Critics Oppose ‘Mega-Development’ Plans For Essex County Forest

WEST ORANGE, NJ — Critics of a plan to build hundreds of housing units near a large patch of forest in North Jersey are stepping up their campaign ahead of a town meeting in West Orange this week.

On Wednesday, the West Orange Planning Board is scheduled to hold a special meeting about the West Essex Highlands project. It will take place at 6:30 p.m. at the council chambers of Town Hall, 66 Main Street. Virtual attendees can learn how to login via Zoom here. See the agenda and supporting documents online here.

Short Hills-based firm West Essex Highlands Inc. wants to build a 496-unit residential development at a 120-acre tract of land on the western ridgeline of the Watchung Mountains, which also borders Essex Fells, Verona and Roseland. Known as the West Essex Highlands project, the idea was shot down by the West Orange Planning Board in 2006, but has recently resurfaced – with changes.

The land is owned by West Essex Highlands Inc., which previously filed a builder’s remedy lawsuit to allow it to proceed if it can help the township meet its affordable housing obligation.

In 2020, the Township of West Orange reached a settlement with West Essex Highlands Inc. and the West Essex Highlands Condominium Association Inc. about the project, which can be seen online here.

The plan is to make 100 of the 496 units “affordable” – a major selling point from the developer. West Orange must add or rehab more than 1,000 affordable housing units over the next decade. Read More: West Orange Says ‘OK’ To Latest NJ Affordable Housing Quota

Critics argue that the current proposal has grown even denser since the turn of the millennium, when the idea of developing in the area raised similar complaints: too many houses, construction on steep slopes, the potential endangering of wetlands, and more traffic on local roadways.

In recent months, some residents in the area have renewed their calls for a halt to the project and preservation of the forest. They include members of We Care NJ, which is planning to present its case against the development at Wednesday’s planning board meeting.

The group – whose members helped to spearhead opposition to West Essex Highlands during its last incarnation – has also shared project documents and updates on their website.

“This development is not a done deal,” said the group’s president, Joseph Pannullo. “WeCare will continue to fight it every step of the way.”

Last week, the Eastern Environmental Law Center filed a joint appeal on behalf of WeCare NJ and New Jersey Conservation Foundation to challenge a permit issued by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) for the project.

Three municipalities that either border or are located downstream of the proposed site – Essex Fells, Roseland and Verona – have also filed legal challenges to the permit, the group noted.

Michele Byers, a conservationist with a decades-long track record of preserving land in New Jersey, is among the latest critics of the West Essex Highlands project.

“The development of this property, which is the largest undeveloped private forest in Essex County, flies in the face of every policy and best practice for smart growth planning,” Byers said.

“This site is wholly inappropriate for a mega-housing development and should be permanently preserved,” Byers added.

Another critic of the plan, Eastern Environmental Law Center executive director Chris Miller, pointed to the NJDEP’s “Inland Flood Protection Rule” as a reason to halt the project.

“[The rule] is critical for protecting our communities from rising floodwaters and stormwater pollution as climate change brings increasing rainfall to New Jersey – but [it] is meaningless if the NJDEP lets new development slip through without enforcing it,” Miller said.

“Since the NJDEP refused to hear our legal concerns about the project administratively, we’re now prepared to prove these issues in court,” added Dan Greenhouse, senior staff attorney at the Eastern Environmental Law Center.

• See Related: West Orange, Essex Fells Residents: 'Don’t Build In This Forest'
• See Related: Build Housing On Forest In West Orange? Not So Fast, Commission Says

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