West Orange Reaches Land Deal With Crestmont Country Club

WEST ORANGE, NJ — West Orange has reached a deal to purchase 95 acres of undeveloped land from the Crestmont Country Club, the town’s mayor announced Friday.

Mayor Robert Parisi offered the following statement about the agreement:

“The township, with the help and support of the Township Council, agreed to terms with the Crestmont Country Club for acquiring 95 acres of undeveloped land that had been slated for development. This acquisition will permanently preserve this land while protecting the surrounding neighborhood.”

The mayor’s announcement got dozens of comments on social media. Seen online:

• “This is wonderful news, but does also raise the question about Rock Spring. Weren't we also told it would be preserved? And yet now, the Northfield Avenue corridor in the Turtle Back area is being over-developed, including the inappropriate sale of municipal open space for even more ill-suited housing.”
• “Define ‘permanently?’ I really hope this isn’t ‘make a huge land grab with town $, then parcel off part to a connected developer later on’ type of permanent. So all 95 acres will be permanently preserved?”
• “Thank you Mayor Parisi and council for saving this important natural habitat and our neighborhood.”
• “People snap out of it. Don’t complain when you are paying $40K in taxes for all these purchases. Follow the money.”
• “Curious how many of the folks rushing to attack this would be doing the exact same thing if if the township hadn’t gotten this done — ‘what do you mean they’re building more housing / but the schools are overcrowded / but the infrastructure costs / but the traffic is bad already / it should have been an office park / how can they be allowed to sell their privately owned land to whomever they wish / etc.’ Oh, right: all of them.”

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