Good evening.

On behalf of the governing body of the city of Passake, we welcome you to the September 16, 2025 City Council meeting.

In accordance with chapter 231, public laws of 1975, Adult Notice of this meeting was provided by resolution in the municipal council, adopted on June 17th, 2025, setting forth the schedule of meetings for the year 2025-2026.

That notice was published and posted on the City Hall Bulletin Board by the Office of the City Clerk.

Please be further advised.

This meeting will be conducted in person.

The Zoom stream provided is for viewing only and is offered to the public as a convenience.

On September 6th, 2025, public notice and zoom instructions were for this meeting, were published in the Herald News and posted on the City of Passate website at WW.city of Passate.com Council agenda.

Instructions are also available on the last page of this agenda.

Please be guided accordingly.

Welcome, please.

Councilman Mayor.

Yes.

Councilman Garcia.

Councilman Colonel Montanez.

President and Council President Shared.

President Councilman Monk, for the record, I do not believe we'll be able to join us tonight.

And I'm waiting to hear word on Councilman Love.

At this time, I'm asking, please rise.

Thank you, guys, for bringing us here today.

Bless those that are on their way.

Please continue to bless our city and guide us in the decisions we are about to make today.

Thank you.

I plagiarism to the side.

Good evening, Mayor.

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

Thank you for joining us at tonight's city council meeting.

Um, just a few notes.

Number one, schedules are located immediately outside both council, both exits and entrances to council chambers.

You may also access everything that is being done tonight on the internet.

It's available through the city's internet.

You can get copies of our resolutions, uh correspondence, etc.

ordinances that are being proposed as well as to be passed uh for this evening.

Um we also ask if you have a cell phone, please put it to vibrate or turn it off.

If you must have a conversation with your neighbor, we hope that you'll be so kind just to join with them outside, have your conversation, and then come and join us.

This is a very strangely constructed room.

It's difficult for us to hear what you are saying because of the acoustical standards.

Um at this time, we are on number four of our agenda, the mayor's update.

Uh, we are pleased and honored to have Mayor Lord with us this evening.

Good evening, sir.

Council City Hall, not working.

Is that on now?

I believe it's to start from the good evening, Council President, members of the city council, city hall staff, and uh our wonderful residents of city of Passake.

Uh Council President just made it to all those who were also at back to school night.

Congratulations on juggling so much.

We literally just finished minutes ago, so I was uh just able to make it as always.

Want to share a few updates uh regarding what's going on around the city and our community on September 9th, we did the rededication of Latona Griffin Park in memory of battalion chief Joseph Griffin and firefighter Sam Latona who lost their lives in a fire.

That is what we often refer to as the hundred steps, the very top where we were able to create the very first ever fitness park, uh conducive for children and those who are part of our senior citizen community with uh equipment that obviously provides all people of all ages opportunities or uh exercise and enjoy recreation in an area that is not in proximity to any existing parks.

So not only were we able to restore the hundred steps, create recreation for uh various individuals in the community that did not exist, but also restore this monument in honor of our brave firefighters who gave their lives, saving others at the ceremony.

We had Chief Trennicals and members of the Latona and Griffith family with us.

In continuing our efforts to strengthen partnerships earlier this month, we joined with our congresswoman in our district, Congresswoman Poe, where she opened her satellite office inside of City Hall for constituent services, directly those serving the city of Passake, but open to all members of the ninth district.

The hours are Mondays and Wednesdays from 9 a.m.

to 1 p.m.

We also, along with the business administrator who's next to me, Rick Fernandez, were able to join a mayor's breakfast hosted by her office along with mayors from her district to share some of our concerns, ask questions and receive updates as to her approach regarding funding and working with the administration to ensure that our district and again, very specifically the city of Passate continues to receive essential services, but of course, resources, and by that I mean funding for infrastructure, for supporting our police and obviously uh parks and infrastructure projects, basically anything that will ensure that we put less of the burden on the taxpayers.

So we were excited to hear some of the news here, cautiously optimistic as to some of the projects that we may have successfully uh got into her office and possibly will be approved.

So we will update that in the months to come in our efforts to honor our heroes and remember the most tragic day in our nation, September 11th, through Cowley terroristic actors.

Over 2,799 individuals lost their lives on September 11th and hundreds in the days to follow, and many more in the years to follow.

We had our September 11th memorial ceremony where we had council members at that uh ceremony.

We had assemblemen uh of the 36th legislative district, Gary Scheer, who shares an uncanny resemblance to our council president.

I say that all the time, but uh he gave a very profound and deep speech, remembering the lives of those that were lost and acknowledging the hurt of the families impacted and obviously uh the efforts of our nation to come together in unity and to continue forward.

We want to thank our deputy mayor of Veterans Affairs, uh Minnie Cousins or Minnie Austin for her efforts in putting it all together and all of the council members that were present that they thank you, members of the city council.

