Cannabis at 455 Alfred Ave.: Last Call Hearing on Thursday

PUBLISHED BY TEANECK VOICES

12/16/2024

Contents:

Cannabis at 455 Alfred Ave.: Last Call Hearing on Thursday
Does Anyone Know What’s Next with Development Decisions?
Teaneck Voices and the 2025 Master Plan
This Week in Teaneck- December 16-22, 2024

Contacting Teaneck Voices:

Email: teaneckvoices@gmail.com
Phone: 201-214-4937
USPS Mail: Teaneck Voices, PO Box 873. at 1673 Palisade Ave. 07666

Cannabis at 455 Alfred Ave.: Last Call Hearing on Thursday

The Teaneck Planning Board has previously conducted two partial hearings to consider approving site plans that would permit cannabis retail and cultivation facilities to be located within the industrial building located at 455 Alfred Avenue. In originally denying approval of these site plans then zoning officer Dan Melfi recommended that both plans be heard together which is currently happening. At the end of the most recent portion of the hearing, the Board scheduled a continuation for Thursday, December 19, 202,4 at 7:30 pm at the Rodda Center.

Voices strongly encourage all its readers with views about cannabis – and/or its specific location on Alfred Avenue – to attend and participate in that 12/19 PB meeting/hearing.

Since the adequacy of notices for continuations of PB hearings has been an issue of late, Voices decided to create a very short (less than 2 minutes) video of that scheduling.

Readers interested in knowing what has already been said in the 2 prior cannabis facility hearings should go to:

1) the initial cannabis facility hearing which came in the back end of the PB meeting on 11/6. It can be found beginning on Click Here and move the cursor to 2hr&35nin. Most of this dealt with testimony from an operations representative of the applicant explaining the 2 proposed cannabis facilities.

Notably at the end of this frenetic hearing two representatives of facilities next door to 455 Alfred Avenue vociferously opposed approval of the facility primarily because of the parking/traffic problems it will create.

2) a 2 hr+ hearing that occurred on 11/14 which largely consumed by the applicant’s traffic expert trying to explain that the parking arrangements “are sufficient” and thus how & why the fact that the facility violates allowable parking rules at the site should not keep the Board from approving the site plan’s requested parking variance. Readers wanting to hear this argument should go to Click Here and move the cursor to min34 of the video.

Do we know what the broader community thinks about this facility?

Various key demographic and association communities within Teaneck have recently coalesced to oppose the approval of ANY cannabis facility in Teaneck. (See, for example, the statement of Ms. Maxine Angel to Council on Tuesday, December 10 (Click Here and move the cursor to 2hr&10min)

What to expect at the December 19 meeting:

At the end of the November 14 hearing, in response to PB questions, the applicant's attorney (Tuvel) committed to several additional presentations. Among them was not only more information on parking and traffic but also that the applicant’s planner would explain why the proposed cannabis facility’s illegal proximity to the playground at Denning Park should not matter. Our readers will be well aware that in both of Voices previous 2 editions we have explored the clear evidence that the proposed facility is illegally close to Englewood’s Denning Park We urge readers to review these discussions for the 12/2 edition (Click Here) and the 12/9 edition (Click Here).

.What could happen at the 12/19 meeting? The Board could:

1) approve the application with conditions.

2) deny the application, and do so more readily if it decided not to approve the parking variances. Or

3) it could decide to continue the application. But that is tricky - It should be noted that the cannabis applicant’s attorney (Tuvel) agreed to a continuation – but only through December 31, 2024. If he does not provide another continuation, the Board will have to either approve or deny the application.

But note that if the plan were approved and the applicant began operations, all involved would have violated applicable federal law by operating a facility within 1000 feet of a playground, and our Town manager would be required under our Town code to suspend the operating license—see again Voices December 9 edition (Click Here). Does approving the site plan make any sense whatsoever?

Does Anyone Know What’s Next with Development Decisions?

It surely seemed like this past week had quietly passed with a congenial Council meeting that praised the Youth Advisory Board for proposing mini-libraries in parks and any and all alike wishing all a happy holiday.

