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Manager’s Report on Plan for Belle Avenue Flood Mitigation


PUBLISHED BY TEANECK VOICES

9/30/2024

Contents:

  • Manager’s Report on Plan for Belle Avenue Flood Mitigation
  • Cannabis Facilities Proposed for Alfred Avenue
  • Local Election Update – Initial Mail-In Ballots Arrive in Teaneck
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Thoughts on Voting in Teaneck Elections – A Town of Minorities
  • This Week in Teaneck – 9/30 to 10/6

Announcements

  • Council Candidate Electoral Forum – LWV - 9/30
  • Community Cleanup Day – 10/6
  • Council Candidate Electoral Forum – NETBPA – 10/14
  • Bd. of Ed Candidate Electoral Forum – NETBPA - 10/22
  • OTOV endorsements for Teaneck’s Council and Board of Education
  • Teaneck International Film Festival (TIFF) – 11/7 to 14


Contacting Teaneck Voices:

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

Manager’s Report on Plan for Belle Avenue Flood Mitigation

Belle Avenue’s residents who have battled flooding in their streets and homes for decades have recently implored Town officials to provide a complete report on what are the concrete steps required to achieve full mitigation of the extreme effects of the more frequent heavy rain events hitting this neighborhood. The reported disruptions and cleanup and replacement costs to residents in this neighborhood are staggering.


At the September 24 Council meeting, new Township Manager, Jaclyn Hashmat, presented a solid analysis of 1) the recent history of the Town’s efforts and 2) a detailed plan – including an excellent project management timeline – of where we are in the several mitigation processes and estimates of when they will finally lead to the construction of nearby bioswales and retention tanks under Sagamore Park that should bring an overdue end to this situation. 


That Manager’s entire report can be found on the Town website (Click Here) or on Teaneck Voice’s own website (Click Here). This full report impressed the Belle Ave neighbors – and Voices – with its clarity and completeness. It is, nevertheless, of concern that actual construction is not projected to begin on the Sagamore Park mitigation until summer of 2025. 


A key slide from the presentation is found immediately following this article.

Cannabis Facilities Proposed for Alfred Avenue

Although discussions – including drafts of the new Master Plan – have focused on whether Teaneck should support or allow cannabis retail dispensaries in business districts, the only actual CURRENT decision as to whether to allow cannabis facilities in the Town is focused on whether proposals for both a manufacturing and retail facility should be allowed at 455 Alfred Avenue. That Light Industrial district currently allows cannabis as a conditional use. 


Just what is being proposed and when decisions about permitting a cannabis site plan will occur is a true mystery. Voices has actively sought to provide its readers with the best factual information it can gather. Unfortunately, what we know is very partial indeed. Hence, the following article.

As Voices has recently explained to its readers (Click Here) Teaneck's Council chose on August 10, 2021, in Ordinance 29-2021 to Opt-in and allow two specific types of cannabis facilities as conditional uses in the Town's Light Industrial District (which, in fact, is located on Alfred Avenue.) 4 months later, on December 12, 2021, Council adopted a second "cannabis" ordinance (57-2021)  which, among other things, significantly increased the number and variety of types of cannabis facilities which were allowed as conditional uses in that LI zone. 


A year later (12/13/2022) Council passed Resolution 317-2022 which constituted demonstration of its support of the suitability of two LLCs that had identified 455 Alfred Avenue to be used both to cultivate and to retail dispense cannabis as a suitable location. 11 more months passed. 


In November 2023, those same two LLCs proposed site plans for these two Cannabis facility projects - a cultivation/manufacturing facility and a recreational retail dispensary - both of which were formally proposed to be housed in that same facility at 455 Alfred Avenue. We now know that those initial plans were subsequently amended several times and then 3 months later, on February 28, 2024, the then Town zoning officer Daniel Melfi denied that application citing several aspects of the proposals that varied from the requirements of the Light Industrial Zone even as it had been modified by the 2 aforementioned cannabis ordinances.   


A unique characteristic of that February 2024 denial, Voices now knows, is that zoning officer Melfi decided that his denial of both proposed site plans should be heard as a single application - and that it should be heard by the Planning Board. (See below for readers seeking to review that denial.)


What happened beginning 2 months later is baffling. There had been no public access to that Melfi letter of denial. Instead, on the 4/16/2024, on the Council agenda there appeared for introduction- without explanation - a third cannabis ordinance (7-2024). It was identified as an amendment to the 12/14/2021 one. Less than 3 weeks later both LLCs (on 5/14/2024) submitted a site plan applications to be heard by the Planning Board for the twin cannabis facilities to be located at 544 Alfred Ave. One week later, as scheduled, the Council's 5/21/2024 agenda listed for hearing and vote that new (7-2024) ordinance to again amend the cannabis conditional zoning rules.  A confused public spent a full hour of Council and the public hearing expressing confusion as to what was happening (Click Here and move cursor 1hr&2min40sec). Several Council members and Development Attorney Ash (sitting in for the absent Town Attorney Salmon) repeatedly assured both Council and the public that no zoning requirements were being changed in 7-2024 ordinance - that the amendment was solely "administrative" and its purpose was just to raise cannabis license fees.


