January 19, 2011 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • Page 5 Mahwah Council critiques Crossroads rezoning ordinance by Frank J. McMahon At a recent public meeting, the Mahwah Council spent three hours reviewing the details of a proposed ordinance that would rezone the 140-acre International Crossroads property at the northern end of Mahwah where the Sheraton Hotel is located. The ordinance, known as the Crossroads Town Center (or CTC) ordinance, would change the zoning of the property to permit 600,000 square feet of retail floor space, including a 60,000 square foot theater, 50,000 square feet of professional office space, and a 100,000 square foot hotel. At the meeting, James Jaworski, the attorney for Crossroads Developers, LLC, the owner and potential developer of the Crossroads property, advised that his client had decided to reduce the overall square footage of the development from 900,000 square feet to 750,000 square feet and to include a six-acre active recreation area to the plan. Details will be discussed at a public meeting scheduled for Jan. 20. The proposed rezoning plan includes a lifestyle area with the look of a downtown main street surrounding the existing fountain, a new hotel, and buildings with green spaces and retail stores at street level and professional office spaces above them. Jaworski emphasized that his client would guarantee the township would receive at least $3.5 million from the impact fees collected under another ordinance the township might adopt to establish a Transportation Improvement District zone for this site. He estimated the TID ordinance would generate $6 million in fees when the project is fully built, and he calculated that $2.5 million of that revenue would be used to construct the infrastructure improvements required by the New Jersey Department of Transportation. Jaworski also assured the council that, if the cost of the infrastructure improvements turns out to cost less than $2.5 million, the balance of that money would also go to the township for its discretionary use. Tony DiGiovanni, the director of development for Crossroads Developers, told the council the reduction in square footage would be achieved by reducing the previously proposed 200,000 square feet of office space to no more than 50,000 square feet, while keeping the 600,000 square feet of retail space and 100,000 square feet for the proposed hotel. He explained that the office space would be comprised of professional office space located above the retail shops planned for the pedestrian-friendly portion of the site, and he agreed that the zoning of the site would not be changed until he received the first building permit from the township. During the meeting, the council discussed the types of uses that would be permitted and those that would be prohibited, the frontage and setback regulations for the new zone, the provisions of the ordinance pertaining to signs and parking spaces, the general design of the site and the type of materials to be used in the construction of the buildings, the lighting and streetscape design, landscape features, and the buffer area between this site and the nearby residential housing. The active recreation field part of the plan received particular attention from the council, and DiGiovanni agreed to build the fields in the second phase of the project instead of the final phase. He also agreed to install irrigated sod grass fields, but he said there would be no lights at those fields. About two dozen members of the public attended the meeting, and nine citizens voiced their opposition to the rezoning ordinance, citing potential traffic and crime problems. Opponents compared the proposed retail center to the malls in Paramus and Hackensack, and expressed concerns about the possibility that the retail center would expand in the future much like the Garden State Plaza in Paramus, and the potential for flooding from runoff. Josephine Bourgholtzer of Hillside Avenue told the council this ordinance would be a turning point for Mahwah. She noted that none of the members of the public spoke in favor of the ordinance. “This will be the legacy for this council for better or worse,” Bourgholtzer said, “and it will be for the worse. The character of the town will change. Pay attention to the town.” At a meeting in November, Dan Disario, the traffic engineer for the developer, told the council the mixed-use site would not substantially change the traffic in the area and the township would not perceive a noticeable difference in traffic as a result of the rezoning of this site. Joseph Burgis, the township’s professional planner, told the council in December that the development (continued on page 23) Winter specials available now for a limited time only. Call Robin at 973-636-7000