On the border of Upper Saddle River and New York state plans are coming to fruition for a change of usage along the Hillside Ave corridor. What has been a semi-rural residential neighborhood of modest homes on 1+ acre lots, with wells and septics, have the potential to change significantly in usage. This will impact Upper Saddle River, and not just the residents of Hampshire Hill.
At present there are 3 large development proposals for Hillside Ave. One involves the creation of a property containing a mikvah – ritual baths with associated support, another is a proposed school, and finally the overhauling and expanding of the local cemetery which is being expanded to have a questionable number of plots.? All in a semi-rural residential area not zoned for this use.
Issues of concern include already occurring sewage spills from the mikvah, which wasn’t supposed to happen (or so they said) and increased concerns that with the growing number of cemetery plots that are being raised above grade, encroaching on wetlands, decomposition of bodies will have the potential to leach into the ground and impact the water supply. For a community that relies on wells for water.
The issues are compounded by the fact this is across state lines in New York and the boundaries of responsibility aren’t clear between townships and villages: Airmont, Chestnut Ridge, Spring Valley, Rockland County. Adding to this is the persistent lack of oversight, enforcement and control by the various councils responsible – mainly Airmont. Codes aren’t enforced, violations are tolerated, and the few residents who care fight for no results.
At stake is the water supply for Upper Saddle River where many, if not most, homes rely on well water.
- Water use: The creation of a mikvah will require thousands of gallons of water, and to date there are no clear sourcing where the water is coming from. Vague statements about tapping into a mains line some distance away have been mentioned, but given the lack of oversight they may not do this.
- Wastewater: The mikvah will create a vastly significant increase in wastewater. Again vague comments about tapping into a sewage line a distance away have been mentioned. But it is worth noting that this area has a long history of sewage spills, several occuring recently. The Saddle River at Lions Park in Upper Saddle River has been observed to show contamination.
- Stormwater runoff: The clearcutting of trees for the property development and cemetery have created runnoff issues already, with soil and debris covering and closing Hillside Ave. It is worth nothing Hillside Ave is a cut through between East Saddle River and West Saddle River Roads – presently closed.
- Traffic: Hillside Ave is a quiet country road that links East and West Saddle River Roads and is used to small amounts of traffic. The creation of a school with numerous busses, and a mikvah with the potential to have traffic 12+ hours per day will strain the capabilities of the road. It is basically a wide single track road with drop-offs down the side.
- Nuisance Issues: Residents of Hillside Ave and Hampshire Hill in Upper Saddle River are threatened with noise and light pollution beyond what is acceptable and reasonable in a semirural suburban neighborhood which has no history of this and will affect the quality of life.
Why did you move to Upper Saddle River?
The impact on property values.
Living in an area which is no longer exclusively residential, with increased traffic, noise and light pollution removes some of the appeal of this desirable location for the residents bordering Hillside Ave. But it will also has the potential to ripple out beyond to the community.
And if the aquifer is impacted and wells are impacted it will affect the entire town dependent on wells.
More Information
All from CUPON Mahwah