We also unveiled the 9-11 monument that was previously at the Passake High School, as many know that uh building will be demolished.

We were able to receive over 350 million dollars, one of only a handful of cities in the entire state of New Jersey, out of 564 municipalities, about only five received funding.

I believe we received uh one of the largest amounts to build a brand new high school with state of the art facilities, uh technology, classes were conducive for education, lower ratios of students compared to teachers, and for the first time ever, a full aquatic center with an actual pool that may provide opportunities for residents and those in the community to utilize.

So we're extremely excited.

But with that said, I just wanted to give context.

The reason why the monument was unveiled at the city, it was before at the high school, and because it's going to be demolished, it needed a place.

So we offered City Hall, and it is now in front of our entrance, and it will be there for the next five years, Council President.

Uh, along with the city council and uh many in our community leaders, we had a few street namings honoring leaders in our community, those who worked in the school and otherwise, which will share additional information on that in the final update.

In terms of community engagement, we celebrated our local businesses and uh with great team spirit.

We had a Taste of Passake bike tour with our brand new bike sharing program.

Council President, you're familiar with it.

I've seen you on the bikes in the morning and then throughout the city.

That's between us.

But you can see there's different locations where we have the right sharing programs where many of our youth have learned that we offer the first two hours free.

And many of our more tech-savvy youth have learned that if you return it before the two hours, you can take it for another two hours for free.

And it's you could just have it free all day.

We did that on purpose because we want more children engaged.

But in order to connect that, because it is a UEZ Urban Enterprise Zone program with our local businesses.

We had a taste of Passake, where uh many were allowed to get on the bike and do a tour through our Bistro district, our restaurant areas, our Market Street, and many of the restaurants came out and offered free samples of the food.

I believe uh our CFO Omar Garcia participated in that ride.

Not that one.

All right, you don't want to admit it.

All right.

So I just want to share that, as well as uh we are having a few community engagement um initiatives, town hall meetings with our tenants, with our landlords to ensure that everyone understands in full detail all of the recent uh ordinances that have passed and how they impact each person.

I know there's a lot of information out in the community, and it's important that we can clarify provisions that have been made for our landlords, for our property owners, as well as measures taken by the city council, along with my administration to protect those that are most vulnerable from many predatory practices.

Believe we have taken an extremely pragmatic and responsible approach as government, and uh we will look at it closely as we monitor it over the years to see what further adjustments we can make to ensure the success of our city while at the same time again.

I'll reiterate protecting those who are most vulnerable and sometimes find themselves without the resources or voices to be heard, as many of us feel that our positions provide us the opportunity to amplify the voices of those that aren't heard.

I wanted to share some good news for our public safety and our police department.

I want to thank Chief Louis Guzman as we recently promoted two new sergeants of the police department right here, which lined up with two retirements.

We try to be again, and I use this word often pragmatic, responsible, good stewards of the people's resources.

So we try to balance these things out, and when we have retirements, we look to bring in individuals, whether new hires or promote to uh fill vacancies that have been created naturally or organically through retirements.

Uh, I want to share honestly.

I know we also mourn the passing of retired police officer Wagner lost in the third 21 years of service and retired firefighter Richard Richie Gergat's 28 years during the uh procession, which happened during the week.

Council president, members of the city council, our city hall staff came out to the front of City Hall.

I know that we had uh former commissioner Louis Santiago, who was also present there, many in the community, to pay respects and tribute uh to this fallen police officer who dedicated 21 years to our city, and many of our police officers came out with the family specifically as they communicated to us genuinely sincerely touched and expressed their gratitude and appreciation to the council, obviously to the chief of police and to all in the community who came out to show collective support and express sympathy during their time of loss.

September 15th, in regards to upcoming events, uh we begin the start of Hispanic Heritage Month, which continues to October 15th.

I can say this, but no one else.

I was asked why does it start on the 15th?

And uh shared that uh sometimes when things start with about 15 minutes too.

I'll move it anyway.

I think the VA.

No, Madam Clerk, okay, then let's continue.

Uh again, as I was sharing you, some of you will get that later.

September 22nd through September 26th, we have Employee Health Wellness Week, where we'll have the health department and different fairs on City Hall property.

On September 28th, we will have our Mexican flag raising parade and festival.

It is the largest parade regarding the Mexican community of those of Mexican descent in the state of New Jersey.

Uh, we have had at times over 10,000 individuals participate in our streets.

It ends with a festival in Pulaski Park downtown.

So we're extremely excited of having that again this year.

Pulaski Park also leads us to the statue that was put up of General Pulaski down at Wall Street, honoring uh the history of our Polish community.

In October, we will also have our Polish flag raising and our Italian flag raising ceremony.

