Prepared for the Saddle River Planning Board

PHILLIPS PREISS GRYGIEL LLC

Planning & Real Estate Consultants

Adopted September 4, 2012

Reexamination of the Master Plan of the Borough of Saddle River

REEXAMINATION OF THE MASTER PLAN OF THE BOROUGH OF SADDLE RIVER

SADDLE RIVER PLANNING BOARD

Phillips Preiss Grygiel LLC Planning and Real Estate Consultants

33-41 Newark Street Hoboken, New Jersey 07030

Adopted September 4, 2012

Table of Contents Page I. INTRODUCTION 1 II. MAJOR PROBLEMS AND OBJECTIVESOF THE 2010 MASTER PLAN 2 A. Objectives 2 B. Major Problems 3 III. EXTENT TO WHICH PROBLEMS OR OBJECTIVES FROM THE LAST MASTER PLANN HAVE BEEN REDUCED OR INCREASED 5 A. Preserve the Borough’s Residential Character 5 B. Protect the Borough’s Historic Hamlet Center Character 5 C. Provide Access to Open Space for Passive Recreation 16 D. Preserve the Appearance of the Saddle River Crossing Area 16 E. Improve Quality and Quantity of Active Recreation Parks 17 F. Provide High-Quality Community Facilities and Services 17 G. Protect and Safeguard the Saddle River/Environmental Protection 19 H. Update Regulations Relating to Land Use 19 IV. SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN ASSUMPTIONS, POLICIES AND OBJECTIVES 21 A. Changes to Saddle River’s 2010 Master Plan Objectives 21 B. Changes to Saddle River’s 2010 Master Plan Assumptions and Policies 21 C. Additional Changes in Assumptions, Policies and Objectives 22 V. RECOMMENDED CHANGES TO THE MASTER PLAN AND ZONING 23

List of Tables

Table Page 1 Individual Properties which Should be Considered for Designation as an Historic Landmark in the Borough of Saddle River 6 2 School Enrollment by Grade 19

List of Figures

Figure Page 1 The Garret and Maria Ackerman House, 150 East Saddle River Road 15

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I. INTRODUCTION Under the Municipal Land Use Law (NJSA 40:55 89), every ten years a general reexamination of a municipality's master plan and development regulations by the Planning Board is required. Howev-er, a Planning Board is empowered to undertake a Reexamination of the Master Plan on a more fre-quent basis, as the need arises. A reexamination report is required to state the following:

a. The major problems and objectives relating to land development in the municipality at the time of the adoption of the last reexamination report.

b. The extent to which such problems and objectives have been reduced or have increased subsequent to such date.

c. The extent to which there have been significant changes in the assumptions, policies and objectives forming the basis for the master plan or development regulations as last re-vised, with particular regard to the density and distribution of population and land uses, housing conditions, circulation, conservation of natural resources, energy conservation, collection, disposition and recycling of designated recyclable materials, and changes in State, county and municipal policies and objectives.

d. The specific changes recommended for the master plan or development regulations, if any, including underlying objectives, policies and standards, or whether a new plan or regulations should be prepared.

e. The recommendations of the planning board concerning the incorporation of redevelop-ment plans adopted pursuant to the “Local Redevelopment and Housing Law,” P.L. 1992, c. 79 (C.40A:12A-1 et al.) into the land use plan element of the municipal master plan, and recommended changes, if any, in the local development regulations necessary to ef-fectuate the redevelopment plans of the municipality.

The Borough of Saddle River last adopted a full Master Plan on September 13, 2010 entitled Master Plan Update for the Borough of Saddle River, Bergen County, New Jersey, prepared by Phillips Preiss Grygiel LLC. This is a reexamination of that master plan. Note that since the Borough of Sad-dle River has no newly-designated “areas in need of redevelopment,” the latter element (i.e., “e” above) is excluded in this reexamination. The reexamination which is provided in the following four chapters follows the state-mandated format above.

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II. MAJOR PROBLEMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE 2010 MASTER PLAN A. OBJECTIVES The following were the goals and objectives of the 2010 Borough of Saddle River’s Master Plan. Goal 1. Preserve the residential character of the Borough

To preserve the existing bucolic, single-family residential character of the Borough, and the scenic local roadways which contribute to the high quality of life enjoyed by Borough residents.

Goal 2. Protect the character of the historic hamlet center

To protect the character and scale of the hamlet center through such methods as updat-ed zoning regulations, historic district designation, landmark designation, design guide-lines and other implementation measures outlined in the Saddle River Crossing Plan.

Goal 3. Provide access to open space for use as passive recreation

To provide passive recreational opportunities by implementing the mini-trail pedestrian system envisioned in the Saddle River Crossing Plan, and continuing to search for sites suitable for additional passive recreation space.

Goal 4. Encourage preservation of the appearance of the historic Saddle River Crossing

Area

To preserve the historic appearance of the Borough’s hamlet business center (also re-ferred to as “Saddle River Crossing Area”), and where applicable, historic landmarks out-side the district where such properties have been so designated.

Goal 5. Preserve the remnants of farming in Saddle River

To explore the ways in which the few remaining parcels devoted to the production of ag-ricultural products, and the sale of same, could be preserved well into the future.

Goal 6. Improve the quality and quantity of active recreation parks

To improve existing active recreation facilities and search for opportunities for additional recreation facilities.

