Daly Field Development Goes Before Planning Board

The developer behind the controversial proposed development on Daly Field in Radburn will present its design to the at a series of public hearings beginning Monday.

Landmark Development's presentation to the Planning Board -- which has only limited powers over the development due to a 2009 court ruling that granted Landmark a builder's remedy -- commences at 7:30 p.m. in .

The builder's remedy, which compels the borough to permit the construction of state-mandated affordable housing units, limits the Planning Board's jurisdiction to issues of parking, road layouts and open area configurations, among other details.

Landmark's planned 165-unit development of Daly Field and the adjacent Hayward property, located at the intersection of Plaza Road, Berdan Avenue and Route 208, has been a hot-button issue in Fair Lawn since the Radburn Association sold the field to the Woodbridge-based developer in February 2004.

Ever since, local grassroots groups and the Fair Lawn borough council– in an attempt to preserve the 5.7-acre Daly Field as open space –have taken a stance against the developer's plans to build affordable housing on Daly Field and the adjacent Landmark-owned Hayward property. 

Anti-development activists, led by Radburn Citizens' Association president Marshall Chandler, have been encouraging residents to attend Monday's hearing to air their concerns, and a large crowd is expected.

"Monday begins a series of meetings that will be pivotal to the future of Radburn and Fair Lawn," a mailer being circulated around town by Chandler reads. "It is up to you and your neighbors to insist that we get the best project possible. You can help protect our quality of life and home values by attending the series of Fair Lawn Planning Board meetings that begin this Monday. Be prepared to ask the tough questions that Landmark has dodged so far."

Among the questions Chandler and the Citizens' Association want answered include how the development will impact street traffic, whether its allotment of parking spaces will be sufficient and various other resident safety-related issues.