Sierra Club Opposes AvalonBay Development In Wayne

The New Jersey Sierra Club opposes the proposed AvalonBay apartment complex on Totowa Road. The group claims the project would contribute to traffic and air pollution and presents a risk to surrounding waterways.

AvalonBay Communities Inc. is applying to Board of Adjustment to construct a 422-unit apartment complex on Totowa Road.

Of the 422 units, 336 would be built in a four-story building and 86 townhouses would be spread out in 13 buildings.

Approving the development will mean granting a use variance for the zoning, another variance for building the four-story complex about 18 feet higher than is permitted, and another for its floor-area ratio.

Related: Sierra Club Speaks Out Against Avalon Bay Project

“This is the wrong project that is in the wrong place. Wayne already has enough traffic, flooding, air pollution, and overdevelopment and this project will just make things worse,” Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club said in a statement. “Wayne needs this development like it needs another mall.”

The Sierra Club said in the statement that AvalonBay has a history of environmental violations and develops properties in “environmentally sensitive areas.

“The AvalonBay development project will be a threat to local waterways, invite more sprawl into the area, and may put the town at risk for more flooding as well,” Tittel said. “This is the wrong project in the wrong place.”

Several residents and a lawyer representing the club spoke out against the project at a Board of Adjustment meeting Aug. 3. The group is expected to attend a board meeting Monday night at Wayne Valley High School. Public comments will be taken at the meeting.