Goal 7. Provide high-quality community facilities and services

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To acquire property, where appropriate, for municipal purposes, including open space and parkland.

Goal 8. Protect and safeguard the Saddle River

To protect the water quality and scenic and environmental qualities of the Saddle River. Goal 9. Update regulations relating to land use

To revise and update the Borough’s zoning regulations to make them consistent with the Master Plan and existing land uses.

B. MAJOR PROBLEMS The major problems relating to development in the Borough of Saddle River in the prior Master Plan can be summarized as follows: 1. Historic Preservation

No individual properties that were deemed worthy of historic preservation by the Historic Preserva-tion Commission were designated as historic landmarks, nor were any historic districts formally des-ignated. The Saddle River Historic Preservation Ordinance (Chapter 125) included a provision that, if the Commission receives an objection in writing prior to a public hearing or in person at the public hearing by the owner of a property which is to be designated as an historic landmark, the property must be deleted from the tentative list and map, and would not be designated an historic landmark by the Commission. However, an historic district could not function or remain intact if individual properties were permitted to be excluded and developed counter to the district’s guidelines and regulations. As such, an historic district may be established over the objections of individual proper-ty owners included in the proposed district.

2. County Roads

The County endorsed a design standard in which the right-of-way (ROW) widths on all County road-ways would be approximately 66 feet. The existing ROWs on County roads in the Borough range from only 33 feet to 55 feet. Widening the ROWs on County roads (for example, East Allendale Road) would alter the contours of such roads and increase the capacity and speed of traffic. The narrow and winding roadways resulted in slower traffic and contributed substantially to the rural na-ture and high quality of life in Saddle River. The 2010 Master Plan recommended adopting Scenic Corridor designation in such circumstances.

3. Zoning

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The permissiveness of the B-1 Retail Business zone allowed for the possibility of inappropriate or undesirable uses which were not consistent with the land use character, scale, and design of exist-ing uses in the zone in the event such properties were developed or redeveloped. There were ap-proximately 68 acres of farmland in Saddle River, inclusive of a portion of Demarest Farms. While the main operations of the farm were located in the Borough of Hillsdale, the farm extended across the municipal boundary into Saddle River and was located in the R-1 Single-Family Residential zone. Schools and places of worship are permitted as a conditional use in all residential zones of the Borough. To the extent that an application for development involving an existing school or house or worship (or a new school or house of worship) that would not be able to meet one or more of the conditional use standards, it would have to seek a “d” or use variance from the Zoning Board of Ad-justment. 4. Public Water Precipitated in part by localized well contamination, the Borough had been expanding the public wa-ter system in an effort to provide fire protection and to make water available to private homes throughout the municipality. Installation of water mains along all County roads was complete in 2009, but had not yet been installed Borough-wide. 5. Environmental Protection

The Borough experienced flooding problems, generally during large storm events, which led to local-ized flooding, streambank erosion, overtopping of the Saddle River, and culvert flow capacity prob-lems, exacerbating upstream flooding. The Borough was committed to preserving mature trees in the community, and, as such, additional regulations or strengthening of the existing tree preservation regulations were needed; such regulations would be intended to prevent the removal of an inordi-nate number of trees and “clear cutting” of native mature trees. 6. Community Facilities

With regard to open space in Saddle River, the Borough contained only slightly more than the mini-mum amount of open space recommended by the National Recreation and Park Association; the active recreation fields and Rindlaub Park were heavily used; and access and parking at Rindlaub Park was problematic. Borough Hall was outdated and inefficient, and in need of renovations and modernization; such expansion would need to incorporate the Office of Emergency Management function requirements for security and operability.

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III. EXTENT TO WHICH PROBLEMS OR OBJECTIVES FROM THE LAST MASTER PLAN HAVE BEEN REDUCED OR INCREASED A. Preserve the Borough’s Residential Character

Construction has started on Saddle River Grand, a 68 unit luxury townhouse project approved for development on a 23 acre portion of the former Tice property located on the border of Woodcliff Lake along County Road and Chestnut Ridge Road. This townhouse project creates a transition be-tween the more intense development that exists in Woodcliff Lake and the low density development in Saddle River. Of the 68 available units, 65 units have been pre-sold. To date only four units have been completed. B. Protect the Borough’s Historic Hamlet Center Character Ordinance 11-859c was adopted by the Mayor and Council of the Borough on December 24, 2011 and included amendments to the Borough’s Historic Preservation Ordinance (Chapter 125). An im-portant component of the amended Historic Preservation Ordinance stated that: “If the Mayor and Council receives an objection by the owner(s) of property(ies) to be included in a historic district, the Mayor and Council may still include the property(ies) in the historic district. The reason for this is that the historic district cannot function or remain intact if individual properties are permitted to be ex-cluded and developed in a manner which is counter to the historic district’s guidelines and regula-tions.” Other changes to the Historic Preservation Ordinance include the establishment of two histor-ic preservation advisory committees by the Mayor and Council: the Saddle River Museum Advisory Committee and the Bishop House Advisory Committee. The stated purpose of these committees is to oversee the operation of the Saddle River Museum and the Bishop House, respectively, and to perform such duties as may be delegated to them by the Mayor and Council.

