You know what? Yeah, I'm ready. >> Ready when you are. >> Me to order. Please justice for all. >> Councilwoman Goldberg >> here. Councilman Pan >> present.
>> Councilwoman Chief >> here. Councilman Katz. >> Deputy Mayor Belter >> here. Deputy Mayor Organ >> here. >> Mayor Schwarz >> here. >> Adequate notice of this meeting has been provided by public notice issued on Friday, February 27th, 2026, sending a copy to the newspapers officially
designated for 2026 by way of resolution number 2-2026, filing a copy in the town of Clerk's office and posting it on the municipal building bulletin board. And the mayor hereby directs that this statement be included in the minutes. >> Thank you. Thank you very much. Welcome
to the March 5th, 2026 APM open session meeting of the Township Betina Council, Township Administration President at tonight's meeting are Jacqueline Hashm, our township manager, Kristen Zenori, our deputy township clerk, Scott Sam, our township attorney, Ron Goodman, our volunteer cable master, Mike Ash, Shar
development attorney, and Golda McMillion, our township planner. Um, upcoming events and council meetings for the public's information. We are currently holding a hybrid format meeting. We have people in person and on Zoom. If our Wi-Fi in the municipal
building has an issue where the Zoom meeting drops, you'll aim to retrieve the connection and continue the meeting. If you haven't yet, please sign up for web website updates and township alerts on our website. The next regular council meeting will be this coming Tuesday, March 10th, starting at 6:30 p.m. with
the public portion open at 8:00 p.m. Our 2026 budget council meetings will be held on Monday, March 16th and Thursday, March 28th, 700 p.m. here in the council chambers. And with that, we'll go to our agenda and we're going to go right down
to formal meeting items. And that will go with the second reading of public hearing adoption of ordinances. So with that nothing nothing sorry right to open the public for a hearing
not a hearing introduction ordinances. Okay. >> All right. >> Um I know we good and welfare be good and welfare before. So we have nothing else before introduction ordinances. We're go right into good and welfare. We'll first start three minutes to discuss anything you
want. We'll start with everyone in the room first and then we'll go on to Zoom. No one wants to speak. Dr. Y. Okay, let me just get started. Okay, I want to ask a question about drainage. Any drainage plan will need to be
approved by one or more agencies such as the D or the county given that Cedar Lane's a county road. So, here's my question. Should you pass this ordinance introduced tonight and then approve the redevelopment plan on the 16th, what happens to the plan if there's no
acceptable remediation of flooding other than installing a 100,000galon tank in the Beverly Road parking lot per the original flood remediation plan? Does that kill the project? And will the township then follow through with the original flood remediation plan? I have
significant concerns about the preliminary drainage study paid for by Crossroads. As mentioned in last night's forum, I certainly went to Bell Avenue flooding problem remediated, but not at the expense of other residents by shifting the flooding to another
neighborhood. That plan may very well do that as it moves water more quickly to the south end of the stop and shop lot where where the the the plan ends. That plan ends at that point, but the water then has to drain into the existing
remaining system that may not be sufficient to absorb the more rapid water flow. Water has to go somewhere and always takes the path of least resistance. In that case, it could perk up and flood that area just like it does
where I live. Additionally, if the water flows too quickly into the swale by the train tracks in a heavy rain, could that swale then overflow onto the tracks? I wonder if the township will be facing multiple lawsuits if this redevelopment
plan is approved by CSX, by Crossroads seeking builder's remedy, andor by residents within 45 days for reintroducing in in essence what is an ordinance virtually identical to the one that was tabled until March 10th, simply
under a different number. Choose your battles carefully and wisely. In my view, builder's remedy should have come to that may not be the lesser of the two options. Crossroads would still have to comply with multiple regulations
in order to build anything. We don't know if that will ever happen, but at least it will leave open possibilities for future more reasonable options for the kind of the development our residents might like, approve, and deserve. Thank you. >> Thank you, Dr. York. Anyone else like to
speak? Mr. Schwarzville. >> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Number of issues were raised at the public forum last night, but I want to com I want to comment on one or two of the issues. Um, the meeting ended where I was asking
council if a um developer under the developer's remedy, which is being used as a as in our view the fear tactic here, would apply to a court, what would it have to prove? would have to prove that it owned the land upon which it wanted to build to get an owner's
remedy. And I think that has been established in a lot of the court cases, but we can go into that at a later point in time if you deny this um this ordinance. Um but the issue that was also possibly raised
is the develop could possibly raise the issue that the settlement agreement of 2022 and 2023 made him a contract purchaser of the three parking lots that are the subject of this redevelopment uh plan. And um the issue is could he raise
that issue to say he's a contract he's has an enforcable contract to purchase although he's not the owner. And we looked this up on on on Google, so I'm sure there the answers are are kind of general, but there is plenty of uh legal precedent for this. And it it is to be
remembered that in the settlement agreement of 2022, there is no price set forward for the transfer by the town of the three uh parking lots. There's no price. and um and it envisions a future redevelopment plan where this would be
negotiated, but it does not set a price for the purchase by the developer of these uh properties. And in Google, it says, and it uh very clearly, a contract missing essential terms such as the purchase price is often considered too
indefinite for a court to enforce via specific performance. And under the fun fundamental elements of what the um the contract purchase would have to prove price is considered a material or essential term of a property contract and its absence often makes the
agreement void. So in our view if the developer went to court and tried to show that he's although he's not the owner of the public property he's a contract purchaser I think that would fail and you have a good shot at that. Now I want you to also look at if you can
between now and whenever this issue is finalized the settlement agreement of 2022 because you think you might be bound by that. I want to uh comment I want to quote page 18 paragraph 2. Please look at page 18 paragraph two and it talks about the obligations of the
town under the settlement agreement that such obligations of the town shall not be enforcable against this township, the council or the planning board to the extent they require discretionary legislative actions
which constitute contract zoning or un unlawful or uninforceable and contain conditions that are uninforcable or otherwise. are uninforceable or against public policy says you are relieved from the obligations to the extent that they
require discretionary legislative actions. I don't know what more legislative action there would be than your voting to approve or disapprove. Thank you very much. >> Anybody else like to speak, Bruce? Howard Rose, resident.
I I'm not basing what I'm saying on my experience on the planning board for 17 years uh nor in other activities that I've done public service. I'm speaking as an individual, as a resident. And I'm I'm appalled that after three
three and a half years shamefully we're at this point in time with this kind of a concern and it hasn't been resolved to date. It come down it comes down to the basic of yes or no regarding this ordinance.
Now, this is an ordinance that changes requirements in terms of building. That's on top of a potential pilot program, on top of a loss of public land, on top of the fact that
almost the entire citizenry that you've heard from has said, "Please don't do it." I realize you're between a rock and a hard place and I feel bad that you're using the affordable units as leverage
to force this through what is not wanted and that seems a little bit difficult to swallow. You know, it reminds me, you know, in Dante's Inferno, there's seven levels of hell.