But as the week evolved, there emerged an entire series of events and facts that have changed the landscape for development decision-making in ways that will almost surely reshape development outcomes – although in ways we doubt anyone can predict.

Who Is the Town Planner? The week began with the unannounced publication on the website’s Purchasing Department’s page of an active bidding process that includes a Request for Qualifications and Proposals for Town Planner. (Click Here). Normally Teaneck has announced that it was using the “professional” rationale to avoid employing a competitive process for its Town Planner. Who knew that we had decided to look for another firm? Nothing requires prior notice that the Town is looking for a planner. Bids will be open on Friday, December 20. Are we looking for new planning advice just as the Master Plan and consequent development decisions are pending?

Tuesday’s Release of Minutes from the Council’s Zoning Subcommittee. Embedded in the Council’s agenda packet for its Tuesday, December 10 meeting – placed there on meeting day - were the minutes of a December 3 meeting of the subcommittee (not, as usual, ever announced) The minutes reveal a wide-ranging exploration of MAJOR development options and recommendations. And in the final paragraph, the minute notes state that the subcommittee expected the Planning Board to approve a Master Plan on 12/12. That is key since Council had promised to delay further development decisions until the MP was approved. The subcommittee clearly had acted as though the wait was over. CM Schwartz announced the existence of these minutes during the 12/10 Council meeting. The easiest way for our readers to see what the minutes of the zoning subcommittee say is to Click Here.

New Rules for Land Use Board Efficiency and Transparency. When Council on Tuesday night held its hearing on introduced ordinances, the one that got public attention was Ordinance 30-2024, an extremely important new addition to the Town Code which creates a subcommittee to assure land use boards both are presented with and give adequate notice to development- related applications. Many residents have long questioned why those boards have functioned so informally and with procedures that exclude public input. A key is a new inter-board subcommittee which will function as a gatekeeper to what must be completed before an application goes to either land use board. This new ordinance, which was passed unanimously, deserves to be followed rigorously and apparently takes effect immediately after public notice has been given of the Council’s action.

Planning Board 12/12 Agenda Stripped of the Master Plan Hearing. On Wednesday evening, December 11, a decision was taken that noticing provisions for the Planning Board’s Master Plan hearing and potential approval vote were faulty, and thus the MP portion was being removed from the PB 12/12 agenda. Inherently that meant a delay in any of the expected MP decisions.

Planning Board Decides to Delay next MP Hearing until Jan. 30, 2025. After the PB’s 12/12 agenda was completed, the PB focused on when it could next legitimately hold a fully noticed MP hearing. It effectively had no option to hold the hearing in December. As the PB discussion among members evolved, it became clear how consequential the noticing delay had been. Several members of the current PB will either be reappointed by Council or replaced. Additionally, three other members of the Board will, following Council’s reorganization, have to be either reappointed or replaced. In sum, the PB will have to reorganize in January in order to conduct an effective hearing. Finally, the Board decided to delay the next MP hearing until January 30, 2025 Our readers may want to see/hear that PB discussion. It is found at Click Here and move the cursor to 2hr&06min and following.

The upshot: Many moving pieces. Will the Township have appointed a new Town Planner? Will Council wait – as promised – to move forward on development/redevelopment options until a new MP is approved? Will residents who find the current MP substantially inadequate find ways to propose changes before the new PB holds a legitimate public hearing on it in January? How will a newly reorganized planning board view the current MP?

In sum, it turns out that the week of December 9 was not exactly just a happy holiday greeting opportunity!

Teaneck Voices and the 2025 Master Plan

The long-deferred Master Plan is once again delayed. Ostensibly scheduled for public comments at the December 12 Planning Board meeting, the Master Plan review was canceled due to what was announced as noticing issues. To correct that confusion, and to assure that the public receives accurate information, the next Master Plan discussion has been scheduled for Thursday evening, January 30. We trust that 10 days prior to the meeting, the accurate time will be published on the town website and in the newspapers of record. Teaneck Voices will keep you informed of exactly when and where the meeting will be held.