The amendments to the Historic Preservation Ordinance enabled the Mayor and Council of the Bor-ough to designate the Saddle River Crossing Historic District with the adoption of Ordinance 12-867c on May 21, 2012. No individual landmarks have been formally designated in the Borough to date. Based upon a reconsideration of the historic characteristics of the home at 150 East Saddle River Road, as well as the willingness of the owner to have the home locally designated, the Garret and Maria Ackerman House has been added to the list of individual properties which should be consid-ered for historic landmark designation at the municipal level. (See Table 1 Individual Properties Which Should be Considered for Designation as an Historic Landmark in the Borough of Saddle River and Figure 1 The Garret and Maria Ackerman House, 150 East Saddle River Road below.) Constructed in the early to mid-nineteenth century, the Garret and Maria Ackerman House at 150 East Saddle River Road (Block 1701, Lot 43) is a good example of early frame domestic architec-ture. Its 1.5-story massing of two attached blocks and its regulation fenestration with belly windows in friezes is characteristic of local vernacular architecture in the early 19th century. The house’s main façade maintains the massing, roofline and many other features evident of its construction date. The

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Table 1. Individual Properties Which Should be Considered for Designation as an Historic Landmark

in the Borough of Saddle River

# on Map Street Name Notes

Listed on NR

and SR1 Block/

Lot Date

1 100 E. Allendale Saddle River Municipal Build-ing Dutch Colonial Revival. In good condition 1607/ 11 1937

2 96 E. Allendale Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church and Parish House

Built in 1820-21, it is the oldest church building in the Borough and is one of the only remaining Federal Period church buildings in Bergen County.

Parish house is a 1930 enlargement of 1886 Ladies Social Union Hall.

The south and west sides of the church building is a cemetery which contains graves of earlier settlers. X 1607/ 10 1820-21

3 88 E. Allendale Garret A. Osborn house

Former barn for Osborn House. Good example of early 19th century ver-

nacular frame architecture X 1607/ 7 c. 1835

4 74 E. Allendale William Tricker Inc. Water Gardens

Oldest commercial grower of aquatic plants.

Represents shift away from Saddle River as a mill town to a "country house" town as a former mill pond was converted into planting beds for aquatic plants.

Some original greenhouses remain. X 1607/ 3 1926

5 73 E. Allendale The Packer Showroom Probably built between 1876-1886 as a

showroom for the Packer enterprises. X 1401/ 13 1876-86

6 71 E. Allendale

William Packer House and Ac-cessory Buildings (“Barnstable Court”)

House was home of the Packer family important to Saddle River’s industrial his-tory

Accessory buildings relate to house or to various Packer industries

Included on the property are a mill pond, with dam, and part of a raceway, as well as an island in the Saddle River X 1401/ 14

Mid 19th century

1 NR = National Register of Historic Places; SR = State Register of Historic Places.

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# on Map Street Name Notes

Listed on NR

and SR1 Block/

Lot Date

7 70 E. Allendale Woodruff Packer Foundry

Foundry once part of Packer and Son factory, the largest industry in Saddle River’s history which made ploughs and farm implements

The sluice used to power the blast for Woodruff’s furnace is still under building X 1607/ 2 c. 1840s

8 69 E. Allendale The Saddle River Hotel

Housed the Saddle River Hotel in 1860s and 1870s

Local vernacular Greek Revival architec-ture X 1401/ 15 1837

9 67 E. Allendale The DeBaun Grocery (general store)

Post Office-John G. DeBaun Grocery 1911-1933

One story frame building retains much of its historic integrity

Rear wing addition predates 1935 X 1401/ 16 1911-35

10 146 W. Saddle River The Mowerson-Forshay Store Building erected in 1911 and used as a

grocery store. X 1401/ 17 1911

11 148 W. Saddle River The Woodruff Packer house

Built in stages of 3 bays each. Bow win-dow on south side added c. 1900.

Originally located to the east of 71 E. Al-lendale Road and moved to current loca-tion between 1876-86 X 1401/ 14 c. 1847

12 150 W. Saddle River The Emmaline Packer House

Typical residential building erected in the late 19th century.

Believed to have been home of a member of the Packer family associated with Packer Industries. X 1401/ 18 c. 1880

13 152 W. Saddle River F.H. Storms House

Associated with F.H. Storms who lived in the house and operated a store on this property (not extant) and later a building contracting business which erected nu-merous buildings in the area, maintained roads, dug graves, cut ice, and put down water mains.

Many alterations. South porch added c. 1910's and large front gable added. X 1401/ 19 c. 1880

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# on Map Street Name Notes

Listed on NR

and SR1 Block/

Lot Date

14 154 W. Saddle River The Justus Adams House Vernacular residential architecture from

late 19th century. X 1401/ 20 c. 1869

15 156 W. Saddle River The Nagle-Crouter-Ackt House

Vernacular residential architecture from late 19th century. From 1877 to 1919 was a tailor’s shop; and from 1933 to 1952 it was the Post Office X 1401/ 21 pre-1876

16 158 W. Saddle River Christopher-Vermulyn Black-smith

Queen Anne vernacular residential archi-tecture. X 1401/ 22 c. 1890's

17 176 E. Saddle River The Ackerman Dewsnap Bish-op / Bishop Bow

Main Portions built 1835-1840. Formerly part of Garret A. Ackerman’s

farm. Good example of residential vernacular

architecture. X 1402/ 32 c. 1835

18 119 W. Saddle River Bull’s Head Tavern/ Ackerman-Leamon House

Eastern most section of house was built c. 1802 and included basement and frame above it. The gambrel roof above that was added c. 1830. The middle sec-tion was built c. 1850's.

