Pompton Lakes board presses for design plan and cautions on high-density projects after review of neighboring towns

Members of the Pompton Lakes Redevelopment Agency spent part of the March 20, 2025 meeting pressing for a clearer design plan and a more methodical approach before approving higher-density redevelopment projects.

Why it matters: board members said ad hoc approvals of increased building heights and density can create community pushback, erode local character and complicate later approvals. Several members said public comment has migrated to social media and fewer residents attend meetings in person, increasing the need for a deliberate, well-documented planning process.

Discussion highlights included references to redevelopment activity in neighboring Riverdale and Wayne. Staff noted Riverdale has posted a draft redevelopment plan for an old public service yard that envisions multiple apartment-style buildings; Colliers prepared the plan. Members discussed recent press and social media in Wayne where residents resisted taller, higher-density projects and said similar sensitivities may apply in Pompton Lakes, a smaller borough.

Several board members referenced the agency’s existing master plan updates (noted in prior work around 2017–2018) and urged the agency to avoid issuing variances “willy-nilly.” Members said changes such as allowing a four-story building next to existing two-story homes require a clear design justification before the agency supports amendments to the redevelopment plan.

Packet items for the March 20 meeting included a proposed amendment to the downtown redevelopment plan tied to a project referred to as “61” and a memo about tax payment arrangements; staff said those items were in the packet but no formal applications or resolutions were presented because the executive director was absent.

Members asked staff to place design concepts and master-plan rationale in future packets and to hold public discussions in a context that allows residents to weigh in before zoning or density changes are finalized. The board did not adopt new plan language or approve any rezoning at the meeting; discussion was advisory and no formal policy change was approved.

The agency also noted that one new board member, Jason, was sworn in the previous night and that there was no executive session at this meeting.