And I'll tell you the truth. I really believe that going with this plan is the seventh level of hell. Whereas not going with this plan has all of its encumbrances as well, but it may only be the third level of hell. Either
way, you're damned. But damn it, do the right thing that we want. Thank you. >> Thank you very much. Mr. Lro, want to speak? >> Oh, you go next. >> No, no, no. You're you're good. I apologize. I didn't know your name. >> Thanks. I'm David Bland. I live on
Cumberland Avenue and I >> David. >> Oh, thank you. So, I'm David Bland. I live on Cumberland Avenue. And I just wanted to voice my opposition to this plan. Uh I'm not going to repeat all the arguments that others have made, but I do believe that this issue of builder's
remedy is being used as a cudgel and a bogeyman. I take the points that Mr. Salmon raised last night as well as in the article in the Suburbanite today. I understand those issues. Uh but I really question whether anybody could meet the
requirements for builder's remedy to assemble ownership of the property and the financing in order to force through some wild crazy plan. We know the crossroads can't do it. They only own the one property that the Buddhist center sits on and there's a 5-year hard
lease on that. And frankly, if they were to somehow get out of that lease and build a giant tower, that would be better than the current plan that they're proposing now. And I I would suggest that [clears throat] it is unlikely that anybody would be able to assemble the properties to do a big
development in Tene. There is not a lot of open land in Tene. So, that's all I wanted to say. Thank you. >> Thank you very much. It's uh I get your mail plenty of times in my house, so I'm happy to put a face to that. Good evening, council. My name is Robert
Lazeroff. I live on Petra Street. On March 2nd, 3 days ago, Kier's engineering and design sent the township's redevelopment lawyer, Michael Ash, the long- awaited traffic review of the Crossroads development. In stark terms in the report, Maurice Rashed, the
regional director of infrastructure at Collier, gives a grade of failure to the Beverly and Garrison intersection at ground zero of the Crossroads proposal, stating, quote, "This intersection currently operates at a
level service F. Ask any student at Tene High School. When someone fails, they don't get rewarded. After a failing grade, they need to completely rethink and redo their failing work to hopefully earn a passing
grade. How is it this town council will give a yes to a project that they know will add hundreds of additional cars throughout the day to this intersection already designated a failure? from the Collier's report. Quote, "The trafficked impact study notes that crash
data was requested but not analyzed at the time of submission. While we wait for the crash data, anyone who lives near the intersection can tell their own horror stories of car crashes and harrowing near misses at the intersection of Garrison and Beverly.
Here's mine. At 1:44 p.m. on January 8th, 2026, my wife and I walked up our street to find Garrison Avenue closed because of a multi-vehicle collision at that dangerous intersection. There were police cars, ambulances surrounding two wrecked vehicles, broken glass all over
the street, airbags deployed, folks taken away from their crashed cars on stretchers. If this happens on a sunny Thursday afternoon, clear of any snow or bad weather, right where the proposed development is to be built, what happens afterwards when we have hundreds of
additional cars trying to get through this already clogged intersection? There'll be more congestion, more pedestrian danger, more accidents, more police called to the scene, more ambulances racing to Holy Name. council
tabled their vote last week to wait for the results of this traffic study. Now it's in and it's bad. The danger of the Beverly Garrison intersection needs to be properly addressed and remediated.
Some council members have told us they don't like the deal any more than we do. That they have no choice. But you do have a choice. And it takes guts. Tell us, the residents of T-neck, that you will not move forward with a plan
stained by the failure of a traffic pattern that your own engineering firm warns is dangerous. Stand with us, the residents of Tene, and vote no. Thank you very much. >> Thank you very much. Anybody else like to speak? Again, else?
>> Hi, Amy Baker. It came to light last night, um, correct me if I'm wrong, that at least two town council members have received campaign contributions from Crossroads. This seems like an obvious conflict of interest and I believe that the two people, whoever you are, should
recuse yourselves from the vote tonight. Thank you. >> Thank you very much. Lyn, >> I'm going to need to move this down. Hi, uh, Lynn Clauss. Uh, I'm repeating the letter that I wrote to all of you this morning, so you can nod off if you'd
like for the moment. I'm not sure how many times the community needs to say the same thing to the council and developers. The Crossroads project is way too big for the area and for the community. Yes, we need affordable housing, although I wonder how much $3,000 a month rent qualifies as
affordable. But it seems that in order to meet our quota, we have to enrich a developer. If the project doesn't make financial sense unless it's gigantic, it's the wrong project. It's like hitting a nail with a sledgehammer. We learned in Esther Sandoff's
presentation that there are developers of affordable housing who can meet our needs without destroying our community. We need to pursue this line. I've been going to these meetings for several years now, and people keep saying essentially the same things. The
traffic, the flooding, the noise will irreparably damage our community. And we keep being told that these things are still being studied. I get that the finer details are yet to be resolved, but the scope of these major issues points to the fact that none of this
matters. Fine-tuning is not going to fix a broken project. It feels like we're yolked to this developer who will destroy our community and walk away with stuffed pockets. And still still Cedar Lane will be unimproved and sad. I urge
you to vote down this illotten project. Thank you. Thank you very much. Anybody else like to speak? Wo. >> Hello. Good evening. Deputy Ilia Tene resident. Um I would like to mention first uh something that um deals with
the dangers of the railroad tracks. This is before this whole issue came up. Um I attended a meeting with the emergency management person in Tene. I think his name is Larry Robinson. And I remember when there was the first discussion,
well at least the first one that I knew of when they were talking about the sirens in Tene and about the dangers that could come from the railroads with possible dangerous hazardous materials. And um he showed maps of Tene and he
said, you know, if you live in this the impact zone of possible explosions, this is what you should do. And my house happens to be in the explosion zone. and um on Garrison Avenue. And he said, "Well, this is what you do. You just
start running towards the river. You just run. You don't even look for your shoes. You just head out the door. Anybody in the house has to head out the door. So, the issue of the railroads, it's not something that we're making up. And it's a real threat. All you have to
do is look at your own emergency management officials. That's one thing. Second, I seem to have this whole um New Jersey Transit thing in my brain. I don't commute anymore. I haven't done
it for years, but it seems to be stuck in there. Maybe it's because I did it for years. Maybe it's because my husband did it for years. But it's something that every time there's a development, it just comes up in my head. Anyway,
first of all, I commend Deputy Mayor Belure that she is looking into this, but um doesn't seem to be uh a lot known about how Crossroads has been looking into the issue of New Jersey Transit and
what they're going to do with commuters if this plan is approved. And it's been going on since 2020. So, I don't know what took them so long to look into this, if they have looked into it or not. Anyway, uh last Thursday, uh I called Paul Wyoff who was in the office
of the president and CEO of New Jersey Transit and he remembered me and I called it around sometime after two and he called me back within two and a half hours and I told him of this potential development and he didn't say he knew anything about it and he said they're
trying to figure out what to do in towns because still there there's no new Port Authority building and no new lines and no more infrastructure. And he said he will email me as soon as he got he's got some info. And so I'm surprised that no contact seems to have been made in all
of these years. And I think some should have been made and if there hasn't been and I think that this is something to think about with 300 300 potential three more than 300 potential apartments and potentially hundreds of possible commuters.