Turn of 19th century structure functioned as a drover’s tavern where men and live-stock rested in transit to market in Pater-son later used to house vacationers. X 1606/ 25 1802

19 125 W. Saddle River John Berdan House

Good example of vernacular frame do-mestic architecture.

Sections A and B built pre-1870's. C built shortly after. Post World War-II breeze-way and garage X 1606/ 23

Pre-1840; 1810;

additions in early

19th cen-tury

20 139 W. Saddle River Ackerman Pell Farmhouse

Ackerman-Pell family occupied important places in Saddle River’s history.

Farmhouse is primarily c. 1840’s Greek revival. X 1606/ 21 1840’s

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# on Map Street Name Notes

Listed on NR

and SR1 Block/

Lot Date

21 145 W. Saddle River The DeBaun house

Well-preserved example of vernacular Queen Anne Style architecture. West side added in 1980's.

Post Office located here in 1910-1911 X 1603/ 9

After 1876, c. 1890's

22 155 W. Saddle River F. H. Storms House

Nice, simple Colonial-Revival home. Home was for son of F.H. Storms who

lived at 152 West Saddle River Road. X 1603/ 5 1925

23 163 W. Saddle River Andrew Esler-George Elser House

Nice example of Downingesque architec-ture, i.e. wraparound porch, overhanging eaves, pointed-arch windows, and bay window. X 1603/ 2 c. 1860

24 167 W. Saddle River Lucien Sallet House

Fantasy architecture. Stone and concrete revival towers on grounds of larger home. Tower has projecting corner turrets, clocks, heraldic shields, concrete dog. X 1603/ 1 c. 1939

25 2 Chestnut Ridge The J.J. Carlock house

Well-preserved, 3 bay wide, 1.5 story. One-bay Colonial revial style porch was added later, as were rear portions. X 2102/ 25

c. early 19th cen-

tury

26 136 Chestnut Ridge Abraham P. Ackerman House In tact example of vernacular residential

architecture. X 1502/ 28 c. 1802

27 184 Chestnut Ridge Achenbach House Remaining unit is the original kitchen and

unit X 1202/ 33 c. 1802

28 171 E. Allendale The Ackerman-Smith house

Former home of AP Smith (1832-1901), an African-American publisher who pub-lished a monthly newspaper from the house. The newspaper was the only one published in this area of Bergen County and the only commercial paper ever pub-lished in Saddle River.

Was tenant farmer house to Ackerman Estate (199 East Saddle River). X 1201/ 14 c. 1760

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# on Map Street Name Notes

Listed on NR

and SR1 Block/

Lot Date

29 29 E. Saddle River Joe Jefferson Clubhouse

Constructed of chestnut logs as use for a private fishing club.

Good example of late 19th and early 20th century American log cabin typically used for recreational purposes.

Important survivor of Saddle River’s early 20th century history when recreation was a significant factor in the Borough’s de-velopment. X 2002/ 7 1925

30 116 E. Saddle River The Laurance Thomas Van Buskirk house

The structure has been altered through the years, but still retains a significant amount of its original historic fabric to warrant preservation. X 1701/ 36 c. 1740

31 131 E. Saddle River The G. Litchult house

Typical early frame house with three bay wide, one and a half story main block with knee-high windows and one and a half story side wings with knee-high windows 1607/ 21 c. 1800

32 164 E. Saddle River Andries Thomas Van Buskirk House

The structure has been altered through the years, but still retains a significant amount of its original historic fabric to warrant preservation. X 1701/ 1 c. 1725

33 199 E. Saddle River The Abram Ackerman House and Mill

The structure retains much of its historic integrity. There is also a grist mill on the property. X 1401/ 8 1770-75

34 220 E. Saddle River O’Blenis House

Well-preserved, Downing-esque house. Structure was home to Dr. Bernard

O’Blenis who was a physician, mill owner and the Borough’s first mayor. X 1105/ 34 c. 1848

35 45 W. Saddle River The Hendrick-Hopper house

Original stone house built c. 1740's. Remodeled in 1870s and remains a good

example of Victorian architecture. X 1802/ 18 1740's

36 81 W. Saddle River The Peter Ackerman house Has been altered significantly, but retains

its historic integrity. X 1804/ 3 c. 1861

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# on Map Street Name Notes

Listed on NR

and SR1 Block/

Lot Date

37 109 W. Saddle River The Ackerman Dater House

Main House is a good example of "Dutch" house architecture. However, there have been additions to the home and some in-appropriate alterations (i.e., window punched on second story) X 1609/ 13 c. 1740

38 229 W. Saddle River The Dr. E.G. Roy house

Good example of Second Empire style architecture with the style’s characteristic mansard roof.

House is historically significant in Saddle River’s history as a country home location in the 19th century. X 1104/ 3 1861-76

39 121 Chestnut Ridge Bruder House (Kuwaiti Mis-sion)

Nice example of Gothic Revival residen-tial structure from early 20th century. 1702/ 9 1930's

40 147 Chestnut Ridge C.L. Denison House (Saddle River Day School)

Former estate home of C.L. Denison of the Denison Paper Company.

