latest version isn’t consistent with the town’s master plan.

Debate about the plan was loud and long at Tuesday’s council meeting.

Prior to their vote, council members shared their thoughts, concerns and support (watch footage below, video is cued to the discussion).

Several Montclair residents also spoke about the plan during the public comment portion of the meeting (watch footage below, video is cued to the discussion).

LACKAWANNA PLAZA: A BRIEF BACKGROUND

The debate over the fate of Lackawanna Plaza has been in the works for nearly a decade, and the project has seen several stumbling blocks along the way.

The Montclair Town Council voted to designate the site as an “area in need of redevelopment” in 2015.

For years, The Hampshire Companies and Pinnacle Companies tried to breathe new life into the site, which is home to a historic former train terminal. After getting approval from the Montclair Planning Board in 2019, the companies announced that a 216,772-square-foot, mixed-use project was in the works, including residential, retail and office spaces.

The project was expected to kick off later that year. But it hit a major roadblock when a group of local advocates launched a lawsuit to stop development, seeking to reverse the previous decision from the planning board and nix the project's site approval – sending everything back to the drawing board.

• See related article: Montclair Group's Legal Battle Over Lackawanna Plaza Continues
• See related article: Lackawanna Plaza Plans Hit Big Speed Bump In Montclair

In February 2021, a new owner, Montclair-based BDP Holdings, announced that it has acquired the 7.6-acre development site. Read More: New Owner, Old Concerns For Lackawanna Plaza In Montclair

A new version of the plan was advanced by the town council in December 2022. Read More: No Lack Of Votes For Lackawanna; Montclair Council Advances Plan

Since then, a debate over the fate of Lackawanna has been raging among the town’s residents. Two opposing petitions were launched to support and oppose the old version of the plan.

Some local residents have insisted that there are key historic elements to the area that need to be preserved. Other concerns about the current plan have included height and density, increased demand on local infrastructure and services, and potential traffic impacts.

But other Montclair residents have supported the overall plan, saying that a supermarket is desperately needed to replace the Pathmark that closed in 2015, leaving residents of the town’s 4th Ward without a grocery store. Some supporters have also pointed to the affordable housing that’s included – another much-needed commodity in the township – as well as the potential tax revenue the project could bring to the township.

• See Related: Average Property Tax Bill In Montclair Is Growing, Latest Data Shows

Developers went back to the drawing board after the old version of the proposal met resistance from the Montclair Planning Board, which said it was in conflict with the town’s master plan, a document that guides local development.

The Montclair Historic Preservation Commission also had issues with the original plan, expressing concern about the demolition/disturbance of historically designated structures at the site, as well as the footprint of the buildings, which its members said were “out of scale” with the surrounding neighborhood.

• See Related: Lackawanna Debate Roars In Montclair; Planning Board, HPC Weigh In

While the debate over Lackawanna Plaza has seen polarized viewpoints, there have also been people calling for better dialogue between neighbors on the issue, as seen during a roundtable discussion hosted by Radio Free Montclair.

Three public town hall forums were held about the plan last year, which included questions from local residents. See the Nov. 29 meeting video here, see the Nov. 10 meeting video here, see the Nov. 3 meeting video here.

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