January 14, 2009 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • Page 3 Allendale Fell House plan taken to Superior Court by John Koster Allendale Mayor Vince Barra said informally last week that the planning board’s rejection of the application to raze the historic 1750 John Fell House and replace the house and its outbuildings with 11 condominium units has been appealed in Superior Court. No papers have yet been served on Allendale, Borough Attorney David Bole said, but Bole was not surprised to hear of the appeal. “It seems the logical thing for them to do,” Bole said at last week’s meeting of the Allendale Borough Council. The Allendale Planning Board rejected the major site plan application and a variance bid on Nov. 11 on the advice of Planning Board Attorney Timothy Dunn. Attorney George Cotz of Mahwah, representing Allendale residents who opposed the site plan and demolition of the house, had pointed out that a 1983 approval of contiguous condominiums had set the John Fell House aside as part of the same oneacre parcel of land, and that the approval of the residents in the existing condominiums on the contiguous lot was required for any changes. No such approvals were produced by Paul Kaufman, attorney for the developers, a consortium based in Fort Lee. The John Fell House on Franklin Turnpike, Allendale. Home Improvement Sale 5% Better than your best estimate* Full Service Contractor Additions - Renovations 25 Years in Business Fully Insured • References Members of the Allendale Planning Board also noted that required fees for application were in arrears when the case was brought before them. Kaufman rectified the problem of the fees but resisted the notion that all residents of the existing condominiums had to be notified as a condition of the site plan and variance approval. Located on the opposite side of the Franklin Turnpike from the Celery Farm, the wildlife sanctuary where more than 240 species of birds, mammals and other creatures have been identified, the John Fell House once belonged to a Revolutionary War figure who was imprisoned by the British in New York City after a career as “a great Tory hunter,” served in the Continental Congress, and helped to ratify the United States Constitution. Fell came from an old Dutch family who had given some of the money to build the wall that gave Wall Street its name, and was one of the most dutiful and reliable members of the Continental Congress during the critical years of 1777 to 1779, when the balance of the Revolutionary War tipped in favor of the Americans. Local opposition to demolishing the Fell House was virtually unanimous, and several meetings of the Allendale Planning Board were packed with residents. The (continued on pge 16) We’ll Work With You! 201-444-5966 * Written estimates from legitimate competitor OFFER EXPIRES JANUARY 31, 2009. ���������������� ������������������ �������������� ��������������������� ���������������� ������������������������������������������� �������� ������ ��������������������� ����������������������������