Main building retains Colonial Revival style historic integrity. 1501/ 7 1920's

41 45 E. Saddle River Van Buskirk Cemetery

Reminder of Saddle River’s early settle-ment period.

Cemetery contains about 40 stones, some with epitaphs in Dutch.

Stone slabs with arched and shaped heads represent the type of grave marker typical in Bergen County’s early cemeter-ies. 2002/ 5 c. 1900

42 188 E. Saddle River Henry G. ("Tip") Ackerman Inn and Mill

Former Ackerman Mill a sawmill and gristmill.

House used an inn for cattlemen on the way to market. It was the first hotel in Saddle River and was known as the Washington House. 1402/ 33 c. 1838

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# on Map Street Name Notes

Listed on NR

and SR1 Block/

Lot Date

43 246 E. Saddle River Dr. John Christie Ware Bunga-low

Good example of Arts and Crafts Bunga-low. The typology of a bungalow is a 1.5 story house with broad roof extending over porches.

Foundation is boulders with wood shin-gles in gables. X 1105/ 43 1909-10

44 3 West Church H.F. Durbur House, "The Ga-bles"

Good example of a Colonial Revival home with the varied surfacing material and many projections suggestive of the Queen Anne style..

Durbur House design was published in Architects’ and Builders’ Magazine of 1900. 1902/ 39 c. 1900

45 17 Woodcliff Lane William Ackerman House

Nice example of Victorian Second Empire style. Residential, 2nd Empire with c. 1900 Arts and Crafts modifications. Was originally a farmhouse which took in summer boarders. Also known as William Ackerman House and Mt. Pleasant Farm. In 1921 the house was used as a recu-peration facility for servicement wounded in WWI under the name Chestnut Ridge Rest Farm. 1501/ 8 1864-69

46 39 Woodcliff Lake Overlook Farm: Canning Fac-tory Former canning factory 1502/ 25 1842

47 261 E. Saddle River

The F.L. Wandell Estate: Van-Ryper House and Wandell Es-tate Barn

Both buildings are in good condition and retain historic integrity. Shingle-style barn with octagonal, louvered cupola. House moved to current site pre-WW-I from orig-inal site which was at 255 E.S.R. X 1102/ 7 1905-10

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# on Map Street Name Notes

Listed on NR

and SR1 Block/

Lot Date

48 223 W. Saddle River B.C. Wandell House

Good example of Second Empire home. House is significant to the history of Sad-

dle River as a resort location in the 19th century. First owner, Judge Wandell, be-lieved to be the first New Yorker to estab-lish a summer house in Saddle River.

House was a vacation camp, Shadyside Camp, run by the YWCA between 1919 and 1941. X 1104/ 5

49 214 W. Saddle River B.C. Wandell Gazebo Part of the Wandell estate. Eclectic, late 19th century design. X 1102/ 21

50 224 W. Saddle River B. C. Wandell Barn

Became part of the Wandell estate in the late 1890s. Previously used in an edge tool manufacturing enterprise.

Used as a dorm for Shadyside Camp, a YWCA camp operated between 1919 and 1941. X 1102/ 23

51 16 Twinbrooks Rd. Indian Rock

In 1702, a deed was drawn up between the indigenous Indians and the European settlers which conveyed 1,200 acres along the eastern side of the Saddle Riv-er. The rock marked the southern most point of Indian lands. 2102/ 6

52 42 W. Saddle River Black Walnut Tree in front of Hopper-Victor Tenant House

This tree showed up on early land deeds as a property boundary and is the oldest in this area. 1801/ 25 1840-61

53 138 Chestnut Ridge Brockhuizen/Keogh House Stone foundation bungalow typical of ear-

ly 20th century 1502/ 29 1927

54 140 Chestnut Ridge Stone foundation bungalow typical of ear-

ly 20th century 1502/ 30 1923

55 142 Chestnut Ridge Stone foundation bungalow typical of ear-

ly 20th century 1502/ 31 1924

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# on Map Street Name Notes

Listed on NR

and SR1 Block/

Lot Date

56 150 E. Saddle River Garret & Maria Ackerman

House

Good example of early frame domestic architecture. Its 1.5 story massing of two attached blocks and its regular fenestra-tion with belly windows in friezes is char-acteristic of local vernacular architecture in the early 19th century. X 1701/43

1824, c.1838

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Figure 1: The Garret and Maria Ackerman House, 150 East Saddle River Road

Source: Phillips Preiss Grygiel LLC, 2012

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original homeowners were Garret and Maria Ackerman, members of one of the prominent “first fami-lies” of Saddle River. The first Ackermans to settle in Saddle River arrived in the mid-1700s. The house is listed on the National and State List of Historic Properties. C. Provide Access to Open Space for Passive Recreation The Borough acquired the former Exxon gas station property, located at 66 East Allendale Road. The Borough intends to use a portion of this parcel as part of the mini-trail system envisioned in the Saddle River Crossing Plan, though implementation of the mini-trail system has not yet commenced. The Borough has also acquired the Marker property adjacent to Rindlaub Park and Borough Hall, with the intent of improving access to the park and providing additional parking for both the Borough Hall and those using the park.

D. Preserve the Appearance of the Saddle River Crossing Area The Mayor and Council of the Borough adopted the zoning changes initially recommended in the Saddle River Crossing Plan, followed by more specific recommendations in the 2010 Master Plan, which called for the establishment of the following zones and associated land use standards and de-sign guidelines:

Crossing Government (C-G): The purpose of this zone is to encourage public and governmental us-es that primarily serve the Borough, while maintaining and enhancing the historic character, scale and open spaces that exist within the zone.