>> Thank you very >> Thank you very much. >> Maybe I should speak. >> Good evening. Sir, I don't know your name. >> Hello, my name is Ted Finkelstein. I'm a 35-y year resident of Tene. I haven't been coming to these meetings as a rule because ever since I first saw the crossroad plans, let me just give a
background. I've been involved in fair housing work for New York City for 35 years, development of housing. I have never seen a more ill-conceived plan in all my 35 years in public service. So, I didn't come to these meetings because I never thought there would be a chance that any thinking person could pass this
and allow this to happen. So, I'm not going to repeat anything that people have said. I'm just I live on Sherman Avenue. Sherman Avenue, if you're driving down and you want to go make a left on Palisades Avenue. Parents have now told their young kids that are learning to drive, don't do it. Drive around the block. Going down to Queen
Anne Road, making a left turn in the last two, three years, the the amount of traffic is just intense. And I don't think you realize wait for three lights when at 3:00 in the afternoon just to get out of your house, go down your block. So all the points that everyone
has raised are in my opinion correct, I really think is a thinking body. There's no way that this piece of this ordinance could pass and I don't understand how this plan as illconceived as it is. So I didn't really waste my time coming to meetings and I'm ashamed of myself for not being more involved. But do the
right thing. This plan is really a joke on every level. So please don't let it happen. Thank you. >> Thank you very much sir. >> I thought was your hand raised ma'am. Okay. Sorry I thought raised. >> Hi everyone. My name is Enid Blehali and
I'm here today as a resident of Tene and I'm also a board member at the Tina Community Charter School. And so I'm here today just because of the concerns with the pipes um and the proximity uh how close that is to the school. Um I
don't think I understand very well um the safety of this pipe as it relates to the area but also to the school where there's children attending. Um there's probably about 200 250 students going to that school. Um literally the train tracks run right behind the school. Um,
and so I just wanted to express um, you know, just a question of like what safety protocols are going to be in place, what happens if the pipe fails, what's the emergency response plan for the school and for people in that area. Um, also, you know, just in terms of like the sound, how disruptive is that
sound going to be to students that are trying to focus during the day at school um, for what I think sounds like a very long-term project. Um, so you know these are just some of the questions that I wanted to bring before you guys. Thank you. >> Thank you very much. Anybody else here
to speak? >> Anyone? Paul and Mr. Paula Regoven. I want to plead with all council members to vote no on the introduction of the crossroads
ordinance. I read the recent Kier's engineering report about the crossroads flood mitigation plan. The drainage proposal is based on a 25year storm event. But climate scientists and all of us know that major hurricanes, huge
storms, rain and snowstorms are occurring more frequently. So already I do not trust even their initial flood mitigation plan. The crossroad plan involves placing pipes from the north of
Cedar Lane emptying into the drain or swale of the CSX tracks somewhere near Kip or Tarhoon. We still don't know quite where. Now a swale or a drain is actually to absorb the rainwater
snow melt and keep it away from the tracks so the tracks will be safe. Um the the swell or so-called drain is not to get water from north of Cedar Lane flood water into the
tracks. The report states that there's no confirmation that downstream system has sufficient capacity to accept the flows conveyed conveyed by the proposed upstream pipes. It will not result in
negative downstream impacts. Well, here is our confirmation about this. The answer is no, it doesn't. This is in Bod and you heard somebody from the Boda Town Council. They have a meeting tonight. Otherwise, they'd be
here. This is what our little swale looks like on Elm Street and River Road in Beod. It's a flood. This is these are the markers for the flood. Five feet, four feet, three feet.
These are the barricades that they have there permanently because of the flooding. And the flooding is from the initial pipe that's there, regular rainwater, snow melt. But if we were to add more, if we were
to add water there, it's it's wrong. It's dangerous. Flooding around rail tracks destabilizes the tracks and that causes derailments, injuries and death. And we have
documentation that I sent to you from the rail workers united about deaths and injuries of rail workers because of flooding along the tracks. CSX is a freight line. Most of the tank cars we
see carry extremely hazardous material. Um, I want to just quickly add another reason for you to vote no is it is shameful to use the affordable housing mandate as an excuse to build hundreds
of luxury units for the profit of developers. We already have senior and veteran housing with all affordable housing units right here in Tene. >> Thank you, Dr. Powers. Dr. Powers and
Chuck Powers, Tina. Um, in addition to, um, Crossroads, of course, you have the 54 West Anglewood. A um you should know that the board of adjustment carefully looked at whether or not putting 20 units at 54 West
Englewood was going to be inconsistent with that neighborhood in ways that are reminiscent of the of the Baker fiasco. And they voted 5 to2 not to allow it.
And now we're going to put 53 units where 20 were too many. I want to focus more though on the fact that last night we learned that there's agreement that what we have in this
proposed redevelopment plan is a set of concepts and that they must somehow work their way through both feasibility and effectiveness. but a an incredibly complex set of
regulatory challenges. I know a lot about it. I've spent 40 years of my life working with regulators and trying to figure out whether or not projects after their concept could actually be done. This
drainage could not possibly be done in less than six years from now. My guess is that by the end of the night, the folks over at Bell Avenue are going to be again facing water, no matter how well the managers have worked
to get a partial protection from the fed from the floods. If we put in what the has the engineer originally said was what we should be
doing with a large retention tank under the Beverly parking lot. We could slow down that flow and be unbelievably much more protective.
We are asking a set of concepts almost certain to face regulatory challenges. I watched the three-year process our managers went through trying to get get the one on Sagamore.
And I don't believe there's a chance that we will go through another six years without major problems because there's no chance council that we could that the fact that we could put
in that tank by next July that the crossroads plan will not actually provide it until at least 2032. There is not a prayer that these concepts could be turned into
protection. >> Thank you. >> of a major public health threat. Thank you. >> Thank you, Dr. Powers. Mr. Biner, >> Bobby Berliner, Tene resident. Thank you everyone who came out uh yesterday evening. Um, it seems that I'm probably
the most progressive citizen of TNC as I not only support publicly affordable housing, but I also I also came with a prop. I also support expansion of public transit. I ride the buses in town uh at least twice a day, multiple days per week. I've commuted on the train before.
Uh, multiple lines, multiple buses. Um, it was brought to my attention that I unfortunately offended a number of my fellow residents yesterday evening. Um and they were so offended that they to their credit, you know, sent a message
to me and I really thank the um my neighbor who came to have a very uh good discussion. I apologize if I offended you, but I would like to point out that my comments last night, and I defer to the council woman who was in the chambers at the
time, to the attorneys who were in the chambers at the time, my comments were not offensive. We were here in a town meeting in a town hall to present our positions to talk about what we can do to better Tene to make Tene better.
What I will not apologize for is saying that we all need to have a strategic view as to what we are doing and what we are asking this council to do. And having a strategic view, whether you're building a bakery or planning for a
township or putting a a strategic planning document together, is taking a look out 5, 10, 15, 20, 30 years out. Part of running a corporation is succession planning. Literally planning for those days that we will not be
there. My job at work has plans for the day that I may get hit by the bus or I may decide to leave. That's part of living life. I have insurance for the days that I may have a heart attack or my house may burn down. That's risk
mitigation and planning ahead. Part of what I do professionally is risk control, risk mitigation. And yes, the details can become very complex, but frankly, the calculation is very simple. It's the cost of doing nothing versus the cost of doing something. Yeah, I
heard some of you say it. It's really not hard. And the problem here is that Tene, my citizens, you're all fairly smart and intelligent people, many of whom much smarter than me. But we could all give a college level course on presenting red herrings. As I think I
articulated last night, and I think that I can articulate now, but I probably don't need to. The conversation is not about crossroads. Who cares how bad it is? Doesn't make a difference. It's about knowing that once that 16th hertz uh comes around, we have a big problem
if we are not able to mitigate the costs that potentially come ahead of us. If we do not accept a plan, this is the plan on the table. We unfortunately do not have another choice. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Willer. Any else? >> Good night to the council. Amir Randan,
TK resident. So, what's the game plan? Are we getting sued or do we have notices or letters already? Can we meet the deadline? I asked what the consequences are for us not meeting our obligations. Now, we have to comply with a 2024 affordable housing reform law.
It's the law. What's our specific challenge to the Mount Laurel doctrine? If we're going this route, I just want to know where my tax dollars are going. I think that's a fair question for everyone in this room. 2025 a multi-town lawsuit 27 towns with
Mount Mont Vil dismissed with prejudice. They can't refile. Do we have another argument? Are we trying to do the same argument? Do we have a contact, a favor, a handshake deal we can make to get an extension? Is fair share or a judge
going to entertain this at all? Is it fair to say I fear the consequences? Again, what does it take to litigate this? And what does it cost? Cost is the big one. I'm mentioning here because every year I I come to the mayor and ask what's going on with taxes, what's going on with the budget. This
mayor, previous mayor, doesn't matter. I know we don't want to pass this, but what are the consequences for not accepting these plans? Us paying to litigate something that has failed already. On top of that, we lose control over the other developments. I don't
want to roll the dice on this. I I know there's some feelings about this particular project, but what about the rest of town? Can we get some kind of compliance at a crossroads? Maybe we can still accept the plan and still strongarm them into something we want. I
don't know what our options are since this is a state mandate. So, if the council can answer any of these questions, thank you. >> Thank you very much. Anyone else in the audience? Seeing no other hands, Mr. Amen. >> Susan Schultz and Tene. Um,
okay. [clears throat] A couple of things. The first thing that came to me when I'm thinking about this is the idea of that seems so unethical to me. And I don't
know how each of you feel about it, but the vice president of Crossroads was the one who made the determination about the land, our land being um area
in need of redevelopment. And I think that right there, if it is unethical for the vice president to do that, it is then unethical
for us to move this forward. Um, I'm not going to repeat everything that everyone said regarding the traffic and the flooding and um
just the loss of the farmers market. I'm I know you get a small portion but it's really a very large exciting farmers market that we have in T-neck and I know all of you are proud
of it. Um, but I really ask all of you to think about this and if this is the right way to go for T-neck. Thank you. >> Thank you very much. No other hands. Been a while for we move to Zoom. Ron,
what do you have? >> Yeah, so far we got three hands. Tracy Carson Carion. Hi there. It's Carcion. I've spoken many times before. I live I'm Tracy Carcion.
