Fair Lawn Acquires New Park

Fair Lawn closed a deal last week to preserve open space and add a new park to the borough's landscape, with plans to take resident input on the use of the land.

In the deal finalized January 17 with Mac Brothers Developers, LLC, of Englewood Cliffs, the borough paid $312,000 for a lot along Blue Hill Avenue. Half the funds were provided by the town's open space fund.

According to Mayor John Cosgrove, the council's long-term effort to acquire the space will prevent construction by the previous owner. Because the property was paid for through open space funds, the borough is unable to build any facility there.

When the weather warms, the council plans to hold a ribbon cutting ceremony where it will take input from the neighborhood on what to put in the space, but the intention right now is to leave it a passive park.

"What the council indicated they want to do," borough manager Tom Metzler said, "is have the neighbors within 200 feet of the park at the ribbon cutting to give them an idea of what they would like to see there."