(Voices has not been able to determine whether that new 7-2024 ordinance changed the rules by which those 544 Alfred Avenue site plans will be judged)


More months go by. Zoning officer Melfi had retired in June.

Then, with no Town website coverage at all, a public notice - authored by the LLS' attorney - showed up on 10/16 in the Bergen Record, a Township newspaper of record, announcing the site plan hearing for last week (October 26). 


Since it was a notice hearing that had appeared the required 10 days prior to the hearing, Voices OPRA'd the materials promised in that public notice. On Tuesday afternoon 9/24, the Town website calendar reported that the PB meeting for 9/26 was canceled. No citing of the noticed hearing had or has ever - appeared anywhere on the Town website. 


At 5:26 pm on Thursday 9/26, a Voices editor received the OPRA-requested public documents.  We offer no explanation of what is happening - although there is an informal suggestion that a Planning Board hearing and vote on these same cannabis Alfred Avenue cannabis facilities may occur on 10/9.  If that were to be the case, the public notice would have to appear 10 days prior (i.e. 9/30).  


Voices is immediately below making available to its readers the documents about these cannabis facility site plans - their denial and applications and related expert witness materials - just received from the Township. 


We do not speculate as to what will come next.


Click Twice below:

100840-OPRA-24-1412

Local Election Update – Initial Mail-In Ballots Arrive in Teaneck

Most registered Teaneck voters who had signed up always to vote by mail or had requested to do so just for the November 5 general election began receiving their Mail-in Ballot packets from the Township Clerk on Thursday, September 26. 

The Clerk’s office reports that it sent out 6,421 mail-in ballots to Teaneck voters including the 122 that went to voters now overseas.  That number will grow significantly as voters decide to sign up as mail-in ballot voters.


Registered voters who want to vote by mail, but have not yet so signed may readily Google or type this into other browsers. vote.nj.gov. Then click through to the mail-in voting profile – or click here to obtain a mail-in ballot application. They come in English, Espanol, and Korean.  Do it soon – although applications received by the Bergen County Clerk as late as 7 days before November 5 will be honored. 



Instructions provided in the mail-in ballot packet are easy to understand. They explain: 

  • How to handle the ballot – which for Teaneck voters means also paying attention to the BACK of the ballot. That is where you will get to the ballot’s Board of Education and Municipal Open Space referendum voting. You may need a magnifying glass for the referendum! 
  • How to prepare the ballot for mailing
  • Where to mail or place the ballot in a special box (in Teaneck, at the municipal building)

There are still, at this point, all three ways to vote – mail-in, early voting (from October 26 to Nov. 3 at the Rodda Center), and on election day Nov. 5 at your own voting location (of which there are 23 in Teaneck) Again, going to vote/nj.gov will guide you through every step for every way you decide you want to vote. 

As Voices has noted before, the candidate educational forums are an excellent way to learn about your local Council and Board of Education candidates. See our Announcements section for information on the 3 remaining forums for Teaneck’s local elections. The League of Women Voters’ Council Forum is tonight (9/30) Voices has included in the Announcement section the endorsements being made by the One Town, One Vote organization which had an important role in making November the time when we do our actual voting in Teaneck. You can also get advice from our Letters to the Editor section of this Voices edition.

Letters to the Editor

To the Editors of Teaneck Voices 

Dear Editors, 


We are writing to express our profound gratitude and reflections after attending the commemoration of Teaneck’s historic decision to voluntarily integrate its schools 60 years ago. As members of this vibrant and diverse community, we were deeply moved by the significance of this event and the continued legacy of inclusion that it represents. 


Teaneck’s courageous step forward in 1964 is not just a landmark in our town's history but in the history of our nation. This moment in time stood as a beacon of hope and progress when the country was at a crossroads on issues of race and equality. It reminds us that change often begins at the community level, with bold leadership, dedicated residents, and a shared commitment to justice. 


As we pondered that pivotal moment in Teaneck's history and heard the multiple speakers walk us down memory lane, it was clear that our town’s spirit of unity and equality remains strong. And yet, it was also a reminder of the work that still remains to be done. We must continue to stand together, as our predecessors did, to ensure that Teaneck remains a place where every child has the opportunity to thrive, regardless of their background. 