I live at the corner of Chestnut Avenue and and North Street. Well, a little back from the corner. We have been arguing about this development that that nobody really wants except a few people for like years. And and yet and yet this is the
only plan we have. Like why is that? And why was a developer chosen without any competitive bid? And why was a crossroads who's never made a residential uh you know has no track record with the residential buildings or
commercial buildings and I I really do not like that it's like we have to take a whole lot of luxury apartments with a teeny sweetener of affordable housing. I don't
understand why we can't like say take what Esther Sarnoff was talking about, find a a developer that specialized in affordable housing and building just affordable housing. We could build like more than 50 affordable units. If that
was all it was going to be and still have a building that would fit in our neighborhood, that would be fantastic. And yet here we are having this plan we don't want shoved down our throats. I I'm willing to chance builder's remedy. I'm not sure what would happen,
but this thing seems like it's nothing but a mess. And I'm concerned since I have a little time. I'm concerned about the extra traffic on North and Alma Terrace, which we cross all the time. We do not drive if I as I've said many
times before. and the snow removal blocked a lot of sidewalks because it pushed the snow out of the parking lots onto the sidewalk. So, the only place that my husband and I could walk was the streets. If there's a
lot more traffic, that's going to be even more unsafe than it is now. And that is what I have to say. I hope that you don't pass this monstrosity. Thank you. Oops. Judy Dysler, three minutes. >> I just asked AI what we could do. Am I
muted? >> No, we hear you, Judy. >> Okay. And I don't know that AI is smarter than anybody in this room, but it did give seven several suggestions. One would be utilizing the dispute
resolution program. The new law created an affordable housing dispute resolution program staffed by seven retired judges to handle conflicts. Structured mediation. Instead of immediate litigation, towns can negotiate their
obligations. And for some there have been delayed requirements while working on a better plan. There's something under it called challenging data. Uh documented process to gain delays, present evidence or active planning such
as commissioning new studies, requesting a 90-day extension. There's also something implementing alternative planning strategies. Uh I don't know if anybody's looked into these. Maybe there are not really legal ways to do it, but
it's worth a shot. The other thing I would suggest, if we really come down to it, why can't we compromise? Leave the Beverly lot, garrison lot alone. Don't build that awful parking structure that nobody wants. Leave us parking spaces
and let us have the farmers market and just build on that one corner at the far end of the stopand shop lot. Perhaps maybe you could put a ground level garage in there. Make it a floor higher.
There's got to be a better way to get more units. Even look at the existing houses we have, the apartments we have, and see if something could be done with them. But this is just I I can't imagine what Tene will be like if you let this
happen. Thank you. Juanita, you have three minutes. State your phone name, please. >> Am I unmuted? >> Yes, you are. >> Well, I live on Kip and Elm. I'm so
concerned mostly if those trains carrying hazardous materials should derail and explode, how in the world am I going to get to
safety? Running is not an option because you can't outrun the air and that stuff will be spreaded through the air. Secondly, affordable housing at 3,000 or more per
unit. Who's going to afford that? So, that's just a farce being put in place to fool us that we're getting something that we need or want. Please, please, please do not approve this plan.
It's going to force me to move out of Tene. Thank you. Margaret Baker, you have three minutes. >> Margaret Baker, urban Phoenix residential. I have been living through
this mess for some years and I'm located here on Decator which actually is the first exit you come to
on four that's in T-neck and there's the intersection there that's already busy. And I could never understand why someone
wanted to put up a building that big on a corner where you have traffic and there's no outlet. It's terrible.
And the second one is going up. That's going to add to it. You by doing that have changed t- neck from
suburban t- neck like the sign says out in my yard urban t- neck. It's in a neighborhood with one family resident
and it's just not right. It's not t- neck anymore. Suburban T-neck. And I I look at the ads when you're advertising about the buildings in
T-neck, suburban T-neck. I think you need to be very careful when you use the word suburban tene. If you you're talking about where I live
with the two buildings that are six stories high, that's not suburban teneck. That's urban teneck. And I know there's property that was
sold across the highway from me. and I received a card indicating that it had been sold and for how much. I don't know why. If you're not sending me a
check, I could care less. So, why don't you use that property? Get in touch with that owner and real there on Route 4,
not in neighborhood. Time is up. Thank you. >> Uh Naima Teal. >> Hi, good evening. Um I've been a resident for in Tene for over 30 years. Um I'm one of um I don't know how old
everyone is in the residents that's in the uh crowd, but I'm one of the younger ones. and um everything that you are saying resonates with me. Um I my family lives here. I grew up here. I went to the public schools. I'm just concerned
because this is too large of a project for Tene. Um as uh the previous resident said, this is suburban. I mean, it's just too large of a project. And then I'm offended for a couple of the residents
in the audience saying that, oh, you know, you have to think about the future of Tene. No, you're not thinking about the future of Tene if you're adding this larger project that doesn't even belong in Tene. Um, we already have affordable housing. And as some of the the residents said,
$3,000, that's not affordable housing. I mean, there was no other um options for us to build affordable housing to meet our quota or whatever, you know, we need to meet the it just doesn't make sense
to me. I mean, the flooding, the traffic, the traffic is just horrendous. It's just crazy with already the buildings and the we already have in Tene. It's just too much. And now you want to add on this large project, you want to take away the farmers market. It's ridiculous. You guys need to vote
no. Thank you. >> Dr. Williams, you have three minutes. >> Thank you. I'm a resident of Tene American Legion Drive. So, this project is directly related to me and my vicinity. Um, council members, I implore
you as a resident to say no to this ordinance, to this project in general. I believe we the people um have already stated on numerous occasions that we don't want the project. Um, I believe that the residents, including myself,
are in favor of development for our town. And it's just that this plan and this developer is not whom we want because we know with certainty that it has been shown to be unethical and Crossroads has shown to be unethical in
multiple ways which we have all heard. Uh the project doesn't fit the profile of our town in general. There's other things that could be done. there should be other developers on the table to to help accommodate the affordable act. And
if you say yes, to me that means that my voice and our voice as the people of the town does not matter. So again, I implore you to please say no and let the cards fall where they may. Thank you.
All right, last person is Diamond's iPhone. Please state your full name. Sorry, Dains iPhone. Okay, let's uh maybe move them along. Uh Lisa Schwarz, you have three minutes.
