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SADDLE RIVER — On the eve of an anticipated court ruling to determine the borough's compliance with its affordable housing settlement, the Planning Board dismissed an application for one of its affordable housing sites Wednesday.

The board's vote on the O'Donnell project for East Allendale Road was precipitated by developer Michael Kasparian when he insisted on a vote after he could not reach an agreement with the board over the height of a retaining wall, one of nine variance and waiver points being debated that night. The developer contends only three waivers are required.

Kasparian said Thursday, "we will file a lawsuit to enforce our rights."

"The dismissal of our site plan application is a breach of the Borough's obligations under the terms of our collective Fair Share Housing Settlement Agreement," he said in an email.

Under a 2020 settlement agreement, the borough would be in default if it failed to approve the 60-unit project with eight affordable units. Judge Gregg Padovano could then refuse to extend the borough's immunity to other affordable housing proposals, potentially exposing it to more development.

Jonathan Drill, the borough's affordable housing attorney, had no comment Thursday on how the borough would proceed.

Developer attorney Kenneth Porro said Thursday "the Planning Board’s unilateral decision to dismiss my applicant’s filing without prejudice gives pause."

"The Board can either approve or deny an application," Porro said by email. "The Board’s action to dismiss without prejudice, without any input whatsoever from the court-appointed master or the Fair Housing litigation parties is puzzling."

The Fair Share Housing Center, which negotiated the settlement, did not respond to a request for comment. The O'Donnell site is one of four designated in the settlement.

The borough held 19 hearings over 14 months on its affordable housing plan before submitting its case in December. By contrast, neighboring Upper Saddle River's plan was approved during a 45-minute lunch break last February.

Hearings on the O'Donnell project began in November, with the first four taken up with developer expert testimony, followed by unlimited periods of public comment and questions that were allowed by board chairman Jeff Liva over developer protests because "residents have a right to be heard."

Only when Drill began attending meetings in February did the board conduct hearings along more traditional lines, limiting residents to questions and topics within the board's jurisdiction and reserving comments for the end of hearings. Wednesday's vote was taken before those comments could be heard.

A second 112-unit 100% affordable apartment project on Choctau Trail was approved by the board in January with little public interest after two hearings. But that was next to Route 17 north in an isolated part of the borough. The O'Donnell project is next to the borough's Wandell School and across the street from Borough Hall. Wednesday's was its eighth hearing.

Borough planner Joseph Burgis issued a series of letters starting last September outlining concerns about the project. But it was only at Wednesday's hearing that the retaining wall was discussed in any detail. Concern was expressed about safety for children living in the project because of the height of the wall.

Kasparian and Porro debated back and forth with the board over the retention wall until Drill suggested continuing the meeting to May 25 so the plans could be formalized, triggering Kasparian's call for a vote.

Marsha Stoltz is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

SADDLE RIVER — Two years after the borough signed on to an affordable housing agreement, residents are still seeking some way to sign off.

Affordable housing hearings this week — Tuesday's on the 60-unit O'Donnell townhouse proposal and Wednesday's on the 112-unit Choctaw Trail affordable rental site — represented the first of four projects to reach the Planning Board.

Those projects arrived preapproved under the borough's February 2020 settlement agreement with the Fair Share Housing Center. That means the borough will be held in default if the Planning Board, council or mayor fails to approve them essentially as submitted, with the possibility of even more affordable housing if its development immunity is removed.

The borough's agreement is still under court review, but the properties have been rezoned for those specific plans, eliminating virtually any source of objection.

But Planning Board Chairman Jeff Liva has continued to let residents ask questions and make statements unhampered by subject, time limits or advice that many of the objections they are raising are now moot.

"This is an important application," Liva said Tuesday in response to objections by a developer's attorney. "The residents have a right to be heard."

O'Donnell townhouse proposal

Tuesday's hearing drew 125 listeners as Planner Chelsea Gleis spoke on behalf of applicant Saddle River Investors. She deemed the O'Donnell project "appropriately located" on 10.25 acres between the borough's public school and its largely 2-acre-minimum single-family neighborhood. Eight of the 60 units are designated affordable.