Crossing Business (C-B): The purpose of this zone is to encourage retail, office and public uses that primarily serve Saddle River residents and employees that work in the Borough, while maintaining and enhancing the historic character and scale of the built environment; this includes their eclectic architectural character, their small scale, provision of small parking lots located to the rear of build-ings, interspersed with open space and landscaping, and connected by walkways, all of an histori-cally compatible style and design.

Crossing Office (C-O): The purpose of this zone is to permit and encourage professional and busi-ness office uses in a manner which is compatible with the historic character and scale of existing built environment within the zone and within the adjacent Crossing Business (C-B), Crossing Gov-ernment (C-G) and the Residential (R-1) zones. Small buildings of a more residential scale and de-sign are encouraged, with small parking lots located to the rear of the buildings, interspersed with open space and landscaping, and connected by walkways, all of an historically compatible design and style. Saddle River Commons, an office condominium complex located on the south side of East Allendale Road, is now within the Crossing Office zone. The complex was designed as a series of smaller in-terconnected buildings which contains mostly professional offices such as law and doctors’ offices.

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Recently, a bank stabilization project was undertaken along the bank of the Saddle River adjacent to the Commons, to remedy damage caused by flooding and erosion in 2011.

The adoption of amendments to the Borough’s Historic Preservation Ordinance, as discussed above, enabled the Mayor and Council to designate the Saddle River Crossing Historic District on May 21, 2012. As specified in Ordinance 12-867c, the district is comprised of all lots with frontage on the south side of East Allendale Road between West Saddle River Road and East Saddle River Road including Block 1607, Lots 1 through 11; Block 1607, Lots 40 and 41; properties on the north side of East Allendale Road, Block 1401, Lots 11 through 22 and also Block 1402, Lots 27, 28, 30.01, 31, and 32. The district represents a rural crossroad hamlet as it developed between the early 19th and early 20th centuries. The district contains elements associated with the continuing history of Saddle River, as the center of an agricultural area with some small scale hydro-powered industry along the Saddle River to its evolution in the last 19th and early 20th centuries as the village center of an area with a growing estate constituency.

A vacant commercial space in Barnstable Court was approved in 2011 for conversion to a bank with drive thru. Construction has yet to begin. Located along the north side of East Allendale Road, just east of its intersection with West Saddle River Road, Barnstable Court is comprised of 11 buildings which were formerly associated with Packer Industries and have been adaptively reused in a way which enhances and reinforces their historic ambiance. Approvals for the drive-thru bank conversion included numerous improvements to the site plan for Barnstable Court, consistent with the recom-mendations of the Saddle River Crossing Plan. All of the buildings within Barnstable Court are listed as contributing buildings to the “Saddle River Center District” which is listed on the State and Na-tional Register of Historic Places, and are also within the recently designated Saddle River Crossing Historic District. At the same time that Saddle River Valley Bank is being constructed, the property owner of Barnstable Court, will make certain upgrades to the entire Barnstable Court property, in-cluding improving curbing, adding landscaping, benches and lighting, adding wooden dumpster en-closures, repaving and restriping the parking lots, and providing a pocket park north of the Saddle River Inn with benches and area of cleared vegetation to allow the public to take advantage of views of the Saddle River from Barnstable Court.

E. Improve Quality and Quantity of Active Recreation Parks

The Borough is building a new field house at Rindlaub Park and the ball field at Wandell School is being reconstructed. The Borough will also be using the Marker property, which it recently acquired to improve access to Rindlaub Park and to add parking to it.

Implementation of the mini-trail system called for in the Saddle River Crossing Plan has not yet started.

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F. Provide High-Quality Community Facilities and Services The Borough has plans to expand Borough Hall. An architect has provided the Borough with prelimi-nary plans and elevations of the proposed renovations. The original Borough Hall building will be re-tained and the existing addition to the rear, which is both too small to accommodate the Borough’s administrative needs and architecturally incompatible with the original structure, will be demolished; two additional wings in the same style as the existing Borough Hall are proposed. The proposed al-terations are expected to accommodate the Borough’s needs well into the future. Construction may begin in 2013.

The Borough has acquired the Marker Property (159 East Saddle River Road) and will use the prop-erty to facilitate improvements to Rindlaub Park and Borough Hall. The single-family home on the property will be demolished sometime in late 2012, but the barn will be retained for municipal stor-age. The property will be used to provide a new combined entrance to Rindlaub Park and Borough Hall, and will provide additional parking for both. This is necessary, both because the proposed ren-ovations to Borough Hall will result in the loss of a portion of the existing parking lot, and because parking for Rindlaub Park is currently inadequate.

In 2011 a new cell tower was installed on Borough property, located between the police and fire de-partment buildings. The cell tower has resulted in improved communications for emergency services. Revenue from the cell tower is being used to fund a stipend for maintaining volunteer fire person-nel’s presence during overnight hours at the Firehouse. The Borough is also considering a possible expansion to the Fire House to accommodate the EMS group.

