Ramsey’s 56-Unit Route 17 Apartment Plan Would Rely on a Mahwah Home Depot Lot for Access, With Fire Questions Still Open
RAMSEY, N.J. — A developer's plan for a 56-unit apartment building off Route 17 returns to the Ramsey Planning Board at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20, with key questions from…
RAMSEY, N.J. — A developer’s plan for a 56-unit apartment building off Route 17 returns to the Ramsey Planning Board at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20, with key questions from the last hearing still unanswered on the record: how fire trucks would reach and fight a fire at a building whose access runs through a Home Depot parking lot in neighboring Mahwah, and who will supply its water.
The application is pending. No approval has been granted, and the board could vote Tuesday or continue the hearing.
The plan
QTR Development Partners LLC is seeking preliminary and final major site plan approval, a variance and a soil movement permit for 1 Constantine Drive (Block 3603, Lot 1), according to the board’s agenda and its Sept. 15 minutes. The applicant’s attorney, Derek Orth of Inglesino Taylor, told the board the project is a 56-unit “inclusionary community” with a 15% affordable set-aside under a redevelopment plan the borough adopted about a year and a half ago and Ramsey’s Fourth Round affordable housing plan.
Orth said access would come through a recorded easement across the Home Depot parking lot, which sits in Mahwah, and that the applicant has the Home Depot owner’s consent. A companion application is pending before the Mahwah Township Board of Adjustment, he said, according to the minutes.
According to the Sept. 15 minutes:
- Height: The applicant seeks a height variance of about 4.6 feet. Orth said it is needed because Ramsey measures height 10 feet out from the building footprint, and the grade drops toward Route 17 along about 25% of the footprint. He also cited another potential variance under N.J.S.A. 40:55D-35 and -36, concerning access.
- Parking: Engineer Paul Winters said the site would have 95 spaces, 13 of them tandem, against 84 required. Board planner Mr. Burgis said tandem spaces are not identified as permitted. Winters said they could be converted and the site would still comply.
- Location: The building would sit 30 to 50 feet from Route 17, Winters said.
- Underground parking: Mayor Deirdre Dillon, who sits on the board, suggested screening “because normally we wouldn’t allow underground parking in Ramsey,” the minutes say.
Fire access drew the sharpest questions
When board member Ms. Daini asked how the site would handle an emergency requiring several emergency vehicles, Dillon “responded that she specifically spoke to the Fire Chief and no emergency vehicles can be on Route 17,” the minutes state. Board member Mr. Garbasz asked how firefighters would fight a fire on the far side of the building if they can’t use the highway shoulder. Orth said other witnesses would be provided to answer the board’s concerns.
Chairman Iorio referred to a letter from Mr. Dougherty on the Ramsey Fire Department’s review and asked that Dougherty attend Tuesday’s meeting to discuss the concerns in his memo. Winters said the building would be fully sprinklered, and Orth said a fire subcode official would also be present at the next meeting, according to the minutes.
Other open items
- Asked by Dillon who is providing the water, Orth said “they are working on it.”
- Asked by Iorio whether there was a weight limit on the bridge, Winters said a study “is being conducted and is not complete.”
- Iorio called the turn into the Home Depot lot “tight for cars,” with trucks and construction equipment added. Winters said they would review it.
- An existing retaining wall “will have to be evaluated,” and the applicant is “investigating” an NJDOT slope easement, Winters said.
- The board’s attorney asked that the access easements be provided to the board. Orth said they would be at the next meeting.
At Orth’s request, the hearing was carried to Oct. 20 with no new notice required.
Comment
Bergen TV is seeking comment from QTR Development Partners through its attorney, Derek Orth; from Mayor Deirdre Dillon; and from Ramsey’s fire official. This story will be updated with any response.
The application is pending before the Ramsey Planning Board. No approval has been granted. Statements attributed to participants are drawn from the board’s official minutes.
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