>> Yeah. Hi. Can you hear me? >> Uh yes. >> Yeah. Okay. I'm going to take I'm not going to say very much because I spoke last night. I don't know how many of the council members heard me, but um I just want to address uh what I heard a
couple of the speakers say that we have to do this. And I know what our attorneys have been saying that we're really risking the town from lawsuits and all of that, but um my understanding after seeing a wonderful presentation by Esther Sandro who is a housing
specialist and I know she's been um I know she's been very involved in this and doing a lot of research and um this is not the only plan that can be presented to the state of New Jersey for affordable housing. there are other options,
much better options that would really address um the affordable housing issue. This is a forprofit developer who um in my opinion isn't really that interested in affordable housing. They're more
interested in profit. And again, as other speakers said, um they have no history of residential development. They build supermarkets. Um Esther I know has a lot of um expertise and a lot of resources in the nonprofit world and
there are developers there who would come in and work on a development plan that would truly address the affordable housing issue which I think would be a more credible argument to the state of New Jersey and be a much more sincere
argument about our our interest in affordable housing. So, um, that's all I have to say about that is that I think there are other much better options than this. Thank you. Dain's iPhone, you're muted. Can you
unmute? You have three minutes. Going once. >> That seems like false false hand. Anybody else? Okay. >> Nobody else at this time. See it? >> That's it. >> Any else from
>> um Let's see if Oh, >> the hand just went up again. >> Okay. Okay, that's it. There's nobody else. >> I see no other hands. Um good and welfare is now over. Um before we go to the council um attorneys, did you want to address any of I know we had some
conversations with Google attorneys and AI attorneys. Do we do you want to dispute any of that? One thing I'll say is uh stuff that was mentioned about program we already I apologize. Uh one thing that was
mentioned um uh something that was asked why doesn't the township explore this dispute resolution program affordable housing law from 2024. We did that. That was the program that we completed that uh ended December 31st last year with a
judge bookbinder. We went through that program. Uh the the all the other things that were mentioned as well were things that we either explored and uh sorry that we explored and um were not helpful to us in any change anything about about
it or things that we required to do anyway. Um and so there's none of those suggestions for things that that we haven't already. >> Mr. trash or anything there. Uh, I guess the one comment came up multiple times about the
representative of Crossroads who wrote a report that was part of the actual study. I just want to point out that that was litigated. It was it was addressed in a complaint
and then it was settled. So that that issue was raised was litigated and it was then resolved with the 2022 settlement. >> Thank you, sir. Anything else? Council
Burns. >> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Um, sorry, one second. Um, so first I just want to acknowledge I want to say uh I want to just say uh Council C former Councilman Alan Sona is not here. Uh he probably
would be, but I just want to hope that he's safe and his family is safe. He's in Israel, so I'm thinking of him. Um it's actually four years ago this month. Um I actually called him and I finally said, "I'm going to run." And I look at uh Debbie Aliyahu sitting in my former
seat and it's a it's a great seat. I was in that chair the first time Chris Brown came to speak about his car being destroyed by storm water. I think Chris uh those three minutes was the butterfly effect that brought us here today. It's really easy to sit in that back row
and complain. And it's very different to sit in this seat and lead with the full weight and responsibility that comes with sitting here. In order to sit here on day one, you have to be ready to vote. You have to understand the responsibilities for people's lives,
properties, their jobs. There is no learning curve. And I was ready on day one. And I'm ready every every day since. When you elect people, you are trusting them that they are ready for this chair. Which is why you have to do the job and want to sit here. You have
to understand Tene, the unique complexities of Tene cast of characters and histories. It's a complicated place. But I don't remember the last time I saw many of the people here in those chairs. Here we are again. Tina is finally back
to fighting development. City council may not be an exciting title. We have a huge we don't have a huge staff to do all the work and there may be a lot of meetings, but that's why it's a time commitment and you have to know when you get here. As you're all aware,
this is a very complicated night for me. Um, but I promised when I got elected, transparency means that you know what's going on, not that you like it. And I promise that you would I would always explain my votes. And you can decide if
you agree with me or not. When I vote yes, you will know why. I vote no, you will know why. But I don't just vote because, especially something as complex as this. I may not always agree with everything Mayor Schwarz says or does, and he feels the same way about me. But
one thing I respect about him immensely, and I have no problem saying this, is his work ethic. And I think he feels the same way about me. We cannot be, we don't have to be on the same side of every issue. We do both put in the work. Um, from day one, he knew where I stood
on this issue. He knew where I stood on 1720264905. And he knew why. And I'm not going to go into it out of respect. But he also knew not to ask me because there was nothing that could change my mind on that issue. We could talk about everything else including including crossroads. And we
did. And I was very happy that on December 22nd, 2025, four members of this council undid block 49 AO 4905 AINR. Together we vote. We work together, vote policy,
not people. On May 7th, 2024, Mayor Schwarz seconded my motion for a joint open meeting with the planning board for open session, so that both governing bodies and the public could all ask all of the questions and understand the timeline ahead of us. It was a very
complicated law, the affordable housing law, and it's not forgiving, and it needed us to be to plan and be smart. Mayor Schwarz, I believe you won a bet that night and I owe you a pizza. So, please let me know where you would like that pizza from. I asked in November,
December, January, reorg. Then January 31st, the first deadline came for that vote that we had to pass and topology stood here and presented a number that I still think was right because it accounted for everything in that law and it was lower than it is now. And I specifically said, "How do we ensure
that we are adhering to Mount Laurel by making sure that the affordable housing law is not putting everything in one area of town? We don't want to drive by and point and say that's where the poor people live." As someone from the planning board famously said at the Haluba hearing that fair share housing actually sued us as did other people in
this room because it's not acceptable. But that is when Cedar Lane could have been planned and happened. We could have had a plan and worked together and zone Cedar Lane were done redevelopment end to end for the entirety of it. And that deadline was June of 2026, but we had no
plans. Then I heard the name Sadikia and it all made sense to me. I have been transparent every step of the way from the Crossroads forum, the first one, the second one, the third one, and I I've begged, please don't tell us what you
don't want. That's not where we are. We are here because tell us what you do want because it's not going anywhere. In the detailed subcommittee minutes of every agenda packet and and Dr. Powers published them on Tene Voices as well. Crossroads did come down with the
density in June 2024, August 8th, 2024. I asked Crossroads and they gave me the they acknowledged it here to please go talk to the farmers market because do they have enough space? and they came back with 12,000 square foot space. The farmers market is not going anywhere.
Then when I heard Paula Regoin talking about never alone again, I reached out to my running mate Shandra and I said, "Can you introduce me to Teresa and see what she needs?" First, we tried some other options and we got her that community space together. I have heard you. I keep hearing you and I really,
really wish that you heard me and that's what's really hurting tonight. the drainage. That has been the one thing that I have consistently said since the whole time, and I said it again, January 23, I will
not vote for a plan until the drain until the drainage is fixed. The plan, the township has spent $2 million on drainage. But the only phase that we have not started or finished is phase two because that is where the hundred
thou the 100,000galon tank is going was supposed to go under the parking lots. So, uh, Phil, to answer your question, if Crossroads does not do your drainage, I will vote on a budget or a capital to fix your drainage. That's a that's not a
want. That's a need and that's my responsibility. You have my commitment. I will not vote to push the water downstream onto another set of neighbors. I represent all of Tene, the Bell Avenue neighbors and the American
Legion Drive neighbors. And the study and uh Collers backs me up on that. The study ends at the end of stop and shop. It does not study whether the pipe can handle the increased velocity
or where it ends. Additionally, NJD, the new storm water rules require a two-year, 10-year, and a hundred-year study. We are not there yet. And to answer the question that I was asked last meeting, what would have gotten me to a yes? My I've been consistent, but I
will be voting no because that was not met and I wish it was. >> Thank you very much. Um, Councilman Bean, >> thank you, Mr. Mayor. I just want our residents to know that I hear them loud and clear and I am ready to vote. Mr.
Mayor, thank you. >> Thank you very much, Councilman um Cats. >> Yeah. Can can I just get a refresher as far as builder remedy? Let's say this does not pass tonight. What happens with the builder remedy?
