Fate of Historic Vanderbeck House Remains Unclear

A proposed deal to give Fair Lawn the historic Vanderbeck House in exchange for nearby land on Century Road is looking less likely due to state regulations of "green" land, according to the developer with plans for the property.

Bob Milanese of the Wyckoff-based Barrister Builders has been in talks with borough officials to trade 2.1 acres of land from the Vanderbeck Property — including the 18th century house — and donate money toward the restoration of the neighboring Naugle House in exchange for 1.7 acres of land so he could build an assisted living facility on Century Road. Fair Lawn would come out of the deal owning both historic houses.

The borough-owned land from the Naugle House property is protected by the Department of Environmental Protection's Green Acres program, so the land swap would require state approval. Milanese discussed the plan last week with state officials, who told him he would need to give a minimum of five times as much land as he receives, depending on factors like whether or not the proposed assisted living facility would include affordable housing units.

"The criteria for a land swap is quite stringent and I don't know if we'll be able to meet the requirements," Milanese said.

The plan has drawn mixed reactions from Fair Lawn residents and members of the Historic Preservation Commission. Members of the Commission voted against issuing a draft of a letter supporting the plan during a special meeting last week, but did decide that Chair Felice Koplik would draft a new letter supporting the land swap, to be voted on at a future meeting.

"Green Acres would be more likely to approve this with our support," Commission member Ray Richter said during the meeting.

If the deal does go through, both the Vanderbeck and Naugle Houses could see new uses in the future that would help pay for needed repairs. The Jewish Historical Society of North Jersey has expressed interest in using the Vanderbeck House and the North Jersey Masters Track and Field Club has expressed interest in using the Naugle House, according to Koplik.

If Milanese does move forward with the application before the state, it will be a time-consuming process with only a 50/50 chance of being approved, he said. 

"I'm not optimistic about the possibility of a land swap, but we are still investigating," Milanese said.

Even if the land swap doesn't go through, Milanese said he still planned to develop the site as an assisted living facility. He would incorporate the Vanderbeck House into the design if possible, he said.

Though some residents have expressed concern that the Vanderbeck House could be demolished, doing so would likely hurt Milanese's chances of getting borough approval for the plan. The council has declined to re-zone the property, so the developer would have to apply to the Fair Lawn Zoning Board for permission to build the assisted living facility.

"This developer would be a fool to demolish this house," Commission member Maureen Moriarity said during their meeting.