To facilitate your review of the Master Plan, Teaneck Voices will publish critical pieces of it in, hopefully, user-friendly fashion. Today we present the Land Use Goals and Objectives – the most important elements of any Master Plan. These appear in the MP on pages 61 – 72. Teaneck Voices has repeatedly asked the PB to revise/edit the Master Plan to put these up front as the first thing the public reads since this is the most critical element for public comment. Since the Planning Board has been unresponsive to our request, below are the 8 Goals and Objectives of the new Master Plan. Next week we will publish the specific recommendations made for each Goal/Objective.

N.B. We are presenting the Goals and Objectives with titles only because we are concerned that many residents have not seen them. If you want to read the detailed descriptions of each we urge you to go to the Master Plan on the Teaneck website, teanecknj.gov, enter Master Plan, click on Master Plans, click on October 2024 Master Plan, and go to page 61.

N.B. Please note that where the words “redevelopment” and “revitalization” are used the MP is referring to Areas In Need of Redevelopment (AINRs).

H. Goals and Objectives: Land Use

Goal I. Promote a range of housing options to meet the needs of residents in different life phases.

Objectives:

Preserve the prevailing character, bulk, and density of existing residential neighborhoods.
Protect the existing stock of low-cost housing.
Expand housing options for young adults, seniors seeking to age in place, and single individuals.
Encourage the development of owner-occupied housing in multi-unit projects.
Promote the balanced use of indoor and outdoor space on residential properties.

Goal II. Provide high standards of design and quality in the built environment.

Objectives:

Promote a welcoming and attractive environment in business districts.
Encourage traditional architectural styles in new developments.
Prioritize design and utilization improvements for underperforming and lackluster buildings and sites in business districts.
Integrate new development into existing neighborhoods with good design of buildings and sites.
Retain buildings with historic or architectural value.
Encourage variety and simplicity in business signage.
Improve the streetscape environment.
Encourage a range of commercial footprints.
Ensure that proposed multifamily and mixed-use development projects feature site circulation plans that accommodate increased vehicle loading and unloading.
Promote sustainable building designs and materials.

Goal III. Encourage the revitalization or redevelopment designations to promote revitalization and a cohesive identity for business districts.

Objectives:

Utilize the tools of zoning and rehabilitation or redevelopment designations to promote revitalization and cohesive identity for business districts.
Develop a best practices toolbox for redevelopment and rehabilitation processes. Advance “smart growth” planning principles in business district revitalization.
Promote walkability in neighborhood-scale mixed-use districts. provide high standards of design and quality in the built
Encourage mixed-use developments along public transit corridors within business districts.
Encourage mixed-use developments along public transit corridors within business districts.
Broaden the range of commercial uses that are permitted in business districts.
Provide public amenities and gathering spaces.
Advance public-private partnerships that build neighborhoods through the provision of community benefits.
Provide efficient parking in appropriate locations to accommodate demand.
Provide commercial spaces where different types of businesses can succeed.
Conditionally permit cannabis use in Teaneck’s Business and Industrial Districts.

Goal IV. Streamline the zoning code. Go

Objectives:

Update the Township’s Zoning Map to be more accessible to the general public.
Eliminate obsolete zoning districts.
Eliminate common pre-existing non-conformities in the R-S Zone.
Consolidate zoning districts that are substantially similar in nature.
Direct development pressure on business districts.
Appropriately zone public parks and open space properties.
subjective, unmeasurable requirements from the zoning ordinance.
Modernize and eliminate contradictions in the lighting ordinance.
Encourage the creation of comprehensive zoning districts that apply to broad areas. Support an array of community facilities and places of religious assembly and religious institutions. Goal 5: Support an array

Goal V. Support an array of educational facilities, community facilities, and places of religious assembly and religious Institutions. places of religious assembly and religious institutions.

Objectives:

Uphold the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA).
Promote walkable access to places of assembly.
Permit places of religious assembly, schools, and private educational services, where there is adequate traffic circulation and parking.
Encourage site designs that can accommodate high degrees of anticipated traffic queuing for educational facilities.
Encourage shared parking agreements with nearby parking lots for special events at schools and places of religious assembly.
Pursue upgrades to existing community facilities and development of new facilities to serve the needs of residents.
Recognize social service uses in the zoning ordinance.

