Posts by Rachel Klein
Residents fighting plan to build apartments on swath of untouched forest
WEST ORANGE Residents fighting plan to build apartmentson swath of untouched forest Vikings co-owner’s company has been trying to develop the Watchung Mountains woodland for decades. The latest battle is headed to court.Nyah Marshall For The Star-LedgerA decades-long battle to stop a housing development from being built in one of Essex County’s last untouched forests…
Read MoreWeCare & Climate Revolution Action Network Hold West Orange Press Conference Opposing Proposed Development of the Second Ridge
On Friday, September 26, WeCare NJ and the Climate Revolution Action Network held a press conference at 61 Howell Dr. in West Orange to call for the permanent preservation of the Watchung Ridge Forest and to oppose the proposed 496-unit high-rise development on the Second Ridge.
Read MoreForest Fight: New Lawsuit Rekindles Decades-Long Battle over 120 Acres in Essex County
When Steve Patton steps outside his home in the West Essex Highlands condominium complex, he comes face to face with a wall of trees.
Read MoreSierra Club Urges West Orange Planning Board to Reject Billionaire’s Harmful Housing Development in the Watchung Mountains
NJ Sierra Club has issued the following statement:
“Affordable housing, land conservation, and sustainability can all coexist, but not like this.
This proposed project … threatens up to 30 acres of deforestation in an already overdeveloped part of the state, increases risk of flooding and does not comply with stormwater rules, which threatens public safety, and will isolate the residents who need the affordable housing literally on top of a mountain – no where near … schools, grocery stores, or public transit.
Read MorePresident of WeCare NJ Tells Town Council That His Organization Is Commissioning a Floodplain Study
During the recent meeting, WeCare president Joe Pannullo provided the town council meeting with an update on his organization’s activities. “WeCare will commission its own floodplain study. The reason is to demonstrate on record that downhill areas known to flood present a great risk to public safety, as already expressed by concerned citizens living outside the site plan under consideration at the West Orange Planning Board,” reported Pannullo.
Read MoreRED ZONE My Billionaire NFL owner neighbor is putting our lives at risk – decades long battle just keeps getting worse
AN NFL owner is spearheading a move to build a new apartment complex nestled within the mountains – but it has proved controversial.
The property plans first surfaced around two decades ago but they were put on the backburner.
Read MoreBillionaire NFL owner wants to build affordable housing on a pristine NJ hilltop — and locals are mad as hell
Locals in West Orange, NJ aren’t just shouting from the rooftops — they’re shouting about what might be built above them.
A billionaire’s bid to transform a pristine hilltop with Manhattan skyline views into a nearly 500-unit apartment complex is the latest drama in a decades-old land use battle in the tony town — and this time, the argument involves affordable housing.
Read MoreResidents ask NJ to suspend wealthy family’s permit for mountaintop development
Residents of West Orange, New Jersey and other surrounding towns who have been fighting a wealthy developer are now in a battle over competing environmental reviews.
Read MoreWest Orange’s WeCare Files DEP Challenge to Suspend West Essex Highlands
WeCare filed a formal request with the NJDEP on May 7, 2025, to suspend West Essex Highlands’ permits that were issued on November 15, 2024. The DEP acknowledged the submission, which is supported by a 39-page review memo from Princeton Hydro.
Read MoreBillionaire NFL Owner Wants To Build Nearly 500 Homes on an Untouched Mountaintop—but Some Say It’s Not Safe
Realtor.com Article: A decades-long battle over a development on an untouched New Jersey mountaintop, with sweeping views of the Manhattan skyline, has bubbled to life again, with furious locals saying it’s simply not safe and it is being pushed through under the guise of providing affordable housing.
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