Who decides? What then can get built if it's decided? Uh >> Mr. Attorney, if you can please respond to that. A builder's remedy lawsuit is a lawsuit that is filed by a developer uh who is seeking to build uh
who is seeking to build and build in town. They're saying that we are not complying with our uh obligations uh say affordable housing act and they are saying that we they are proposing a project that will help us uh meet our
full housing obligations and what the the courts are looking at there are lots of elements but to simplify it essentially they're looking to see if we are or not meeting those requirements and they're looking to see if we have uh realistic uh developable unit units that
are in the in the in the pipeline. Now, uh if we are not and if we do not have that in place, then the courts are empowered to strip the township of its ability to control its own zoning. Uh
and essentially the court takes on that mandle itself. Um typically they will appoint what's called a special master which is essentially a courtappointed planner that will um essentially have the ability to control the zoning uh within the township. Um and they are the
ones that make the decision as to whether or not what you know what goes on what goes on the property so long as a proposed project is going to help us meet our foral housing obligations. So, if a builder's remedy lawsuit is filed because we're not complying with the uh
with with the law uh the court agrees, then that the zoning gets moved over to the uh special master who will consider any proposal anywhere in town to build affordable housing units. Uh ultimately, that's what their goal is to build those
uh to make sure those uh the town is zoned to allow for the the creation of those units. So if a developer say a a developer sues and we lose our immunity and builders remedy lawsuits someone wants to build a project somewhere uh somewhere in town um whether it's on
cross on crossroad site or westward or or anywhere else if they were proposing affordable housing units then it is the it is the special master and the judge uh who decide whether or not that is going to go forward or not we lose that control. >> So can I just hone in on one comment
that you made? So theoretically, does it sounds like the project that's being proposed today or that we're voting on today could be different if it goes to the court, they can ask for potentially hire more as ask for some of the floors back or some of the concessions that
they gave over the last few years. >> Yeah. Or or it can be an entirely different uh uh project as well. You know, it could be a combination of things. So we can have let's say Crossroads can come and say, "Well, we can we can still build our 318 units. we're just going to do it on the stop and shop site and so we're just going to
go more vertical and that's that's our way of doing or they could say well we only want to build the 200 something units here uh and another developer comes along somewhere else they want to build wherever it is they're going to help us meet our full uh uh obligations the judge I can allow that wherever
wherever it is >> so by not just so I'm clear so by not supporting this well I guess some council members feel like they're protecting the residents that are sitting in the room today and that are calling in. Theoretically, a
couple months down the line from now, they can actually be hurting them even worse in court. They're giving that we're holding all the cards and we're giving it away. >> Excuse me. We didn't interrupt anyone speaking here. Please don't do that.
>> Listen, I'm just asking. You want to take the chances and go to court? We can go to court. That's not me. It's it's the developer. So, I'm I'm just asking what the ramifications are. You you know, you want to sit here and be a pundant, be a pundant, but let's at least get the facts. >> That's not my phrase, but I think that
that probably Yes. >> I'm sorry. Can you say that again? >> That's that's not the phrase I would use, but that that probably does apply. >> Well, I just have to be clear because you just gave like a short answer to my >> Yeah, I I mean I think the we are take we are taking a gamble. we run uh by uh
uh if you risk a builder's remedy um historically and I'm just on the backs here historically builder's remedy lawsuits do not generally work out for municipalities they hit the the project the projects come and the municipalities are bound to bill build them there they
typically we lose the um you know all the public benefits that that come with the project that that we receive by controlling the zoning we are not entitled to them we're typically required to pay attorney's fees and costs by the developer. We are required
usually typically required builder's remedy. Also, a municipality is typically required to pay for any any improvements necessary to allow for the allow for the zoning. So project comes up municipality and they need you know additional sewer or whatever you know
utilities to connect connect to it then we could be responsible paying for that as well uh to allow them the privilege of of building intina. >> Okay. I mean it it sounds like from what you're explaining and I'm not a lawyer and I don't know if any of the lawyers I don't know if Ron Schwarz was ready to
indemnify the town when he made his statement about his feelings. I don't know if he's still a lawyer. Um, but it sounds like, I'm not knocking. I don't know if you retired, if you gave up your license. Um, it sounds like it's better that the council makes a decision on
what's there as opposed to letting a court make the decision and we have zero control. So, well, we could be heroes tonight and say no, couple months down the line from now, some development could be there that's
completely out of our control. All I can do is advise you of the advising you the council of the risks and it's up to you guys to make the decision as to whether or not it's a risk that you're willing to take or not. >> Okay. >> Thank you, sir. Um, Councilman G, >> can I ask some questions, too? Um, so,
well, first of all, before I ask my questions, I just want to say thank you to everyone who came out. I mean, you made so many valid points, many of which I agree with. Um, and I I've said this before, the piece that I struggle with is I feel like I have a fiduciary responsibility to the town and to the
residents to protect your taxpayer dollars, right? And so that means protecting ourselves from litigation. That is what I'm grappling with internally, right? Um, respectfully, I know the developers in the room, I don't love the the project, especially the one on um north of Cedar Lane. I don't like
that jigsaw building around the house. Like, I don't love it. And I've always said that. Um but the reality is we have this deadline on the 16th that we have to meet, right? And so we have to reszone um do this resoning to meet that deadline. And that's what I'm grappling
with. Um my understanding is that even if we do this resoning, we can like that does not lock us in for the current concept plan. like that is still just a draft and we have time to ensure that we we we continue to um include the
community in in the future design of this of this plan and we're not held to the current version of this plan. That's my understanding. So that was my question for for um our legal team. Can you clarify that? Is this just the zoning so that we can meet the deadline
for fair share and it's not a commitment to the actual details in the concept plan? Yeah, that is that is correct. We can add it more if we want, but this is just this is a commitment to the zoning uh to the to the general zoning of the project. It is not a commitment to the project itself. That uh that and all the
details uh we talked a lot heard about a lot about noise studies and utility studies and school studies and all those things will come as the detail and storm water uh as well traffic and all those details will come as we work out what it looks like in you know more specific
detail as the building itself project itself gets uh engineered and designed. uh all those things are are going to change which is one of the reasons why uh we weren't able to do all those studies now because it hasn't been engineered it hasn't been fully designed
and so it's going to change uh as we as the concepts of plan the ideas that have been thrown around to meet the the rubber meets the road of what we see what becomes actually peaceful what becomes not so you're absolutely correct it is absolutely going to change it's absolutely going to develop over time
with the council's input with public's input um was certainly not certainly not the end of the project. >> I I generally agree with everything that Mr. Sammon just said. Um I would just add that
we are considering approval of of zoning. It actually goes beyond that because there are things that the township has requested like a drainage solution, a farmers market,
uh additional public parking. There are all these additional benefits that are actually included in this document which typically in most projects in this process is just zoning, but we've added
these additional things. So any project that goes forward must you know the word used throughout the document is shall the developer shall do these things and and now if this zoning is adopted the
next phase is negotiating a redevelopment agreement and if this plan was complicated and and putting this document together was was difficult and and fraught Um the redevelopment
agreement is going to be even more so because there are a lot of moving parts phasing um and and all the financial terms that are still to be negotiated and and we haven't even gotten there yet
because we we first need to know what the zoning [snorts] is. You need to know how much uh how many units are going to be in a project so that you can figure out what's going to cost, what what what the farmers market plaza will cost, what the what
the drainage solution will cost when it's fully engineered, not just a commitment to do a future drainage project. And then is there room? So let's say um is there room to reconsider if there's additional feedback? You know, maybe if
the community says, you know what, we'd rather have two additional stories on site um uh American Legion East, but have a you know, a lower height on Cedar Lane. Is that is there room for that kind of back and forth discussion
>> if uh the project is changing in in those types of ways? This document would need to be amended first. The plan would need to be amended. It have to come back to the council and and another ordinance would have to be introduced to
memorialize those plans. So the township has a lot of control over the next steps and if there are changes um the redevelopment agreement will need to be voted on by the council then and and only when the agreement is
is fully negotiated and approved. Only then does the developer even have the the opportunity to file a site plan application to the planning board. And that will impose a whole other level of control and
detail that we don't have yet in this plan. And and and when we ask collers to do an independent review of some of these concepts in this plan, specifically the traffic that was already studied and this drainage,
they were not approving or or rejecting concepts. They're saying, "Yeah, based on generally accepted standards in traffic design and, you know, flood mitigation engineering, these are solutions that will work. But here are
also the the guideposts for how it actually gets implemented and approved going forward. and we can continue to rely on them and our existing township professionals to ensure all of this gets done the
right way. Permitted with any regulatory entity, whether it's D, whether it's DOT, if there's an impact to to the rail lines, whatever it is, there's going to be permitting and approval, and our town professionals will guide that process.
