Waldwick Planning Board forwards housing element and ordinance updates to mayor and council

The Waldwick Planning Board voted Jan. 1 to forward Ordinance 2026-02 — the boroughs fourth-round housing element and fair share plan — and recommended zoning amendments to the mayor and council for consideration.

Paul Bridal, the planner presenting the draft, told the board the document focuses on limited modifications rather than a full rewrite of the previously adopted plan. "The document I have before you tonight, essentially, is just focused on the parts that need to be modified from what was adopted last year," Bridal said, noting two corrections he would make to the circulated draft.

Bridal described several substantive updates: the Harrison Avenue redevelopment is now listed as a project with 42 dwelling units, including six affordable units; the plan includes an attached spending plan for the boroughs affordable-housing trust fund; and certain overlay zones would see modest density increases (from 10 to 15 units per acre) to encourage redevelopment. He also summarized state-level changes the board must reflect, including December 2025 updates to affordable-housing regulations.

On funding, Bridal said developers fees feed the trust fund and can be used for consultants, legal costs, administration and, over time, subsidized housing. The draft references developer fees of 1.5% for residential development and 2.5% for nonresidential development; Bridal explained that mixed-use projects are typically allocated by their respective components (for example, by floor area) and that assessors, with legal guidance, would determine precise treatment.

Bridal told the board the borough stands to gain a practical benefit from adopting the plan: compliance with the state requirements would place Waldwick in a posture that affords builders immunity from lawsuits for roughly a 10-year window, through about July 2035. "Youll have the immunity from builders of any lawsuits for the next 10 years or just under 10 years at this point," he said.

Bridal also recounted the state-level context: a 2024 state law set new deadlines and requirements and prompted litigation by the Fair Share Housing Center against many municipalities; Waldwicks prior submissions had been accepted with only minor change requests. For the fourth round, Bridal said the prospective need for new construction was 164 units, realistic development potential locally was estimated at about five units, and the remaining unmet need was therefore 159 units; under current rules at least 25% of unmet need must be addressed through zoning tools.

After brief questions from board members about fee collection, mixed-use apportionment and a typographical correction (a draft page that mistakenly referenced "Woodridge" instead of "Waldwick"), a motion to send the housing element, fair share plan and ordinance edits to the mayor and council was made and seconded; the clerk took the roll and the board approved forwarding the package for council consideration. Bridal said he would provide a finalized version the next day for the boroughs files and for transmission to county and state agencies.

The action now moves to the mayor and council, which will consider the ordinance and any additional changes before final adoption.