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Residents urge Glen Ridge council to oppose Country Club expansion, citing noise, trees and setbacks
Summary
Several Glen Ridge residents told the mayor and council they oppose the Glen Ridge Country Club’s planned aquatic and patio expansion, saying it seeks variances that would bring structures as close as 15 feet to homes, remove mature trees and increase noise, light and traffic.
Dozens of Glen Ridge residents urged the mayor and council on Monday night to oppose a proposed expansion at the Glen Ridge Country Club, saying the plans would intrude on neighboring yards, remove mature trees and intensify noise and traffic.
Randy, a resident of 93 An Avenue, told the council the club’s plans request three variances, and that the most concerning is the proposed rear and side-yard setback: “the requirement is 100 feet, existing is about 75.9 feet and proposed is 15,” he said, and he asked the council to advocate for neighbors who would be “permanently impacted.”
Caroline Arnold — a longtime Glen Ridge resident who said her family has lived in town for more than four decades — described the club’s proposed Aquatic Center and a 2,500-square-foot fitness center that she said would increase light, noise and traffic near residential properties. “I just would like to know if the community is going to pull together again and do the right thing,” Arnold said.
Other neighbors described recurring amplified DJ noise and persistent parking by club employees on neighborhood streets, saying events have been audible inside homes and that moving the pool entrance and parking closer to houses would remove a dead-end play area and worsen quality of life. One nearby resident said she records the noise annually and called current levels “unreal.”
Speakers also said the club removed roughly 50 mature trees, which they argued conflicts with state climate directives and harms drainage and neighborhood character. Randy noted Governor Phil Murphy’s Executive Order 89 (2019) on climate considerations and said the tree removal is inconsistent with those aims.
None of the speakers reported a formal response from the club during the meeting; residents said attempts to meet with the club were unsuccessful without the club’s attorney present. The public comments were placed on the record during the council’s first public-comment period; officials did not take action on the expansion at the meeting.
What happens next: multiple residents said they will attend the board of adjustment hearing and continue to press council members, who do not make land-use variance decisions but can weigh in or coordinate with the historic preservation commission and the borough administrator. The council did not adopt any motion on the Country Club expansion during this session.
