The Wilf family thinks its revamped development can go event bigger in New Jersey as West Orange looks to contribute its fair share of affordable housing.
Garden Homes, the development company led by Minnesota Vikings owner Zygi Wilf, proposed building an apartment community of nearly 500 units across four buildings in a forest on top of a mountain in West Orange, Gothamist reported. A previous 136-home plan for the same land was rejected by the town.
The development would include 100 apartments for low- and medium-income residents, which would help West Orange on the path to contributing its fair share of affordable housing, as required under state law.
Local opposition is hitched to environmental concerns and the possibility the retraction of the forestland would lead to worse flooding. Environmental experts fear developing the 120-acre land — the largest undeveloped tract in a densely populated part of the state — could also lead to dangers for residents living atop a mountain.
West Orange Township Council president Joe Krakoviak doesn’t support the project, but voted in favor of including it in West Orange’s affordable housing plan in 2020, fearing the possibility of a lawsuit and a loss of control over what is ultimately built on the site through builder’s remedy, a court order that allows developers to bypass town control to build affordable housing.
When the Wilfs first proposed an initial project in the early 2000s, it was rejected and public safety was the chief reason given. The deputy fire chief testified it would be dangerous and inefficient for both residents and emergency responders.
Afterwards, local residents banded together to try and preserve the forest as protected open space, but couldn’t come up with the necessary financing.
West Orange officials and the Fair Share Housing Center kicked off negotiations over utilizing the land in 2015 to work towards affordable housing goals. At the time, the land was analyzed and there was no objection in including it in the town’s settlement agreement, according to a Fair Share director.
The West Orange planning board is set to hold a hearing regarding the project on Wednesday.
— Holden Walter-Warner