We deeply value the richness of Teaneck’s diversity. Each of us has benefited from multicultural experiences that have broadened our perspectives and helped shape our understanding of the world. Teaneck’s diverse population, representing countries and cultures from all over the globe, is one of its greatest strengths. It is this vibrant tapestry of backgrounds, experiences, and traditions that makes our town a unique and special place to live. 


We believe that embracing our town’s rich diversity is essential to fostering a strong, inclusive community where everyone feels they belong. Our commitment, as candidates for council, to promoting policies that reflect these values is unwavering. We will continue to advocate for the inclusivity, fairness, and unity that are the hallmarks of Teaneck’s past, present, and future. 


We would like to thank the Teaneck School Board, Council, and Historic Preservation Commission for putting together such a meaningful event, and we are honored to be part of a community that remains dedicated to the principles of equality, equity, and justice. 


Sincerely, 

Duane Harley 

Reshma Khan 

Ardie Walser

Letter to the Editor

Dr. Henry Pruitt


Teaneck Township Council Election

2024


The Teaneck Council Election in November 2024 is a Quality of life Issue. Are we going to remain a diverse, peaceful, multicultural suburban oasis of human understanding or are we going to become an urban community with all of the other concerns that go along with that change?


I am supporting Harley, Khan, and Walser because I believe that they will do a better job in meeting the concerns and understanding the pain of all of the sub-groups in Teaneck. And will be more interested in maintaining a positive quality of life than the current council.


For (all)The People

Specific Concerns


1) The handling of the fallout from the mid-eastern war was a disaster. This mishandling leads to more than 15 protests requiring police presence and an over-time bill of $130,000. (This council cut the Forum budget by $25,000).


There were two resolutions presented at the Council meeting. One was conciliatory and the other was partisan. The partisan resolution was passed that night. Neighbors were pitted against each other over a far-off war that Teaneck will have no ability to determine the outcome of. Protesting high school students were issued death threats. The council’s job is to work with both sides of this or any other concern and maintain peace within our Teaneck community.  They failed.


 2) The current council’s main objective is development with little concern about the impact that it will have on local neighborhoods.     

    

 Alfred Avenue is a congested part of our community relative to access and egress of traffic in the neighborhood. They have given a pilot (tax abatement) to two developers who will create more than 400 hundred rental units (800 cars) creating traffic concerns in this community.


Teaneck Road in the State Street area has three completed developments and three proposed developments. This is in addition to the approximately five hundred units of preexisting apartments. This is approximately 1,300 units in the State Street area of Teaneck Road. This could mean that approximately 2,600 cars could enter Teaneck Road at this location and several hundred more between Liberty Road and Route 4. I am not aware of any effort to mitigate the traffic problem on Teaneck Road.


3) There is a belief that the sale and production of cannabis will enhance the quality of life in the Township of Teaneck. I disagree with this premise, especially when the plan for the first unit is to be on Alfred Avenue. This is already a congested area and the pressure to place the first establishment in this area does not smell right because of the multi-cultural nature of this community. If the Council insists on following through with the proposal, they should place the first establishment in West Englewood, Cedar Lane, or DeGraw Avenue. The state tax benefit is three times the municipal benefit.  We must ask ourselves: Why are there so few communities in New Jersey selling recreational Cannabis?


4) The idea of a code enforcement officer has been ridiculed by this council. They call them harassment officers. This concern would be better understood if one of your neighbors turned his property into a junkyard or large commercial vehicles chose your street for overnight parking, or a neighbor turns his home into a rooming house in a residential neighborhood, or the trash from a commercial business blocks the sidewalk.    

   

This community has long been cited for good government and multicultural sensitivity. The founding fathers built a suburban town with forethought in many areas. 


Teaneck Road in Teaneck was built wider than the roads north and south of the township to better move traffic along. 


Teaneck built four bridges over the railroad tracks in an effort to keep traffic flowing smoothly and permitting emergency vehicles to not be trapped waiting for a train to pass. 


There are four fire stations spread out into different parts of town. 


Teaneck has a full-time paid fire department and an adequate police department and  DPW staff.  

  

Teaneck has a large recreation facility. Many surrounding towns do not. It also has its own recycling facility.


It also does not suffer from significant traffic congestion except for north Teaneck Road that is suffering from overdevelopment.


Teaneck has significant open space and developed and undeveloped parkland. 

 

Taxes may be high, but people moved here for the amenities.


Like other towns, sometimes things do go wrong. The township leadership over time has been able to mitigate these concerns.      

   

The Desegregation of schools required heroic action by seven out of nine school board members (1964).


