Past Newsletters

Lackawanna, Free Parking, S. Park Street, Audit and other Updates

Tonight we have a Council Conference meeting at Town Hall at 7:00pm. Unfortunately, Council conference meetings (vs. Regular Council meetings) aren’t streamed on TV34 or YouTube. I intend to talk to my colleagues again tonight about at least turning the cameras on so that those of you who want to watch from home, can. 

There is a lot going on and I want you to know that I’m focused on the allegations against our now-on-leave Township Manager, Tim Stafford as well as other issues that have come to light through the filing of lawsuits by Ms. Rao and Ms. Lee against Mr. Stafford and the Township and recent press reporting. There is a lot to unpack here. I’ll continue to focus on that as well as of course the school bond campaign this week. But I wanted to also make sure I kept up with what I normally do and give all of you an update on some of the things we did at the last meeting and what’s on the agenda tonight.

Some quick updates:

  • We are working with our private developer partner Urby to get the Midtown Parking Deck open by Nov. 15th assuming succesful final inspection
  • Nishuane and Essex Park overhauls are expected to be completed by the end of the year
  • The Skate Park Project and U.S. Olympian Alexis Sablone, in partnership with the Township and Skate Essex, will be building the long-awaited professional skate sculptures in the Rand Park courts in December.
  • Essex County is looking into the timing of the new traffic lights on Bloomfield Ave. to hopefully revisit North/South cross times
  • A traffic study to help us determine a solution for the Watchung Plaza intersection is ongoing and should wrap up end of year
  • Montclair PD and our engineers are looking into changes that can be made to deal with traffic impacts to Claremont, Forest and Willow resulting form the reversal of traffic on Glenridge Ave.

Free Parking – Shop & Dine Small

Once again we are making meters free for 2 hours per vehicle per spot from Small Business Saturday on Nov. 26th through January 8th. The meters will display this on the machines. We’re working with our app providers to see if we can get that information posted on there too considering so many of us pay for parking before we even get out of the car.

Local Government Best Practices

Each year we must submit a report inventorying best practices by the Township to the State Division of Local Government Services. Out of a maximum of 36.5 points on the scoring rubric, Montclair achieved a 30. So we passed and that will ensure we’ll get 100% state aid. But like the perfectionist student I used to be, I obsess over points that we didn’t get and why. So I want to highlight those for transparency purposes but also to give our government a road map for doing better in the future. These are some of the items we didn’t receive points for:

  • All ordinances, including all current salary ordinances are not available online
  • We did not file summary forms for all current completed labor agreements to the Public Employment Relations Commission
  • All Governing Body Members did not file Financial Disclosure Statements in 2022
  • We do not have an anti-nepotism policy on the books (we must do this immediately)
  • We do not have a formal policy around purchasing hybrid or alternative fuel vehicles (something I want us to pursue in the next 6 months)
  • We do not have a Municipal Ethics Board (something I’m looking into having us create – more on that soon)
  • We do not have a property tax rewards program encouraging patronage of local retail establishments (I didn’t know this was a thing)

We are also intending tonight to approve a Corrective Action Plan based on 2021 Internal Audit Recommendations. Components of the Corrective Action Plan include:

  • Procure the services of an independent human resources consultant to review the Township’s sick and vacation leave policies and ensure compliance
  • Township employees, including Governing Body Members, will need to provide proof of eligibility for benefits or will be dis-enrolled from benefits
  • The Township will ensure every employee file is digitized and includes Form I-9

What I wanna for Lackawanna

Tonight we’ll take a first vote on a long awaited redevelopment plan for Lackawanna Plaza. If it advances tonight, it will trigger a 45 day review period for the Planning Board, where we’ll get back recommendations and decide either to amend this plan or move it as-is to a second vote after that in either December or January. Once it’s scheduled for a second vote, it will open a public comment period leading up to and a public hearing the night of that vote — that’s just to say, you’ll have plenty of options to have your voice heard on the redevelopment plan. Then comes site plan development, which gets much more into the specifics. The rough timeline is:

Redevelopment Plan (Q4 2022 – Q1 2023) = Broader Framework for Development
Site Plan (Q1 2023 – Q2 2023) = Granular Specifics Around Construction

As a member of the Council’s Economic Development Committee and as the Council Member living closest to Lackawanna Plaza, this has been something that I’ve been in the weeds on, working with my colleagues, Township staff and third party consultants that we’ve hired. I’m particulary concerned about and focused on traffic and vehicle circulation for my neighborhood. But I feel good that those concerns will be addressed appropriately. I’m excited about the broad parameters we’re establishing and the values I’m seeing woven into this project around:

  • Fixing the fourth ward food desert by building the Largest Grocery Store in Montclair
  • Addressing Affordable Housing by creating the most units ever seen in a Montclair Project
  • Making this the most Eco-Friendly Development in the history of Montclair and a top site in NJ
  • Use of open space and plazas for Community Building, events, and quality of life
  • Public Art woven throughout the site in a nod to Montclair’s rich arts history
  • A real appreciation for the Rail History of the site with thematic inclusion throughout the space
  • Accessibility & Amenities that encourage foot, bike, chair, board and scooter arrival and way-finding
  • Creating nearly 100,000 sq. ft. of commercial Office Space for businesses who want to locate in town with those employees then supporting restaurants and shops downtown with their commerce

This has a ways to go. I’m committed to making sure we get this right. But getting it right doesn’t mean everyone will be happy (when does it?) and I’m also strongly committed to making sure someone’s idea of perfect.

Accessory Dwelling Unit Law Advances

For the last 20 months, I’ve been part of a working group developing a new ADU ordinance for Montclair. I also participated in a symposium, which if you have the time, is worth it to get more info. We advanced it last week and it’s now with Planning Board for review before coming back to the Council for a final vote (and public hearing) in November. My hope is that we can start 2023 off with a new ADU law on the books.

Fundamentally, I think these are a very smart and strategic way to give families an opportunity to stay together, introduce a few more living structures into our residential zones without blowing up that Montclair feel, and enable a way for those who want to age in place to potentially generate some income. When I think about ADUs I think about how modern society has split up families for so many reasons — one being affordability. My parents and siblings are in four different states when a generation ago, everyone lived in the same town. There is no magic wand. But ADUs can be affordable options for aging parents or college students or post-college twenty somethings to live to help keep families together.

Key Details:

  • Permits ADUs for One, Two and Three-Family Dwellings
  • The property owner must live in the primary structure or the ADU
  • One off street parking space must be provided
  • An ADU must be between 300 and 800 sq. ft. in size and have no more than three occupants (ADUs that are fully handicap accessible allowed up to 5% larger)
  • Short term rentals of less than 6 months are not permitted
  • Must harmonize with the existing architectural and landscaping character

Fixing Up Church & S. Park Streets

I’m committed to making Church St. a pedestrian plaza in the years ahead. But until we’re there, we do have to keep up with basic maintenance. I’m excited that we’re going to advance a Department of Transportation-funded project to, among other things:

  • Upgrades to curbing, sidewalks and driveway aprons along S. Park St. from Bloomfield to The Crescent
  • Full milling and paving of Church St. from Bloomfield to S. Park.
  • Drainage improvements on S. Park St.
  • Replacement of all granite cobble stones in the median of S. Park St. (where the grass and weeds grow and look terrible) with reinforced, colored and stamped concrete
  • Fixing brick paver sidewalk areas where bricks are damaged, missing or uneven

Separate from this project, we are also meeting tomorrow to discuss fixing the lighting on S. Park St. which has a number of lights out.

Don’t Forget to Vote

If you have a mail-in ballot, please return it as soon as possible. The system shows us that too many ballots are sitting on dining tables or kitchen islands and haven’t been returned. Please get those in and please vote yes on the school bod.

If you’re voting early, here’s where you can vote.

Or if you’re voting on Election Day on November 8th, be mindful of incorrect texts that have gone out and find your polling place here.