There has been a small expansion to the fire house to accommodate personnel and Advanced Life Support (ALS) and Basic Life Support (BLS) emergency vehicles. There are now three members of the Saddle River Fire Department on-call at the fire department headquarters Monday through Fri-day from 7:00 pm to 7:00 am to respond to emergencies (i.e., fire, emergency medical care and res-cue). Members receive a stipend for their service which is funded with revenue from the cell tower. Overnight emergency response times have been reduced in the Borough since this program has been implemented.

Funding was authorized to make improvements to the Saddle River Museum building, including re-roofing, siding replacement and repair to windows.

Borough-sponsored expansion of public water mains has been put on hold. The Borough is encour-aging property owners that are undertaking a major home renovation or are tearing down an existing structure and rebuilding to extend public water to their property.

Bergen County will be making several improvements to County roads in the Borough. East Allendale Road will be repaved from Route 17 to Chestnut Ridge Road and the Lower Cross Road bridge be-tween East and West Saddle River Road will be replaced later this year.

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In terms of the overall enrollment in the Saddle River School District, there has been a slight de-crease in the past year. Updated enrollment for the Wandell School can be found in Table 2 below.

Table 2. School Enrollment by Grade Grade 2009/10 Percent 2010/11 Percent ChangeFull Day Pre-K 13 5% 13 6% 0% Half Day Pre-K 12 5% 6 3% (50%) Full Day K 26 11% 35 15% 35% 1 40 17% 26 11% (35%) 2 45 19% 39 17% (13%) 3 34 14% 44 19% 29% 4 32 13% 33 14% 3% 5 37 15% 31 14% (16%) Ungraded 0 - 1 0.4% - Total 239 100% 228 100% 5%

Source: New Jersey Department of Education

G. Protect and Safeguard the Saddle River/Environmental Protection The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection approved bank stabilization efforts along the Saddle River within the Borough (adjacent to the Commons office complex). In addition, the Bor-ough authorized a $300,000 effort to clean up (i.e., dredge) the Saddle River within municipal boundaries to improve flow and to reduce the incidence of flooding in the Borough. The Borough has repaired a culvert on West Saddle River Road that was damaged in a flood last year. The Borough is seeking recertification from Sustainable Jersey, as participating municipalities must be recertified every three years.

H. Update Regulations Relating to Land Use As part of the effort to update the Saddle River Zoning Ordinance as recommended in the 2010 Master Plan, the following list of small amendments have been adopted by the Council of Saddle River: (1) Allowing such projections as eaves or cupolas on single-family homes, subject to certain loca-

tional and size regulations. (2) Permitting fountains in certain locations in the front yard. (3) Allowing certain accessory structures without counting them towards the calculation of “im-

proved lot coverage,” including: eave projections below a certain minimum, generator pads, the

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portion of driveways within the “pole” portion of flag-shaped lots; walls and fences on the prop-erty, and walkways below a certain maximum width.

(4) Adopting regulations for allowing but regulating the placement and screening of ground-

mounted Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning Equipment. (5) Allowing crawl spaces and basements below accessory buildings provided they are substan-

tially below grade. (6) Regulations related to the setback of gates from front property lines and streets, and the light-

ing of fences. (7) Allowing piers, pillars and stanchions along with fences to be permitted within the non-

disturbance area. (8) Regulating outdoor stairs leading to basements.

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IV. SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN ASSUMPTIONS, POLICIES AND OBJECTIVES Changes in assumptions, policies and objectives which are significant in comparison to the Septem-ber 13, 2010 Master Plan for the Borough of Saddle River are set forth with respect to the prior mas-ter plan’s goals and objectives, and its recommendations. A. Changes to Saddle River’s 2010 Master Plan Objectives The following goals remain unchanged: (1) preserve the residential character of the Borough; (2) protect the character of historic hamlet center; (3) provide access to open space for use as passive recreation; (4) encourage preservation of the appearance of the historic Saddle River Crossing Area; (5) preserve remnants of farming in Saddle River; (6) improve the quality and quantity of active rec-reation parks; (7) provide high-quality community facilities and services; and (8) protect and safe-guard the Saddle River. Saddle River adopted a Third Round Housing Element and Fair Share Plan in 2008 whose aim was to provide for the Borough’s fair share of affordable housing consistent with the Council of Affordable Housing (COAH) rules for the period of 2004 through 2108. The Fair Share Plan was endorsed by the Borough Council and sent on to COAH with a petition for substantive certification. During the public review period, COAH received no objections or comments. During the pendency of COAH’s review, in October 2010, the Appellate Division struck down the Growth Share provisions of the third round. All reviews are on hold until the Supreme Court rules on an appeal of the Appellate Division’s ruling. However, the Borough of Saddle River will add an additional goal to its Master Plan, Goal 10, which is to comply with its obligation to provide for its share of low- and moderate-income housing consistent with New Jersey’s Fair Housing Act. B. Changes to Saddle River’s 2010 Master Plan Assumptions and Policies The following assumptions and policies as embodied in the recommendations of the 2010 Saddle River Master Plan (Chapter 11) remain unchanged. With respect to general recommendations, the following are still valid: (1) designate County roads in the Borough as scenic corridors; (2) designate historic landmarks in the Borough; (5) implement Saddle River Crossing Trail System; (6) explore options for Bike Routes in the Borough; (7) continue to expand construction of water mains and fire hydrants in the Borough. Recommendations 3, designate Saddle River Center Historic District, and 4, amendments to the His-toric Preservation Ordinance, have already been met, as described in Section III above. Adherence of future development or redevelopments within the Historic District to the new regulations will help to implement the policies adopted in the 2010 Master Plan.

