Residents Question Impacts of Proposed Apartment Complex

A 196-unit luxury apartment complex proposed near the Route 17 Ramsey train station has raised some questions in the community about what impacts an influx of new Ramsey residents might have.

The complex, which was originally proposed by Russo Development last August, was redesigned earlier this year to address some resident concerns that have been brought up at previous town meetings. The developer appeared before the borough Board of Adjustment Wednesday night for a continuation of its variance application, which would need to be granted before construction on the project could begin.

According to developer Ed Russo, the current proposal includes 196 upscale rental units spread between one four-story building and two smaller buildings. The complex is planned for the land currently occupied by Ramsey Lumber.

The apartment units would be one and two bedroom only, Russo said Wednesday night. In the initial plan, Russo proposed three-bedroom units as well, but removed them entirely after board members and residents expressed concerns about children potentially moving into the units and putting more demands on Ramsey’s public school system.

After a brief overview of the design Wednesday, Russo fielded questions from the board members and public, many of which centered on the possible impacts the development could have on the school system.

Resident Allan Braggin asked whether or not the developer would consider restricting the ages of people living in the complex. He suggested not allowing children ages 4-18 to move in, “that way young families could move in, but they’d have to move out by the time the child was [school age],” he said.

Russo attorney Richard Berger said, “such a stipulation would not be enforceable or legal.”

As they have done at past meetings, board members continued to question Russo’s estimates on the number of people, and children, that would likely move into the facility if it were built.

Russo has estimated the project would attract 372 new residents to Ramsey, fewer than 20 of whom would be school-aged children. According to Russo, the estimates are based on “months of work,” using the Rutgers residential demographic multipliers, which he said are state-accepted industry standard, and a survey of similar developments throughout Bergen County.

The developer plans to have an expert economist testify during the hearing and delve further into how the estimates were reached, and what the potential fiscal impacts of the complex would be. However, that testimony will not come until after expert architect, engineer, and traffic witnesses testify about the design of the complex.

Resident Laura Vasquez, who said she lives next door to where the development would be, questioned the developer on the proposed height of the complex, 35 feet.

“I moved [to Ramsey] from Hackensack because I didn’t feel safe with all of the apartment dwellers looking [into my home from their apartments.” She said the complex adds an “element of fear,” for her and other nearby homeowners who will likely have interactions with the renters on a regular basis.

Russo said he is “very sensitive,” to her concerns. “The concerns you have about people coming into your community are the same concerns we have about people moving into our development.”

Russo said potential applicants would need to go through an “extensive,” application process that would include credit and background checks before being approved to rent one of the units.

Russo said his firm also hired a third-party firm to create simulations of how high the complex would be in relation to the homes nearby. Though he showed the simulations to Vasquez, the developer was not able to formally present them to the board because of time constraints. 

Wednesday night, none of the expert witnesses were able to testify, due to timing. The meeting wrapped at about 10:40 p.m. after several members of the public asked questions of the developer.

Berger requested the board dedicate special meetings to the application, which he anticipates will need a significant amount of time to interview all five expert witnesses planning to testify, and to answer board member and resident questions on the development, moving forward.

Board members said though it would make sense to hold special meetings in the future that would address only this issue, the scheduling might be impossible, because of the other municipal meetings are held at borough hall. 

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