Residents: Tall Buildings Would Cause Gridlock

Montclair residents turned out in force Monday night to oppose a plan to allow buildings as high as seven stories in Upper Montclair and up to 10-story buildings in Montclair Center.

The longterm proposal is part of an ongoing effort by the township to accommodate growth in the trendy suburb and attract primarily single New Yorkers, along with their pocketbooks.

Montclair’s council chambers were filled to capacity for the second public hearing of the Planning Board on an element of the master plan addressing land use.  

For four hours, residents questioned the board and the three consultants who were hired to create a plan for growth that would guide the township for the next 25 years.

Most of the opposition expressed concern over the possibility of erecting buildings in the two parking lots which currently serve the Upper Montclair Business District and train station. There is already gridlock and a shortage of parking, many said, and additional residents would only worsen the situation.

“We anticipate the new development will mean even more congestion,” said Ira Shor, a resident of North Mountain Avenue, who asked whether a traffic study has been conducted and how parking would be addressed. 

Consultant Janet Jenkins, a senior project manager for VHB Engineering in New York City, said while traffic studies have not been conducted they would be recommended as part of the plan.

Janet Talley, planning director for the township, chimed in several times during the meeting to say no parking would be lost as a result of the master plan. All developers would be required to include adequate parking in their proposals. 

Talley also said growth in the township is inevitable.

“The market dictates when it grows,” she said. “This plan dictates where it grows.”

Some questioned the assumption there would an additional 2,300 new households in Montclair in the coming decades, a figure taken from the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA), Montclair’s federally authorized metropolitan planning organization.

Jason DeSalvo of Prospect Avenue challenged the NJTPA’s record on predicting growth and questioned how it is possible the population in Montclair declined after the addition of Midtown-Direct trains about a decade ago. 

Consultant Robert Melvin, principal of Camden-based Group Melvin Design, told DeSalvo he did not know the NJTPA’s track record, but said that is the recognized source of such projections in the state. Melvin said the recession in the building sector likely played a part in the lack of growth due to Midtown-Direct. 

Planning Board Chairman John Wynn told the concerned residents repeatedly the master plan is currently a draft and the public’s input will be taken into consideration before the document is finalized.

"This is a policy statement to allow development," Wynn said. "It's the 1,000-foot-view. It's the big picture."

The chairman told the public that just because seven-story buildings would be allowed does not mean they would be constructed, especially if sufficient parking and other requirements were not met.

Two members of the Planning Board told the public not to assume they were in favor of the master plan as drafted.

"Give us a chance. We are listening to you," said board member Kevin Allen. "I'm the fire chief. I'm just going to say it. I don't want 10-story buildings in this town. That's crazy."

Board member Martin Schwartz said they were there to listen to the public.

"One should not jump the gun to determine this is a done deal," Schwartz said.

A master plan is required for each municipality in the state and the land use and circulation element of Montclair’s master plan is two years in the making.

The next public hearing on the Unified Land Use and Circulation Element of the Master Plan will take place on Monday, June 24, at 7:30 p.m., in the council chambers, 205 Claremont Ave., Montclair.