Save our neighborhood

Vornado Realty Trust purchased the Bergen Mall in 2004 and has submitted an application to the Paramus Planning Board for approval of a major redevelopment of the entire property.

Part of this redevelopment plan calls for the demolition of the old ShopRite and construction of two new buildings for retail stores adjacent to Locust Drive. The application is seeking numerous variances for the construction of these buildings. These buildings were to be 135,000 & 144,000 square feet, respectively. Vornado has recently revised the plans by increasing the size of one of the buildings to include a garden center.

This project will have a major impact on the homeowners of Locust Drive.

• The plan proposes a buffer area of only 58 feet between the homes and the back of these buildings.
• The easement that was deeded by Bergen Mall to each homeowner in 1955 will be part of the buffer.
• To create this buffer space all the old growth trees within this area will be cut down.
• There will be two rows of saplings shielding the homes from these massive buildings.
• There will be a sidewalk and a 20 foot emergency lane in the buffer area.
• There will be a one foot drainage pipe in the buffer area to control flooding.
• The actual ‘green’ space shielding the homes from back of these buildings will be about 26 feet or, roughly one third the size mandated by the building code of Paramus.

• Each building will be up to 35 feet tall.
• Each building will have fire doors with emergency lighting.
• There will be a lighted parking lot for 200 to 300 cars.
• Construction of these new buildings is expected to take up to one year to complete.
• The hours of operation of the new stores will be from 10 A.M. to 10 P.M. , six days a week.

You’re probably asking yourself , “I’m a homeowner, what does this mean to me”?

• Your home will decrease in value.
• The natural beauty of your neighborhood will be gone.
• The neighborhood will be less desirable.
• You will lose your privacy.
• There will be more noise, more traffic, more lights, and less security.
• There will be an increased risk of flooding.

What can I do?

• Help Stop Bergen Mall Sprawl
• Join the Maywood Lawns Homeowners Association

email: maywood.lawns@earthlink.net
blog: http://mlha.blogspot.com