Developer Scales Back 285 Palisade Ave. Plan in Cliffside Park, N.J., to Six Stories and 26 Apartments Ahead of Oct. 26 Hearing

CLIFFSIDE PARK, N.J. — A developer that presented the Cliffside Park Zoning Board of Adjustment in May with plans for a seven-story, 42-apartment building at 285 Palisade Ave. is coming back with a smaller plan: six stories and 26 apartments.

The board will hear the revised application at a special meeting at 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26, in Council Chambers at the Municipal Complex, 525 Palisade Ave., according to the board’s agenda and a legal notice published Oct. 14.

What’s proposed now

Aqar LLC is seeking preliminary and final site plan approval and a “D(1)” use variance for the property (Block 606, Lot 4), which is in the borough’s C-2 General Commercial zone, according to the notice. A D(1) variance is needed when a use isn’t permitted in a zone. Under state law, it takes at least five votes on a seven-member board.

According to the notice, the six-story building would contain:

• commercial space
• two floors of parking
• 26 apartments
• tenant amenity space

The applicant also seeks variances for building height, number of stories, building coverage, lot coverage, front and side yard setbacks, and parking. The notice doesn’t give the proposed figures. The borough’s zoning code limits buildings in the C-2 zone to four stories or 45 feet, whichever is less.

The plan the board heard in May

At the board’s May 19 meeting, the project architect presented a 15-sheet plan set revised March 4, 2026, according to the meeting minutes. That version called for:

• Seven stories, with three levels of parking (one below grade and two above) and five residential floors.
• 42 apartments: 24 one-bedroom units (some with dens), 12 two-bedroom units and six three-bedroom units.
• 77 parking spaces, 18 of them tandem.
• About 3,500 square feet of commercial space on the ground and second floors.

The minutes describe the site as an oversized 12,650-square-foot corner lot at Palisade Avenue and Wheeler Street.

According to the minutes, board attorney Mark Madaio commented that the proposal “appeared too intense for the property.” Chairman Joe Capano raised concerns about the tandem parking, the density and the 12 variances the applicant was requesting. He also asked where moving trucks would go, and the architect said there was no loading dock. The applicant’s attorney asked to carry the matter so the plans could be revised.

A yearlong path to the board

The application, Docket 2025-3, has been on the board’s agendas since at least September 2025, when it was listed as a “New 7 Story Mix Use Building.” According to the minutes:

• Sept. 15, 2025: The board found the application incomplete. The plans lacked enough detail on landscaping, lighting, grading, utilities and soil erosion, no signed and sealed survey had been provided, and the board planner asked for a clearer definition of the proposed uses. The minutes also note that stacked parking was proposed.
• Oct. 27, 2025: The application was again deemed incomplete, and the applicant had to re-notice.
• Nov. 24, 2025: The applicant asked for more time to adjust the application.

After the May hearing, the board’s July 27 and Aug. 24 agendas list letters from the applicant’s attorney asking to adjourn so the applicant could finish revised plans and get them to the board’s professionals at least 10 days before a future hearing.

Who’s involved

Attorney Bianca P. Pereiras of Union City represents Aqar LLC. The notice says all application documents are on file for public inspection during business hours at the Municipal Complex. The Oct. 26 agenda also lists a two-home minor subdivision at 25 Cortland Place and an extension request for 10 Gigante Terrace.

The application is pending. The board has not voted.

Sources

• Legal notice, Cliffside Park Board of Adjustment, Oct. 14, 2026
• Zoning Board of Adjustment special meeting agenda, Oct. 26, 2026
• Zoning Board of Adjustment minutes, May 19, 2026
• Zoning Board of Adjustment minutes, Sept. 15, 2025
• Zoning Board of Adjustment minutes, Oct. 27, 2025
• Zoning Board of Adjustment minutes, Nov. 24, 2025
• Agenda, July 27, 2026 and agenda, Aug. 24, 2026
• Cliffside Park zoning code § 18-4.2, C-2 General Commercial Zone