No Decision On Route 23 Mixed-Use Application

WAYNE, N.J. — A vote on application to develop a 10-acre piece of property on Route 23 South was not taken at the Board of Adjustment's meeting Monday.

The board pushed Galreh LLC's application to construct 232 luxury apartments, a Trader Joe's grocery store, and a 262-seat restaurant at 1895 Route 23 South to its Jan. 17 meeting.

The controversial application has been discussed for months at meetings and been criticized by local residents for its potential impact on local traffic and flooding.

RELATED: Trader Joe's, Luxury Apartments Could Go On Route 23 Site

The property borders the Pompton River and Pequannock Township. The area floods and Galreh was required to create a stormwater management plan that would help alleviate flooding.

Mark Semeraro, the lawyer representing Galreh, said the plan reduces the 100-, 10-, and two-year floodwater runoff by 29, 46, and 56 percent, respectively. Galreh was only required to reduce the runoff by 50, 25 and 20 percent in for those years.

"Our plan is a legitimate one," Semeraro said. "We are reducing the amounts by more than we are required to. It was never a question for our engineers."

Galreh said that, at most, 17 children would be added to the Wayne Public School District if the apartments are filled to capacity. That projection is based on a Rutgers University study. Parents have expressed concern, as they often do regarding new residential applications, about increasing class sizes.

A jitney bus would run between the property and the NJ Transit train station down Route 23.

Many retailers, including Whole Foods, Wegman's, CVS, and ShopRite, had discussed possibly coming to the property, but passed for various reasons. ShopRite said the property is not business-friendly except to coffee and bagels shops due to the number of commuters traveling on that side of the highway versus the northbound side. The property's owner previously said WholeFoods did not want to come there because there are not enough "college-educated" people in town, a claim WholeFoods has denied.

Galreh has unsuccessfully tried to develop the property since 2008 and the owner of nearby Wayne Hyundai tried to purchase it some years ago, but the deal never happened. The dealership is located across the property and stores vehicles on it. Sales representatives and dealership employees also park on nearby Court Lane, much to residents' aggravation.

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