Ridgewood's Plan To Put Turf Fields On Historic Land Gets Go-Ahead From State DEP

RIDGEWOOD, NJ — A state official gave the go-head on Wednesday for the town of Ridgewood to put turf athletic fields on historic property, despite a temporary denial from a state historic board last Thursday.

Assistant DEP Commissioner Elizabeth Dragon issued the ruling approving the plan on Wednesday.

During a state hearing last week, the Historic Sites Council had recommended that the proposal be denied, issuing a temporary denial with conditions.

The final decision was up to Dragon, who said in a nine-page letter Wednesday that the fields would benefit the public.

Ridgewood officials and residents have spent years debating the addition of athletic fields to a West Saddle River Road property that includes a 1825 Dutch home once owned by the farming Zabriskie family.

Last year's discovery of contamination added a new wrinkle. READ MORE: Lead Contamination Latest Roadblock For Ridgewood Plan To Add Ballfield To Historic Land

Plans moved forward again on May 1, when the town said that the property would be cleaned up some time in the future. The updated plans were posted on the town website.

But in late May, the New Jersey Historic Preservation Office, part of the Department of Environmental Protection, sent a letter to the town saying that the development plans represent an "encroachment" on the house.

The state held a hearing on the plans last Thursday, resulting in the temporary ruling.

Dragon's Ruling

"The Village has demonstrated the clear public benefit of this undertaking," Dragon wrote in her letter, issued Wednesday.

She added, "The primary purpose of this undertaking is to create a multi-use public space that meets the growing recreational and environmental needs of the community. The Village’s athletic fields support a wide range of youth and adult sports programs, school activities, and community events, and the demand for field space consistently exceeds availability."

She noted, "Several of the existing fields are subject to flooding during storm events, placing further stress on the Village’s limited resources."

The approval came with some conditions. The town has to undertake the work within five years and minimize impacts to the surrounding land.

The town issued a statement Wednesday, saying, "Since 2009, when the property was first purchased by the Village to save it from commercial development, the intention has always been to develop a community park on the site.

"With the subsequent State and National Historic Registry designations – of both the house and the surrounding property – a balanced plan needed to be achieved that preserves and celebrates the historic character of the John A. L. Zabriskie House, while providing for the recreational needs of the community. Today’s approval achieves both of those objectives."

Park On The Way

They also said that the John A. L. Zabriskie House on the property will be the home of the History & Cultural Center of Bergen County, just in time for the 250th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in July of 2026.

"The Village looks forward to partnering with the Bolger Heritage Center at the Ridgewood Public Library and the Ridgewood Historical Society in this endeavor," the said. "We also look forward to the development of a community park."

Background

The plans have been subject to debate for more than ten years, as preservationists sought to protect the historic property and the house on it.

In March, historian George Wright received an award from the New Jersey Historical Commission for his attempts to preserve the Dutch farmhouse, also known as the Schedler house.

Some historic preservation experts, neighbors, environmentalists, and sparred over whether the house should be moved as part of the project, and what kind of fields or recreational paths and park amenities should be placed on the property.

See a link to residents' petition here.

See Village Manager Keith Kazmak's full 9-page "Year End Memo" from late 2024, recapping the project here.