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Waldwick Planning Board clears Aiden Rail Terminal to seek permits for bulk materials yard
Summary
The Waldwick Planning Board voted Sept. 3 to have a resolution drafted approving Aiden Railroad Terminal LLC’s application for a bulk materials yard at 40 Eucen Avenue, allowing the company to pursue permits pending a written resolution in October; the applicant said it removed prior salt/brine tanks and will limit storage, operate 7 a.m.–5 p.m. Mon.–Sat., and use rail and truck deliveries.
The Waldwick Planning Board on Sept. 3 voted to have a resolution drafted approving Aiden Railroad Terminal LLC’s application to operate a bulk materials distribution yard at 40 Eucen Avenue, allowing the applicant to pursue building and zoning permits before a written resolution appears on the board’s October agenda.
Attorney Colin Quinn introduced the application and owner Nick Fitzpatrick, who said the company acquired the property and negotiated an assignment of the lease with New Jersey Transit in June 2025. Fitzpatrick said the new operation will be “less storage‑intensive” than the previous tenant, focusing on gravel, sand and decorative stone for local landscapers and trade customers. “I already removed all the tanks from the site,” Fitzpatrick said, and the company repaved and restrained the yard.
The applicant told the board materials will arrive by truck and by rail, using an existing 22‑car rail siding served by Norfolk Southern, and that outbound traffic will be routed to the right toward the traffic light with no left turns. Fitzpatrick described proposed site improvements including painting the existing 10‑foot railroad‑tie fence white, restriping the pavement, and replacing the sign at the same size under borough sign rules. He said the business will be wholesale and not open to the general public and that rail deliveries would be unloaded only during business hours.
Board members questioned stormwater containment and onsite controls. The applicant said materials will be contained in bins and that the firm will follow borough and municipal regulations and any stormwater permits required by the zoning officer or building inspector. On prior operations, Fitzpatrick said the site previously stored large quantities of salt and brine—“roughly 30,000 tons of salt” and “30,000 gallons of brine” under the prior tenant—and that much of that infrastructure has been removed.
After questioning, the board voted to have the applicant’s attorney prepare a formal resolution. The board’s secretary said a letter would be sent to the building department so the applicant could pull permits the next day at the applicant’s risk; the board warned that a 45‑day notice period for publication and the board’s written resolution (scheduled for the October meeting) could affect finality. The motion to prepare the resolution was moved and seconded and passed by the board.
What happens next: the planning board attorney will draft the resolution for the board’s October meeting; the applicant may apply for permits in the interim but proceeds “at their own risk” pending publication and the written resolution.
