Moratorium Protects Historic Vanderbeck House Until December 10

A resolution approved by the Fair Lawn Council at their meeting last week officially places a moratorium on demolition of the 18th century Vanderbeck house for three months.

A developer, Bob Milanese of the Wyckoff-based Barrister Builders, has been considering the site for a possible assisted living facility. He previously told Patch that he was looking for ways to incorporate the historic house into the design after it became clear that a land swap with Fair Lawn to give the house to the borough wouldn't be possible.

Milanese has already been in talks with borough officials about how the house could be preserved, and several groups have expressed interest in using it. 

The moratorium was intended "to facilitate communications between the developer, the borough's Historic Preservation Commission and other interested parties," according to the resolution. It directs the Fair Lawn Building Department to not accept any demolition permits for the Vanderbeck house until December 10.

Whether or not a way to preserve the house can be reached, a developer looking to build anything other than single-family homes on the site will likely need a use variance, meaning they would have to apply to the zoning board. Borough officials have said they would not re-zone the property.