Goal VI. Prepare for worsening major storms and hazards that result from climate change.

Objectives:

Prioritize mitigation efforts to areas of repeated poor drainage, flooding, or erosion.
Investigate and implement structural and non-structural solutions to prevent flooding in high-risk areas and on evacuation routes.
Prepare for public communications and inter-governmental coordination.
Provide emergency shelters to protect vulnerable and displaced people.
Ensure that socially vulnerable groups have access to shelters and emergency preparedness resources.
Preserve and reinforce the natural environment along rivers and streams.
Ensure that new developments account for the worst-case precipitation projections and inland flooding, exceeding State standards where possible.
Support the installation of alternative energy sources on homes and on commercial, industrial, and institutional properties and parking lots.

Goal VII. Advance improvements to recreational facilities and trails and preserve conservation areas.

Objectives:

Affirm alignment with the most current Township Open Space and Recreational Plan (OSRP), the official Recreational and Open Space Inventory (ROSI), and the Environmental Resources Inventory (ERI).
Advance the strategies identified in the OSRP and other adopted plans for public land.
Improve the accessibility of trails and recreation facilities.
Improve drainage along trails, recreation facilities, and other accessible public lands.
Promote the use of native and native-adapted plantings on public lands.
Upgrade and expand access to accessible public land, recreational facilities, and conservation areas.
Secure funding, including but not limited to Green Acres funding, to achieve the objectives of this Master Plan and the OSRP.

Goal VIII. Support major institutions and employers to adapt to changing markets.

Objectives:

Promote the growth of Holy Name Medical Center following the purpose and restrictions of the H-Zone.
Support Fairleigh Dickinson University in adapting to changing educational environments.
Maintain existing zoning and support for the Glenpointe Center and encourage its further integration into the community.

This Week in Teaneck- December 16-22, 2024

If additional information about access and agendas for this week’s public meetings becomes available, we will update our Teaneck Voices website at this post (Click Here) in RED font.

Advisory Board on Community Relations – Monday, December 16, 2024, at 7:30 in MP-2 A&B of the Rodda Center.

Holiday Potluck Gathering – Public Invited

Municipal Open Space Committee (MOST) – Tuesday, December 17, 202,4 at 7:30by Zoom (Click Here and add passcode 121528)

Youth Advisory Board – Wednesday, December 18, 2024, at 7:00 pm apparently by Zoom only (Click Here and add passcode 438132) Only information available

Teaneck Historic Preservation Commission (THPC) – Wednesday, December 18 at 7:30 by Zoom only (Click Here and add passcode 215521). For agenda, Click Here

Board of Education Regular Meeting – December 18, 2024, at 7:00 pm (note time change) in the Student Center of Teaneck High School. Zoom info and agendas are typically available at https://teaneckschools.org 24 hours prior to the meeting

Environmental Commission (EC) – Wednesday, December 18, 2024, at 7:30 pm by Zoom only (Click Here270019 and add passcode 270019. For agenda, Click Here

Planning Board Special Meeting – Thursday, December 19, 2024, at 7:30 in MP-2a&b of the Rodda Center (participation for in-person attendees only) and to watch/listen by Zoom (Click Here and add passcode 173069) No agenda information on the website.

However, at this 12/19 meeting the primary agenda – as announced by the PB attorney, is to be a continuation (without further notice to the public) of the hearing on the site plan application to approve the use of a portion of 455 Alfred Avenue for a cannabis cultivation and retail facility. (See related article in this Voices edition).

Contacting Teaneck Voices

Co-Editors: Dr. Barbara Ley Toffler and Dr. Chuck Powers

IT Editor: Sarah Fisher

By Email: teaneckvoices@gmail.com

By Phone: 201-214-4937

By USPS Mail: Teaneck Voices, PO Box 873. at 1673 Palisade Ave. 07666

Teaneck Voices' Website is www.teaneckvoices.com