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With respect to recommendations for specific parcels and properties, the following are still valid: (1) prepare a feasibility study to investigate accommodating additional municipal and civic services at the Bishop House; (2) undertake improvements to the Saddle River Museum; (3) importance of the future function and aesthetics 66 East Allendale Road; (6) explore the possibility of providing public access to Indian Rock; and (7) approach the Sisters of Saint Joseph to use a portion of their property for a small active recreation field. The following changes should be noted with respect to items 4 and 5: Item 4 Modernize and update Borough Hall An architect has provided the Borough with preliminary plans and elevations of the proposed renova-tions. The original Borough Hall building will be retained while the existing rear addition will be de-molished; a dual wing addition in the same style as the existing Borough Hall is proposed in place of the demolished wing, resulting in a larger, more efficient and historically compatible building. Con-struction may begin in 2013. Item 5 Acquire 159 East Allendale Road The Borough has acquired the Marker Property (159 East Saddle River Road) and will use the prop-erty to facilitate improvements to Rindlaub Park and Borough Hall. The property will be used to pro-vide a new entrance and additional parking for both Rindlaub Park and Borough Hall, since the pro-posed renovations to Borough Hall will result in the loss of a portion of the existing parking lot. The following zoning recommendations from the prior master plan remain valid: (1) Lots 7, 8 and 9 of Block 1607 should be designated as R-AH Residential Affordable Housing; and (5) recognize ag-ricultural uses in the R-1 Residential zone by creating a new Farmland Preservation zone. Some changes to items 2, 3 and 4 have occurred as follows: Item 2, Crossing Government, item 3, crossing business, and item 4, crossing office, as recom-mended in the Saddle River Crossing Plan, were adopted as described in Section III above. C. Additional Changes in Assumptions, Policies and Objectives As is evident from the list of minor amendments to the Zoning Ordinance of the Borough of Saddle River, the Borough is intent on revising its land use regulations and procedures to remove unneces-sary barriers, red tape and impediments to those single-family homeowners who intend to improve and renovate their homes and properties. At the same time, such “de-regulation” is being carefully undertaken to ensure that the major goal of the master plan—to preserve its existing bucolic charac-ter of the Borough—is not being undermined.

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V. RECOMMENDED CHANGES TO THE MASTER PLAN AND ZONING In general, all of the policies and objectives of the prior Master Plan should be retained, and efforts in the immediate and intermediate term should focus on implementing the recommendations of the 2010 Master Plan. Some of the more ambitious and comprehensive amendments recommended in the 2010 Master Plan—adopting amendments to Saddle River’s non-residential zones consistent with the Crossing Plan, adopting design regulations for such districts, amending the Saddle River Historic Preservation Ordinance and actually designating the Hamlet or crossing area the “Saddle River Historic Crossing Area” as an historic district—have been implemented. Furthermore, additional smaller amendments have been adopted in an effort to remove unnecessary barriers to renovating and improving single-family properties in the Borough, while protecting the character of the community and improving the quality of life.2 These include regulations relating to fences, walls, gates, emergency generators, ground-mounted HVAC equipment, basements and crawl spaces below accessory structures, fountains and cupolas. Additionally it is recommended that the following specific amendments be considered and adopted. (1) Further Small-Scale Amendments to the Zoning Clarification and reasonable regulation regarding, in particular, the use of single-family residential property, but also property in general in Saddle River, including but not limited to the following: set-back on corner lots; parking and loading standards; regulations relating to cultural institutions, public buildings, day care facilities and public utilities; removing regulations relating to automobile service stations (no longer permitted); extensions to the length of time variances remain valid; requiring no-tice to adjoining property owners for appeals or interpretation applications of the Saddle River land use regulations; regulations related to non-conforming structures and rebuilding homes on under-sized lots; outdoor lighting in residential zones, refining the list of permitted uses in the Crossing zones, and controls relating to alternative energy generation and utilization, including but not limited to solar panels, wind turbines, geothermal power, biomass and biofuels, and hydrogen. (2) Cellular Communication Towers and Antennas The Borough needs to add regulations relating to controlling the location, operation and aesthetic impacts of cellular communications towers and antennas in the Borough. (3) Tree Preservation The Borough is working on, and will shortly complete and introduce a new tree preservation ordi-nance, aimed to regulate the removal of trees on both private and Borough-owned property, in a manner which attempts to balance the desire of homeowners to use and enjoy their outdoor open

2 A specific list of those amendments can be found at the conclusion of the prior chapter.

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space while controlling the extent of tree removal so as to maintain the Borough’s bucolic character and limit impacts on adjacent properties. (4) Schools and Places of Worship This Reexamination recommends that the Borough’s zoning ordinance relating to institutional uses in residential districts, more specifically, schools and places of worship, be amended. It is recom-mended that such institutions be permitted uses—as opposed to conditional uses in the current ordi-nance—while adopting supplemental regulations aimed to make sure renovations or expansions of existing institutions, or the establishment of new schools or places of worship, do not adversely im-pact the neighborhoods in which they are located. (5) Other Zoning Amendments The Borough is encouraged to continue to revise the current land development regulations and to update them and streamline such regulations to improve the efficacy of administering applications for development, and which would improve the quality of life in the Borough.