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Paramus commissioners press for environmental specialist on planning board and pause master plan work
Summary
Commissioners raised concerns about inactivity at the planning board, advocated adding an environmental specialist and supported Councilman Ace Antonio's suggestion to pause the master plan to allow for more rigorous review.
Commissioners at the Paramus Environmental Commission meeting on May 6 said the planning board has shown little movement for about a year and a half and urged stronger environmental review in planning decisions.
Commissioner Tom Donahue said it has been "about a year and a half" with no movement and argued for the importance of an environmental specialist on the planning board. Donahue and others discussed that the planner and engineer currently serve that function but said the commission should ask harder questions when large sites are proposed.
Councilman Ace Antonio said the commission can participate as a non-voting member of the planning board and proposed placing a pause on the master plan to allow more careful review. Commissioner Sofiya Haque described the work as a "huge undertaking," and Commissioner Elisa Giblin said the commission "cannot do it" alone, underscoring resource and capacity concerns.
Nicole Smith, borough staff, referenced the existing ERI (environmental resources inventory) as a current tool the planning board uses and agreed to double-check administrative details as commissioners weigh next steps. No formal action to change planning-board composition or to amend the master plan schedule was taken during the meeting; the discussion was recorded as direction for future consideration.