"Townhouses are a good buffer between single-family and town properties," Gleis said. "If this was located on a side road, it would not be appropriate."

Four residents who spoke during the final hour of the hearing did not agree.

Resident Lori Van Auken was allowed to continue her questioning from the December hearing, touching on Americans with Disabilities Act compliance, balconies and patios for the affordable units. Van Auken also asked whether Gleis was aware that the project was proposed across East Allendale Road from the borough's oldest house, circa 1725.

Applicant attorney Ken Porro objected to the question, saying the house was "outside the scope of this project."

Resident Denesh Chosla suggested that acceleration and deceleration lanes be added to East Allendale Road in front of the project to facilitate traffic flow.

Resident George Koushagjian questioned the logistics and responsibility for the project's sewer and water connections to neighboring Allendale, since the borough does not now provide those services. Porro said the developer would comply with all regulatory requirements for its construction and maintenance.

Resident Corinne Kerner questioned the "appropriate" label, which Porro argued "has been deemed by the municipality as a proper and permitted use" under terms of the settlement.

However, Kerner continued to press for a traffic light and turn signs on East Allendale Road, which are under the jurisdiction of the county, not the Planning Board.

The next hearing is at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 27.

Choctaw Trail housing

Michaels Development Engineer Adolf Montana dominated testimony at Choctaw Trail's first hearing Wednesday. Montana introduced plans for the six-building complex just off Route 17 north, including a playground, basketball court and picnic recreational space.

East Allendale Road resident Vin Blehl spoke for 30 minutes on concerns about the development to be immediately west of and uphill from his home, including drainage and maintenance of a pumping station on the southeast corner of the site. He won a concession from the developer to provide more variety in the materials used on the rear of a building facing his home.

Blehl repeatedly demanded access to a 500-foot drainage map the developer said was incorporated into another exhibit, expressing concern about elevated water levels and worsening storm conditions, and repeatedly insisted the developers use the most recent weather calculations when designing the site's detention basin. However, Montana said they were required to use calculations posted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and could not deviate from that.

Two residents of Hawthorne Terrace similarly raised concerns about the project's retention basin and its impact on Heritage Pond, bordering their homes.

However, the board was primarily focused on creating paths to picnic areas on the site, despite the engineer's concern about preserving a "park-like setting" where residents would walk informally across grass areas to outdoor tables.

"What about the elderly and disabled?" board alternate Irene Feldsott asked. "They need paths to show them where to go."

Choctaw hearings continue Jan. 25 at 7 p.m.

Correction: Resident Vin Blehl is seeking access to a 500-foot drainage plan. A previous version of the story misstated the name of the docume

Marsha Stoltz is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Faith Williamson looked like any other freshman as she lugged a case of water while balancing two basketballs into the gym at St. John Vianney on Sunday night.

But on the court, she looked like anything but a rookie.

Williamson went six-of-seven from beyond the arc Sunday, finished with 18 points and orchestrated a game-changing run in the second quarter to help Saddle River Day, the No. 3-ranked team in the NJ.com Top 20, to an impressive 59-41 win over No. 5-ranked Red Bank Catholic at the Shore Games in the She Got Game Classic in Holmdel.

“She has no idea about the level that she’s actually playing at,” Saddle River Day coach Danny Brown said. “It’s fun to watch that. She’s absolutely proved herself throughout practices and to all of you guys today.”

North Carolina commit Paulina Paris finished with a team-high 20 points for the Rebels and was the best player on the floor, stretching Red Bank Catholic’s defense and using her athleticism to beat the Caseys’ length time and time again.

“My team and I, we were preparing for this all week,” Paris said. “We haven’t had any days off in a while and we knew that this was the game we had to win before we went to Florida. Our motto is that we break down our season by thirds. This is the first third of the season and this was the biggest win for us.”

After an even first quarter, Saddle River Day broke the game open with a 17-4 run to open the second quarter, turning a 12-12 game into a 29-16 lead thanks to a pair of 3-pointers from Williamson.

Red Bank Catholic never got the deficit under 11 after that.

