why should any cost for the light be passed on to the town and then the taxpayers of fair lawn. bad enough that this project could add to our school budget because the need to increase space . maybe the RADBURN ASSOC. can pay for this you made the money from the sale.

Better they should do something about the light at Morlot and River so that it staggered. No one knows how to drive through that intersection

Blame the councils, current and past. The ordinance was short sighted. Its ridiculous that the board even bothered to ask the developer to pay more then the law required. The council should act IMMEDIATELY and fix the ordinance so we don't find ourselves here again.

Zak failed to report on an issue that is more vexing than the light at Berdan. It's the planned pedestrian crossing at Ramsey...all solutions discussed were inadequate to the safety needs, particularly those of the children crossing from the new development to get to the Radburn pool and tot lot...also he said nothing about Keller's stunning statement that cars would be allowed to just zoom across Plaza Road and barrel down Ramsey Terrace, where many children play...Keller's sang froid is stunning!

The biggest traffic bottleneck of all, in my opinion, is the intersection where River Road, Maple Ave., and Wagaraw Road come together. That one REALLY needs left-turn green arrows. The traffic backs up so much that sometimes you simply cannot make a left turn before the light turns back to red unless you are the lead car and stop in the middle of the intersection so you have to complete the turn after the light becomes red so as not to block traffic. Visit it sometime. It's horrendous.

It is obvious that this project is too much for the town to handle. This is just a tragedy for the residents of Fair Lawn who will pay for all of this with higher taxes, less services, additional traffic accidents, and degraded quality of life. Radburn Association will pay nothing, the developer will pay not one cent more or they will go to their friendly court again.

tommy- while blaming the current and past council can we blame you? you seem to have all the answers (at least you think so) so dont you think you are doing the borough of fair lawn a dis-service by not running for council where you can actually put your ideas into action.
i may put some of the blame on the curent and past council but i am going to put the majority on you. at least coucil members put themselves in posistions to make changes- you (the man with all the answers) just comments on patch articles and than complains.

you not running for council would be like picasso refusing to paint

The Fair Lawn Traffic Director estimates the cost of a new light at Berdan and Plaza at $200,000. Keller of Landmark says they would be willing to pick up $2,000 to $4,000 of the cost!!

Is anyone else starting to understand why every $1 in new rateables costs a fully-built town like Fair Lawn more than is received?

You notice that every individual change or update in this town is estimated to cost around $200,000? Doesn't matter whether it's updating a light (when did the town plan to replace that light, if it's so old that it will fall apart if you open it up?) Library Roof, township building air conditioning, replace a flood trailer, replace an outdated traffic light... is there anything out there that isn't being bid out at $200,000?

If the council amends the ordinance prior to a final vote the new one applies to this project.

Good luck using the builder's remedy to wiggle out of paying for the light if the ordinance is amended before the project is approved. No sympathy whatsoever for the Radburn Association who got the money up front and is going to force us to pay for the results, and fund their mismanagement of the past, too.

Wouldn't the ordinance go into effect for new applicants? Since the application is already in process, wouldn't it be too late for Landmark?

Well, that depends on the date of the application, which I believe was years ago. An interesting legal question as the application came back to town on appeal for a builder's remedy. The law used to be called the "time of decision rule" that meant whatever local ordinance applied when a vote was taken was law. Last year I think Christie signed a pro-builder's law that killed the old time of decision rule. But I think the change only applies to applications filed after the law went into effect. This is an old and moldy application. Which means Fair Lawn, now governed by the Rs who said they were so much against this plan, can actually still make new laws and still have them apply to the site plan. Ganz's ordinance for off site contributions was crap. Have fun with it Ms. Mayor. Ask Ronny if I'm right or not.

"But I think the change only applies to applications filed after the law went into effect."

How can we find out for sure?

Trawinski is the expert on all things legal in land use...

Phil, you state Radburn resident don't want this development as it is proposed. I know many who do.

165 townhomes generating $1,000,000 a year in taxes for the town? I guess Jerry's math is probably his strong point [irony]. That comes to $6060, a piece, give or take a few dollars. At the 2011 assessment rate, they'd have to be valued at $500,000. each or more for the town to have that kind of a windfall, remembering that a portion of property taxes goes elsewhere, as well; and in return Fair Lawn will provide sewer lines, street lighting, garbage pickup, water lines and metering, fire and police protection, schools, recreation, public works services such as plowing, cleaning and maintenance for the residents of those 165 tenements. Those units that are classified as "affordable" (which is really "less unaffordable") have a lesser worth and have been segregated next to the train tracks, so their net value is going to be considerable less in that assessment for taxes. I am sure all your Radburn neighbors will be happy to pay for the difference in their property taxes to cover all those services; after all, the Association, I am certain, will be lowering your assessment because of their windfall by instantly adding 165 new families to their roles...It's just the rest of us that will be scr3w3d.

Stuart then why didn't/don't they take a vote of the home owners in Radburn? You want to organize a vote I will help you.
Let's at least know what the people affected want.

No thanks Phil. I like the way Radburn is run.