Officials Push to Retain Local Motor Vehicles Outlet

Area state legislators are doing their part to ensure that the Motor Vehicles Commission keeps Wyckoff in mind should the current outlet on Greenwood Avenue be razed.

Governing body members have been in contact with the District 40 legislators to enlist their help in making sure the state commission understands their view: if the MVC outlet is removed, the state should rent space elsewhere in Wyckoff.

Currenly, the facility is closet to Ridgewood for licenes and registration renewals. In Bergen County, the Lodi office is closed for construction. Other nearby locations are in Oakland and Paterson.

The MVC, at 430 Greenwood Ave., is housed in a strip mall that would be demolished should Inserra Supermarkets win approvals to build a ShopRite at the site. Plans call for the construction of the supermarket, without space for additional retail. The state currently has a month-to-month lease on the property.

A representative for Sen. Kevin O'Toole (R) confirms that governing body members have been in contact with his office, which supports Wyckoff's efforts to secure a location for the MVC. The senator's office is expected to help communicate Wyckoff's concerns to the state commission, the representative said.

Similarly, a representative from Republican Assemblyman David Russo's office said the legislator agrees with efforts to keep an MVC outlet in the township and has drafted a letter to that effect to MVC acting Chief Administrator Raymond P. Martinez. The assemblyman's office has not yet received a reply.

The prospect of losing the busy outlet has been a concern of the governing body, with Committeeman Brian Scanlan offering a resolution noting that the office is "very convenient for the residents of Wyckoff and other towns in the area to obtain necessary services." It urged the commission to "plan now for an alternate location so that an office may be retained in Wyckoff," should the Greenwood site be demolished.

However, the Township Committee declined to take up the resolution, feeling that such an action could be seen as meddling in the affairs of the Planning Board, which has jurisdiction over the Inserra project.

"I think we should stay away from anything that might be misconstrued as taking a position on whether the Inserra application will be approved or not at the Planning Board level," Wyckoff Mayor Rudy Boonstra said earlier this month. 

"We don't want to in any way influence the deliberations of the Planning Board or make it look like the governing body has assumed a position," he said, while noting that the MVC is an "asset" to the township.

Committeeman Chris DePhillips agreed with the sentiment behind the resolution but felt it would be "more effective" to contact the District 40 delegation. "Let's get them on board, and let's see if they can push this issue forward," he said.