“I think it’s really big,” Brown, who has brought his Saddle River Day down to the unfriendly confines of the Shore Conference time and time again, said. “Obviously we didn’t discuss how big it was with the kids but as a coaching staff, we knew it was important to get this game. Not just to keep the momentum, but to really prove to ourselves what level we had reached throughout the last three weeks.”

The foul discrepancy heavily favored Red Bank Catholic in the first half as the Caseys entered the bonus before the first quarter even ended, but Saddle River Day combatted that by going 10 players deep—deeper than Brown has during the last four or five seasons as the Rebels have risen to its status as one of the top teams in New Jersey.

“We played mostly seven, maybe eight in a game like this (in the past),” he said. “The kids are working so hard in practice. We’ve really identified the roles that they’ll play much earlier and I’m trusting them with it. They’re proving day in and day out that they own them.”

Saddle River Day’s scoring ability was top-notch Sunday, but its defense is what turned the game. The Rebels gave up size at nearly every position, and especially inside against Red Bank Catholic’s two Division-1 commits in Justine Pissott (Tennessee) and Ally Carman (Boston College). But Saddle River Day never let either of those players establish themselves in the post and was extremely disruptive and active in the passing lanes.

“We just had to play like we always do,” Paris said. “Our defense is so help-oriented but we just helped today. We knew there was talent out there that we had to take out. We took them out and dealt with the rest.”

Saddle River Day held a commanding 33-20 lead at the half and pushed its lead to as large as 22 points in the third quarter before Red Bank Catholic battled back.

Pissott led all scorers with 21 points while Carman was limited to eight points and two rebounds.

“It was just hard-nosed defense,” Brown said. “On the chin defense. My biggest concern going into that was not the defense but the rebounding. I thought the first couple of minutes, we struggled until we figured it out. But the kids did a nice job. That second quarter, we were actually out-rebounding them and that made the biggest difference for me.”

Saddle River Day is just two games into the season but already looks the part of a legitimate Tournament of Champions title contender once again. And the craziest part? This team isn’t at 100 percent. Saniah Caldwell, a University of Pennsylvania commit, is working her way back from an offseason knee injury and Mia Walsh, the team’s top player off the bench last year, is also out.

Come March, this team could—and likely will—look even better.

“Obviously, we need Saniah,” Paris said. “If we want to get far in the TOC, we’ll need her. As a team, we realized that we don’t have her so we have to adapt without her. Our team has done a really good job of that.

“It’s the last TOC and we’re going to get it.”

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NAI James E. Hanson, the largest New Jersey-based full-service independent commercial real estate firm, announces it has negotiated the sale of a 12,000-square-foot industrial/flex property at 20 Industrial Ave in Upper Saddle River, N.J. NAI James E. Hanson’s Justin Allessio represented the buyer, RT Direct Distributors, and the seller, 20 Industrial Ave, LLC, in the transaction.

20 Industrial Avenue is a fully air-conditioned two-story, 12,000-square-foot industrial/flex building with 6,000 square feet of office space, two drive-ins, one ramp tailgate, 800-amp electrical service, and 25 parking spots. Located directly off Route 17, the property provides easy access to Routes 87, 208, 287 and the New Jersey Turnpike as well as the George Washington Bridge.

Recognizing NAI James E. Hanson’s success in closing industrial transactions across the northern N.J. market, the seller tapped the firm as the exclusive brokerage firm for the property with the goal of benefitting on the demand for well-located industrial/flex properties. The buyer, who needed a high-quality property to facilitate their relocation from Chestnut Ridge, N.Y., was interested in the property’s location and flexible usage. The buyer plans to rent the second floor and use the first floor as their new headquarters location.

“Industrial/flex properties are always in demand as a result of the adaptability they provide to property owners,” said Allessio. “This existing demand coupled with the rising urgency showed by prospective buyers in recent years puts the owners of these properties in a highly advantageous situation. Once an owner expresses a desire to sell, we are happy to provide our clients with the solutions they need to act quickly and take advantage of the current market.”

To stay connected with NAI James E. Hanson and for updates on the latest transactions and news, please follow NAI Hanson on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

The recruiting process always comes with a certain level of stress, and the COVID-19 pandemic only made it worse for Paulina Paris.