Oh, >> and then one last question. Um, can you tell us more about what's next in the timeline with the fair share requirements? >> So, [clears throat] this fourth round that we've talked a lot about and we've had a lot of public
presentations and discussion and and debate. Every town is is facing this at the same time. We're all in lock step. every everyone has to meet that deadline of March 16th.
Um Scott and I participate in weekly calls with all affordable housing attorneys, planners. We all get on a Zoom uh [clears throat] every Thursday at 2:00, right?
every every land use attorney and it's it's sponsored by the League of Municipalities and and every week um we all just talk shop and what's going on and what are you hearing in your town and what's a fair share doing because we're all
figuring this out together in real time but we all have to meet that deadline and um what we've agreed to do which is the same that every town has agreed to do if you have opted ed into this fair share plan. Now, there there
was discussion of some towns that said, "We're not going to opt in. We're going to litigate. We're going to fight this." And they did all the way to the US Supreme Court. And the US Supreme Court rejected their arguments outright. And what they are going to do to meet this
deadline, I have no idea. They're they're just going to be vulnerable to lawsuits. So all the things that they resisted to control themselves in part as part of this process, it's it's going to be
forced on them. That's what's coming next for them. For towns that have opted in, um we adopted a timely fair share and housing element in June of 2025. It was submitted to the court.
uh interveners filed lawsuits in August of 2025. We went through the uh the adjudicative process that was available to us. Um retired judge Bookbinder is one of the seven judges
that the um the AI response identified. We we participated in in all of that and and with our own judge and our own special adjudicator. And as you know, um there was negotiations
back and forth. Not only were the developers of these potential sites involved, but we were also litigating with Fairshare Housing. And Fair Share Housing had their own demands. and
Fairshare Housing has a separate settlement agreement with the township. And the settlement agreement that we have with Fair Share that was approved in January of this year when all the other settlement agreements were approved with all the the the
developers. Fair Share's agreement says we're going to change uh our model ordinance for how we're going to control affordable housing going forward, which we did. And there is a a list of other requirements in that settlement agreement.
These projects are also included in the fair share settlement agreement. So if we go past the deadline, um if if no one else sues us, fair share will sue us and they'll come up with
their own ways for how we meet our obligation of units. and the units um the crossroad number of units it's it's 72 but it's not actually 72 units I
believe it's only 48 actual apartments and we're getting credits that add up to 72 units under the the framework. So the credits are because it's in a transit oriented location. Um, and
if we don't have that and we have to make up 72 units somewhere else, we don't know where that will be. Developers could come out of the woodwork and say, "I'll build 20 here. I'll build 30 there." And at that point,
the courts will say, "Great, you got it." Because TX doesn't meet their obligation. So the choice we have is compliance with the plan we adopted in June, the plan we litigated uh from
August through December, the separate settlement agreements that were negotiated that includes all of this. Um, if we have that in place on March 16th, we get the certificate of compliance from the Berken County
Superior Court and we have immunity from builder's remedy suits for 10 years. What happens in 2035 fifth round? I'm sure there will be changes and and and who knows what happens then, but we have
council has important decisions to make. Now you've made 90% of them so far to get to this point and you know the clock is ticking. >> Thank you. >> Thank you, Deputy Mayor.
>> Okay. I'm going to start by saying thank you to the neighbors for coming out and for um being so um involved with uh community meetings and um expressing your your um concerns over um these
particular um this particular ordinance. Um I I have served on the planning board and you many of you know that um as uh chair of the uh affordable housing subcommittee we've come a long way.
We've seen a lot of dates and a lot of things that have transpired. It's like kind of seeing the underside of development. It's like seeing where the where the sausage is made. Uh, and it's it's uh decisions that have made that I that um uh we've had to make that um
really kind of like really uh makes it difficult in in many instances. But I just want to start by saying that one thing I learned from uh sitting on the planning board is that you um you pretty much it's important to focus on an
application or an ordinance um specifically. So I want to do that tonight. Okay. I wanted to first talk uh talk about um 54 uh West Anglewood. You know, while development uh or redevelopment proposals often bring
understandable concern, I believe that this project specifically uh ordinance um uh for 54 West Anglewood. Uh I believe the project has evolved. It's evolved in ways that uh make it stronger and more responsive uh to our community
with several important changes that that we o oversaw and safeguards that pretty much uh are in now incorporated. This project reflects more thoughtful approach to development in tene. This building 54 uh west anglewood is not
Mrs. Baker scenario. We have literally taken floors off of buildings in the northeast to make this happen. This literally is a three-story building that in my opinion is consistent with the
master plan. Uh we we envisioned during the master plan about having garden apartment types. Uh and I believe that this is indicative of that. Uh we ddesated an AINR in the northeast to get here tonight. uh block 4905 was undone
because it was poorly conceived and it had the potential to decimate an R1 R2 neighborhood within the northeast. This developer spent time to assemble lots to make this this project feasible. The project now includes meaningful
affordable housing component. The plan uh introduces uh significant roadway infrastructure improvements uh strong architectural design standards. Uh it enhances environmental and storm water management standards. And finally, the
project uh requires traffic studies, parking management plans, additional planning, board review, ensuring that issues related to parking demand circulation, neighborhood impact are addressed through a transparent and professional review process before final
approvals are granted. Now, I want to talk about crossroads. Um tonight I want to speak plainly about crossroads this crossroad redevelopment plan. I believe in development. I I believe strongly in development. Uh I however I believe in smart growth and
smart development. I believe in revitalizing Cedar Lane. I have literally I I I have been a property owner in Cedar Lane for 20 years actually. Uh yeah 20 uh since 2007. and I have seen what's how Cedar Lane has
deteriorated. I believe in strengthening our community for the next generation. But believing in development does not mean supporting every development that comes before us. This proposal as it stands today is not our best work. What we have presented uh
with is a vision and a concept. uh the impact studies, the comparisons, the long-term implications are being pushed to later. For a project uh of this magnitude, 318 units is the largest redevelopment proposal in this area and
is not uh in order and which uh is is a responsible plan that I believe uh we we are asked for the we asked the uh for the analysis before making a decision from collars. Uh I believe it it is it came back inconclusive. Um there are
fundamental gaps. Uh this project contains no home ownership components which I believe in. I believe how can we bring 318 units into an area and not offer anything to to our residents when it comes to home ownership. I think um
you know what what are we leaving for the next generation? Uh what are our young families who want uh to build equity? What do they have? What are the empty nesters who want to downside but als downsize but want to remain within our township? What are we offering them
in this? Uh what are uh where is our workforce opportunities for teachers and nurses and responders? Um another important consideration is that every time I have a developer have come before us during a um zoning subcommittee
meeting, I've asked for the analysis. Show us resales. Why is everything a rental? Why is everything a rental and everything comes back that it's not financially feasible? Well, it's not financially feasible for for the developer, but what about financial
feasibility for our township and our neighbors? Um, I I feel very strongly that this project is poorly put together. Um, another issue that I have is the drainage proposal. I reviewed it. I think that it they're
they're basing it upon a 25-y year uh flood plane. And I believe that we all know from the types of norers we've 25 years is nothing. That's like a a rain day. It's like today. Uh we have more substantial uh rains and uh and and
adverse weathers. The truth is we had a chance to do something extraordinary here. This is the largest redevelopment opportunity in our area. It could have been a model for mixed use. This is not mixeduse. Uh we could have incorporated
with uh Cedar Lane which is has infrastructure that's over a hundred years old. Those buildings were built in the 1920s. So we're going to put a development behind buildings that are 100 years old and we think that's an improvement. It's not. The plan is not
our best work. I will not vote in favor for this tonight. Um I the rush created by external uh deadlines including the fair share housing timeline should never force us to accept a plan that falls short of what our community deserves. So tonight
I will not vote in favor of it. Builder's remedy is a tactic used to force bad decisions. I will govern not out of fear because I fear no man but out of conviction. Out of conviction that Cedar Lane deserves better. Conviction that our residents deserve
better. uh and conviction that when we shape the future of our town, we must do so with courage, clarity, and care because this this the decisions that we make today will shape Tene for generations to come. Thank >> Thank you very much.