The defeat of blockbusting required a dedicated council to end it by taking the Summer Real Estate company to the New Jersey State Supreme Court (1969). Two community organizations: The Teaneck Political Assembly on the west and the North East Community Organization (NECO) on the east collaboratively participated in eliminating this practice from our community.


The Pannell incident also required committed council members to put this township back together after this horrific event.  Some positive results were the integration of the police department and training of police officers to be more sensitive.  An additional positive outcome was the building of the recreation center to enable more interaction between the different sub-communities within the township (1996).


Between 2002 and 2006, Teaneck brought the community together in an effort to become a model American Community. Different groups of people joined task force committees to discover a Pathway To The Future for the township of Teaneck.


The task forces studied the following components of the Teaneck community.



1) Search for Excellence in Education.

2) Community-Based Programs for Youth.

3) Representative and Responsive Government.

4) “Teaneck Connects” Community Relations.

5) Economic Development.

6) Teaneck Taxes.


When Mayor Kates left office this report was put on the shelf and no longer looked at. 

 

In those times every effort was made to maintain the suburban nature of the community and to foster positive inter-group relations within the community.

The current council leadership seems to be turning this suburban town into an urban town.

I am supporting

Harley, Khan and Walser.

FOR THE PEOPLE

Henry Pruitt

September 23, 2024

Thoughts on Voting in Teaneck Elections – A Town of Minorities

Teaneck prides itself on being a model of diversity. Many ethnicities, races, religions, and gender identities live together within 6 ½ square miles of suburban space.


What this means in reality is: Teaneck is a town of minorities. And as a minority, each subcommunity expects acknowledgment of the pain its people have suffered and recognition for the perseverance, resilience, and achievements its people have shown. 


From a distance, this reality could look like a formula for unity and compassion. Up close, it seems to be a recipe for anger, misunderstanding, and judgmental attitudes toward THEM (whoever is THEM for each sub-community). Almost everyone experiences victim status – and that is a problem when it comes to town elections for Council and the Board of Education.


If you see yourself as a “victim,” you want to elect “your people” in the belief that they will “take care of you” and serve your best interests. Consequently, candidates tend not to be known by the local policy positions they take, but by their demographics; voters tend not to inquire about the candidates’ positions on local issues, but to seek to identify their demographics. The underlying assumption is: If you are like me, you believe the same things I believe. So if I vote for you, you will deliver on what I want.


But maybe it is NOT like that! 


On Thursday, September 19th, the Planning Board held a hearing on the revised draft Master Plan. Among the 50-plus attendees, many of whom spoke, were skin tones of every hue represented in Crayola’s Colors of the World box of crayons, hijabs, kippahs, various head coverings, bare heads, and clothing presenting a wide variety of personal choices. However, there was fundamental agreement about the 2 overriding continuing concerns with the draft Master Plan:

  • AINRs/urbanization of Teaneck.  Speaker after speaker addressed concerns about using designation of “blight” as a zoning tool in Teaneck and re-iterated the oft-heard statement that they moved to Teaneck to get away from urban density, and
  • Presence/location of cannabis facilities. The 2021 decision by the Township Council to “Opt-In” to having cannabis facilities (and the subsequent amended ordinances – see other Teaneck Voices story) causes unease within many of Teaneck’s subcommunities. The summary comment made by several Planning Board members was “If nobody wants it in their neighborhood, why have it?

Is it possible that cutting across Teaneck’s complex demographics there exists more fundamental consensus than we often recognize? On the issues that will shape what our Teaneck will look and feel like – why what actually brought us will actually be fostered - is there is more agreement than we have been acknowledging of late? 


We have 2 Council Candidate Forums coming up – tonight, Monday, September 30 the League of Women Voters Forum, and Monday, October 14 the Northeast Teaneck Block Presidents Forum.


These are two chances to 1) Hear the candidates’ policy positions, 2) Observe the candidates “demographics.” 


WHAT  WILL  INFLUENCE  YOUR  VOTE???

This Week in Teaneck – September 30 to October 4, 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. 


Stigma Free Advisory Board (SFAB) – Monday 9/30/2024 at 6:00 pm by Zoom only Click Here and add passcode 867293. Only information available 


Council Candidate Electoral Forum – LWV – Monday, 9/30/2024 at 7:30 pm in the Student Center in Teaneck High School.  All 7 candidates are expected to compete for 3 Council seats on this 7-member governing board.

  • See flyer in this Voices Announcement section

Parks, Playgrounds and Recreation Advisory Board (PPRAB) Wednesday 10/2/2024 at 7:30 in person only at MP3 in the Rodda Center. Only Information Available


Community Cleanup Day – Sunday, 9/6/2024 from 1:00 pm 

See the flyer in this Voices Announcement section for how to register

Announcements

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


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