Page 8 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • June 20, 2012 Mahwah Experts: Crossroads drainage and environment safe by Frank J. McMahon Experts for Crossroads Developers LLC who testified last week before the Mahwah Planning Board claimed the runoff from the site after it is developed will be reduced and that the site is environmentally safe for development. The developer plans to build a 600,000 square foot retail town center that would surround the Sheraton Mahwah Hotel on the 140-acre International Crossroads property. The development would include two big box stores with three smaller anchor store buildings, a tenplex theater, 200,000 square feet of retail shops along a pedestrian oriented corridor, and an athletic field. Michael Junghans, a civil engineer for Crossroads, testified that the drainage plan calls for a 75 percent reduction in runoff during a storm that might occur every two years, a 59 percent reduction in runoff during a 10-year storm, and a 49 percent reduction in runoff during a 100year storm. He said the state and township requirements are 60 percent, 30 percent, and 24 percent, respectively. According to Junghans, the quality of the runoff will be controlled by pre-treating the water before it reaches a number of ponds to be located on the site as depositories. This system, he said, will allow infiltration into the ground that will further improve the quality of the water that will ultimately be contributed to the Ramapo River. Junghans said the proposed plans for handling the runoff are all accepted practices by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. “So, even though we are adding impervious coverage, we will reduce the runoff,” he said. Junghans advised, however, that maintenance of the drainage system will be required. Mahwah Township Engineer Michael Kelly advised that maintenance would be the responsibility of the property owner and not the township. Kelly suggested that the property owner be required to submit inspection and maintenance reports and confirm their completion at six-month intervals. Kelly also asked for confirmation that the water quality control measures proposed by the developer would be permitted by the soil at the site. Board member Daniel Weixeldorfer asked if any of the runoff could be recycled to reduce the township’s water consumption. Junghans agreed to explore that possibility. Junghans’ runoff calculations were challenged by resident Richard Wolf, the chairman of the township’s environmental commission, who claimed the calculations did not include the runoff from the Sheraton Crossroads Hotel property. Wolf said that, if the calculations included the runoff from the hotel site, they would not meet the state regulations for runoff reduction. Junghans responded saying his client is only responsible for the runoff created by the new development and that the proposed development meets all those requirements. “The state requirement is to reduce what is leaving the site now,” Kelly agreed. “They are reducing the runoff from the current runoff, which is what the state requires.” Robert Crespi, an attorney and environmental expert for Crossroads, told the board he was retained to evaluate the site and to work with the Ford Motor Company, which continues to test the site for contamination. Crespi explained that Ford ceased operations at the site in 1981 and remediated the soil on the site throughout the 1980s, removing about 200,000 tons of soil from the site and spending about $11.5 million in the 1980s and 1990s to clean up the property. He advised that, when the soil was last tested in 2005, there were very low levels of a dry cleaning type fluid and benzene that were just above the permitted limit. Ford will continue to come back and sample the wells it installed on the site to make sure the water satisfies all groundwater standards, he added. Crespi explained that he does not anticipate any soil problems at the site, but they could be discovered during construction, as is the case at many constriction sites. If any contamination is discovered by the contractor, all work would stop until it is remediated, he said. In addi- tion, an evaluation will be made to determine if a vapor mitigation system is needed. That type of system is often used in residential housing where radon is detected in the soil. The typical remedy is to install a pipe to allow the vapor to be released into the air. Board member Ward Donigian voiced concern about the proposed athletic field to be constructed over an area that may contain contaminated soil. He suggested that a risk assessment be conducted to make sure there would be no risk to having an athletic field there. Several residents continued to express concerns about the retail development and its impact on the environment. Todd Scherer, chairman of the planning board, said the board shares those concerns and will be asking many questions when the public hearing resumes on July 9. At that time, it is anticipated that the developer will have input from the New Jersey Department of Transportation about its external traffic control plan. Sign restrictions (continued from page 3) periods. However, the council expressed concern that, with the presidential, local, county, state, and board of education elections to be held on Nov. 6, the number of election signs that will be placed in the township’s rights of way, especially Macarthur Boulevard, will make the township’s roads unsightly. It was pointed out, however, that temporary signs, political or otherwise, can be placed on private property as long as they are not in the public right of way. Mahwah Township Administrator Brian Campion explained that, on a 50-foot wide roadway with a 30-foot paved car path, the public right of way extends 10 feet on either side of the car path.