That'd be good. >> Thank you guys. Ron, please. >> So, I'm going to read to you tonight. I I never read. Um but we received an email from former mayor Dun Levy uh this afternoon and I had hoped that he would
get on and um speak up to it to everybody here. Um I was having a hard time getting my thoughts together for what I wanted to say and how I wanted to explain this. And he put into words exactly what I
wanted to say. So I'm going to read to you. When these difficult votes come up since my leaving council, I always and this is with his permission. When these difficult votes come up since leaving my coun leaving council, I always question myself as to what I would do. I would
vote yes tonight and on the 10th because voting no will bring a lawsuit we will lose resulting in the building of the development anyway, but without our control or restrictions. Voting no does not appear to stop the project. It just gives up power to assure it's built
right and safely. I understand all the negativity from the forums and certainly the public has had ample opportunity to speak. I think the argument of why you are rushing this when this has been discussed over four to five years is a bit silly. The affordable housing piece
though is a big financial problem for us that we cannot afford. You just lost millions plus plus lawsuit with the police officer and I understand there is another coming. You have the exciting news of a new DPW coming. Not sure the financials there, but there will be
costs. On top of this, you have an everinccreasing tax burden being placed on property owners yearly in part because we refuse to cut anything. That discussion for another day. We cannot afford a preventable lawsuit that we certainly will lose. We cannot afford
the bill for paying for infrastructure changes for the development that will be built anyway instead of the developer paying. And all this on top of yearly tax increases. Yes, there is politics in everything you do. But there's also the responsibility of having a vision as to
where we are headed and what we have to do to keep Tina competitive now and in the future for our kids. Don't let, as Churchill said, perfection be the enemy of the good. Nothing is perfect, but to walk away from the good here and bring down the town and the taxpayers, a bunch
of bad for us for all of us is not leadership. Those in the forums were not representative of the 41,000 other people who live here. Think of them as you consider your vote tonight. Good luck, Jim. To the neighbors who are here and to the people who are at the forum
last night and have been working so hard to get your point across and I've um taken very seriously the the meetings that I've had with each of you individually. Um you have done your job and you've done a good job. you've done your job representing your neighborhoods
and and your feelings and um your thoughts, but we have a job to do up here. And I I'm sure nobody envies us tonight um or or this month with what we have had to to plan. Um but I take that job very seriously. And it is my firm
belief after speaking to our attorneys and hearing from fair share that um if we do not pass this and meet our deadline and and I wanted to ask you about the deadline being the 15th and not the 16th for fair share because I think we're still in a bit of trouble if
even if we introduce this tonight. I believe that we will be hurting the entire town um with costs now but also for years going forward if we don't approve this tonight. So, I will be voting yes. >> Thank you very much. Um, thank you for
everyone for their comments. Thank you everyone for coming out the last few years. Um, I'd be remiss if I didn't thank our attorneys who really have done this almost on a full-time basis. Both um, Scott, Mike, thank you very much. Also, this council tasked you with getting college report, getting it done,
getting it reviewed, and you got it done. So, thank them. Thank you. And with that, I'm looking forward to turning it over to the clerk for the introduction of ordinances. Please read it by title. Sorry. Uh, >> Mr. Mayor, can I ask the attorneys one more question? >> Yes. And then we're going to move on until it's 10 o'clock. So, we've gone
through this every question for >> be a quick question, please. >> It's a quick question. Uh, Mr. Ash, can you just um explain the correlation between the 2022 settlement agree agreement and where we are now and the phasing and how if if we're going to be able to uh do the phasing with
everything because the phasing is four parts. the the tra the uh drainage study mentions three and seems to require uh violating that. Can you just >> advise on that please, Mr. Rash? >> I I don't think I'm prepared to answer
your question right now. >> Okay. >> I I I let's let's go on. Um did you have a question about the 15th with the next meeting before we go into introduction or notes? >> Yeah, the the date is the 15th. The date is the 15th which is a Sunday.
Do we have to pass if we're going to pass or or maybe we should wait until we introduce to see if it's an an issue, but I'd like to know what happens if the 16th is a Monday. >> We are uh comfortable with the the way the the courts typically
interpret say deadlines that fall on weekends or or holidays that they go to the next business day. uh as we we said at the one of the last meetings, you know, no one no one here looked count no one with the legislature looked at the calendar when they scheduled this for a Sunday. Nobody there are no
municipalities in New Jersey that meet on on a Sunday. We is eminently reasonable for for us to have the that meeting on the following Monday. Uh, frankly, if the council is adopting it on the following Monday, I would be hard
I have a hard time imagining there would be any developer that would file a challenger over that because they're they're getting their zoning that that they're titled to >> and fair share had mentioned the 15th at least in an article in the newspaper. >> Yeah. I my interpretation my take on
that was that it was a I scared that to remind the township that that that we're under a tight time frame here and that we have but if we still adopt everything by the 16th I don't I don't foresee our fair share option.
>> Thank you Mr. Attorney. Okay, Mr. Clerk in charge of ordinances please. >> All right. So we have ordinance 17-2026 is adopting a redevelopment plan in furtherance of the redevelopment of block 4905 lots 1213 as shown on the tax
map of the township of Ten is 54 West Angwood Avenue in accordance with the local redevelopment and housing law NJSA4A 12A-1 and ordinance 18-2026 adopting the Cedar Lane CBD redevelopment plan and
furtherance of the redevelopment of block 819 9 lots 1 1416 and 17 block 707 lots 1-5 block 705 lots lot 4.01 and as shown on the tax map of the
township of Tene in accordance with the local redevelopment in housing law and JSA4A 128-1. >> Thank you very much. I'll make a motion to introduce and vote separately on 16 on 17 and 18. Is there a second?
>> Second. Second. >> Okay. Council Katz, I believe you're recusing on uh 17. >> Yes, sir. >> Okay. Cler call the roll call, please. We'll do one at a time. First on 17. >> Councilwoman Gber 17 is uh 54 with Sangwood.
>> Yes, it is. >> No. >> Council, >> abstain. >> Council Win. >> Yes. >> Uh Councilman Katz, >> I'm excused on this one. De,
>> these were accused as I announced before. >> The deputter. >> Yes. >> Deput Oregon. >> Yes. Mayor Schwarz. >> Yes. >> That passes or ordinance number 18. Roll call, please.
No recusal. I'm sorry. You can leave in two minutes. >> Councilman Gber. >> No. Councilman G. >> No.
>> Councilwoman J. I'm deeply torn, but I truly truly believe that we will retain control and if we remain in compliance. So, unfortunately, I am a yes. >> Councilman Katz. >> Yes. >> Deputy Mayor Belchure.
>> I abstain. Deputy Mayor Morgan. >> Yes. Mayor Schwarz, >> yes. Or yes, >> both ordinances pass. >> Yep. >> Um, our next meeting is on Monday night if that's correct. >> Tuesday. >> Uh, sorry, Tuesday. My apologies.
Tuesday night, 6:30 8:00 um, open session. I make a motion. Is there a motion to adjurnn? >> Oh, yes. >> Second is shorts. >> Meeting adjourn at 10:13 p.m. Um, the police vote. Yeah.