Roseland residents press council over rushed housing plan as June 30 deadline looms

Roseland — Dozens of residents pressed the borough council on June 17 over parts of the draft housing plan the council must file with the state by June 30, saying they were blindsided by a last-minute proposal to put 11 affordable dwellings on Payic Avenue.

Public commenters repeatedly asked why the plan arrived so late in the process and why the town is considering a Payic Avenue parcel that many residents say contains wetlands and would worsen traffic at a narrow neighborhood entry. "We have about a dozen four to 10 year old kids that play in the street ... it's dangerous," said resident Mark Minkovich, who urged temporary enforcement and closer oversight until a long-term solution is in place.

Speakers at the meeting — including longtime residents Charles Christristiana and Richard Schlunning — questioned whether the borough had explored alternatives such as placing a small number of affordable units on town-owned parcels, asking developers already building on Harrison and Becker to add units across sites, or having the borough finance and build modest, break-even affordable housing rather than approving large market projects that include affordable units.

Officials reiterated the legal pressure behind the timing. Council members and planning staff said the borough needs an approved housing plan by the end of the month to keep "immunity" that limits the risk of builder-remedy lawsuits; without a filed plan, state rules could allow developers greater leeway to seek denser approvals in court. Council members told residents the Payic Avenue item was pulled from tonight’s consent agenda and that the governing body would meet in executive session with the borough attorney to consider options before returning to public hearings.

Residents also pressed technical issues: whether an updated wetlands delineation had been used, whether a current traffic-impact study exists, how sewer and water connections would be provided, and how community-benefit payments from developers would be negotiated and timed. Several speakers said they had not received clear, timely notice of the planning-board and council actions and asked the borough to publish clearer advance materials and hold an after-action review explaining the recent sequence of events.

Mayor Spango and council members said they had heard the public’s concerns, confirmed the Payic Avenue agenda item had been removed from the night’s vote, and pledged to continue discussions in executive session before returning to the planning board and public meetings. No binding land-use decisions were approved during the meeting.

What happens next: council members said they will consult the borough attorney in executive session and then present revised options publicly. The public-planning process for any site that remains in a future plan will include the planning board’s review and additional public hearings before any ordinance or zoning change is adopted.