Ultimately, however, she knew she would find the school she was meant to be at all along.

Paris, a senior point guard on the Saddle River Day girls basketball team, originally committed to Penn State in April before reopening her recruitment toward the end of the summer. Last month she made an official visit to North Carolina, among other schools, and wound up switching her allegiance to the Tar Heels.

The hectic journey came to an end Wednesday when she signed her national letter of intent to attend UNC.

“I’m really excited to get through the whole process and it’s nice to finally make it official,” she said. “Because of COVID, I committed to Penn State since I wasn’t able to visit any schools and they were the ones who recruited me the hardest. But once everything reopened, it gave me an opportunity to open my recruitment and be able to visit colleges that were interested in me. I thought it would be smarter to be able to visit and see which college I liked the best. That’s what led me to UNC.”

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North Carolina was not among the eight final schools on her list earlier this year but surged back into the mix over the past few months. Paris admitted that she didn’t necessarily grow up rooting for the Tar Heels but is looking forward to wearing baby blue and playing for Courtney Banghart, the former Princeton coach now in her third season in Chapel Hill.

“The class above me was really good and all the classes she has recruited have been good,” Paris said. “I feel like going there will give me an opportunity to win a national championship.

“When you get on campus it’s just beautiful. The team was amazing and the coaching staff, I knew they believed in me and wanted me to be there for four years. It was just perfect.”

This is the second straight year that a top New Jersey player is part of North Carolina’s recruiting class. Manchester Township graduate Destiny Adams is currently a freshman guard/forward for the Tar Heels.

“Before I visited the college I knew of her and I played against her,” Paris said of Adams. “But once I got there she was probably the most welcoming. It was great to actually meet her and get to know her. I’m really excited to play with her.”

Paris starred for two seasons at Albertus Magnus in New York before transferring to Saddle River Day last year. She poured in 24.4 points per game to go with 4.4 assists and 3.2 rebounds and garnered all-state second-team honors.

Saddle River Day coach Danny Brown had seen Paris play before but really got to appreciate the many ways she can impact a game when he saw her every day.

“We played against Albertus when she was a freshman, and she was very, very competitive, just a little bit smaller in stature back then,” he said. “She caught our attention very, very quickly that night. I did know of her when she was much younger, in sixth or seventh grade, but not on a personal level.

“She’s not just the offensive threat that she’s proven to be. When she is given the opportunity, she’s a lockdown defender and the vision that she has in her passing ability is the best I’ve seen in all my years of coaching. She’s a true point guard.”

It’s important to Paris to be known as an all-around player.

“Especially this year, because it’s my senior year and I feel like I can’t just score,” she said. “I need to be able to do all of the things for us to win. Without that I would be just a one-dimensional player and I can’t do that because we want to win the TOC this year.”

Saddle River Day has high expectations this season and will play a brutal schedule that includes many of the top teams in the state and a nationally renowned tournament in Tampa, Florida. Two of Paris’s teammates also signed their letters of intent on Wednesday: Saniah Caldwell is headed to the University of Pennsylvania and Cierra Pearson will continue her career at Central Connecticut.

Caldwell averaged 18.2 points, 4.7 boards and 4.6 assists last year and Pearson chipped in 7.9 points and 2.2 assists. Paris credited both of them and the rest of the team for welcoming her with open arms last year, and her teammates voted her a team captain this season.

“Playing with these girls here is the best,” she said. “I wouldn’t be where I am without them. This is my first time being captain and that makes me excited.”

Two other Saddle River Day student-athletes were part of National Signing Day. Emma Adamek will join Paris at North Carolina where she will compete for the rowing team. Lacrosse star Leanna Tsahalis, meanwhile, is headed to Georgetown.

Brown, who also serves as the school’s athletic director, is proud to be sending five kids to major programs. A few years back the school produced seven Division 1 athletes, highlighted by basketball standout Michelle Sidor.

“We’ve been very fortunate the last couple of years,” he said. “It’s a little sports dynasty in Northern New Jersey right now. Things are going well.”

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