Mahwah senior housing complex hearing postponed to find 'potential resolutions'

MAHWAH ‒ A hearing to determine if a developer can change affordable housing criteria for a proposed senior housing complex has been put off until September.

Superior Court Judge Christine Farrington agreed Tuesday to put off the hearing on the Monarch Communities proposal until Sept 14. Monarch is proposing to reduce the size of the multi-care-level senior housing on the site of the former post office at the corner of East Ramapo Avenue and Franklin Turnpike.

The postponement was requested in a Monday letter to Farrington from Mahwah lead counsel Michael Edwards on behalf of the township and the Fair Share Housing Center. Edwards asked for more time to facilitate discussion of "potential resolutions" of the center's May objections to Monarch's proposal.

The Maryland-based company began hearings before the Board of Adjustment in February 2021. Although the 3.4-acre site was zoned for a maximum of 49 multi-family residential units, Monarch proposed a 174-unit senior housing project with congregate, assisted and memory levels of care.

After 16 hearings, however, Monarch was still fielding board questions on why the proposal varied so much from the township's affordable housing settlement agreement. Monarch, therefore, proposed a 20% reduction of the project that the Council approved in March.

The center filed objections to the amended project in a May 31 letter to Farrington, charging that the site was intended for much-needed multi-family rental housing. The center also charged that the proposed reduction still failed to offer the mandated 20% affordable units, and called for a much higher density than the site could handle.

AMENDMENT APPROVEDMahwah Council seeks compromise on senior housing proposal

SIZE REDUCEDDeverloper seeks compromise on size of Mahwah senior housing proposed development

Tuesday's hearing was intended to rule on those objections. Instead, attorneys appeared only to hear about the postponement.

Of added interest was the presence at Tuesday's hearing of attorney John Lamb representing the Darlington Village/Rio Vista housing projects. Neither development is near the Monarch project, and their focus has been challenging the 40-unit Fyke Road project. However, Lamb's presence suggests residents are taking a broader view of affordable housing within the township rather than individual projects.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Mahwah NJ Communities senior complex hearing to wait