And then in the next couple of weeks, Council President, we continue our efforts to expand our uh parking spaces in the city from Madison all the way down to Pennington, Gregory Avenue will be striped.

And many of the spaces will be angled parking, with the others will be designated parking spaces.

We have found this to be a most effective way to increase parking spaces because it stops the individuals from parking and maybe leaving just enough space between them where you think a car can fit, but it doesn't.

So with the designated spaces, we have found that we've been able to create more parking spaces and with angled spaces, obviously, and they're less wide.

So sometimes we can double, even triple the amount of parking spaces, obviously contingent on the width of the street, but we've been able to expand this initiative as well as uh create more parking lots throughout the city.

So, with that said, I'm gonna end that report there, Council President, members of the city council, in case you have any questions.

Mayor, if I know if I know you asked about imagined, excuse me, uh in terms of parking spaces.

How long has the program been intact in terms of expansion of parking spaces and what kind of numbers do we have offhand?

So I would argue that the city has always looked to create additional parking spaces, but over the last four years with the parking deck that was completed with over 300 parking spaces with initiatives that provide uh residents opportunity with parking in front of their driveways, where in the past uh you would get a ticket for doing so, identifying areas in the city that maybe have grasped who aren't really uh used for parts and conducive for that.

We've been able to create over 700 new parking spaces in the last just two years, and over the last four to six years, over a thousand through these initiatives, parking lots, angled parking spaces, and much more.

Parking is a problem throughout the city.

It is.

We're one of the most densely populated cities, 3.2 square miles with over 70,000 residents, at least according to the last census.

And obviously, it's not very easy to find parking.

We've had other initiatives where we've done parking permits in specific areas that border with another municipality, for example, in our downtown, because uh our neighbors are wonderful neighbors in Ballington and Garfield and Burton County.

They have permit programs.

So some of the individuals were coming over to Passaic over the border and parking overnight, taking away spaces from the residents here.

So we instituted a permit program overnight for specific hours, and that alleviated some of the concern.

But yes, it is very difficult to your specific question to find parking throughout the state, but we've been able to manage and create some additional parking, and that's been a bit helpful.

There's much more we should be able to do.

That's great.

Thank you.

Questions from the council.

Okay, seeing none.

Thank you again, Mayor.

This evening hearing of citizens.

In accordance with the Open Public Meetings Act and JSP Colonel 4-1 its set, the council opens every public meeting for comments of the public.

However, in accordance with NJSA 10 colon 4-12, nothing in this act shall be construed to limit the discretion of a public body to permit, prohibit, or regulate the active participation at any meeting.

Therefore, please be advised that the council will not entertain any comments from persons who communicate obscene material, make statements which are considered the bias intimidation, in which a person intends to intimidate any individual or group because of race, color, religion, gender, handicap, sexual orientation, or ethnicity, or makes these comments intending to harass or speak any offensive language.

The person who makes these statements will relinquish their allotted five minutes for public discussion.

We invite anyone who would like to speak before the council to do so.

Everyone is limited to five minutes and five minutes only.

When the clerk has a bell, it rings, it means it's four minutes, and we ask you respectfully to conclude your remarks.

At five minutes, I promise you the mic will be turned off, and we will respectfully thank you for your participation.

Uh, we also ask you to share with us your name only.

We do not need your address for the record.

Is there anyone who would like to address the council at this time?

Yes, sir.

Thank you, Council President.

My name is Joshua Goldman.

I live at 185 High Street, even though you don't need it.

Many of you may recall that I addressed the council in May to discuss the need to update the R1A zone to best align the zoning ordinances with the smart growth for Passaic's future.

At that meeting, I was given helpful feedback by the council to review the reexamination of the master plan that was conducted in 2024.

Since then, I have reviewed the entirety of the 24 2024 reexamination of the master plan, as well as taking the additional step of speaking to numerous officials here to gain additional insight, such as the mayor, the BA, the council president, uh, all of whose time and accessibility, I'm grateful for.

Having completed all this due diligence, I now return to the council to once again implore the council to pass an ordinance to amend the zoning ordinance to remove the conditional use of high rises in the R1A district.

I do this primarily as an outgrowth of what the mayor told me in our meeting.

In discussing a specific application, which is not application, which is not the subject here, the mayor said he wishes he could help, but there was nothing he could do since the application was as of right.

While I disagree with his characterization, his empathy and statement that he couldn't do anything demonstrated that rezoning, which would protect the community from having their hands tied in the future, is crucial.

I'm sure the mayor would support this request to correct the zoning code so that nobody in Passaic should have to expend energy fighting off a proposed use that nobody needs or wants.

And so the city shouldn't have its resources wasted, defending lawsuits from applicants or objectors from the can of worms that the conditional use opens.

But it's not just political expediency that requires the council to adopt the proposed revision.

Interviewing the reexamination of the master plan, I also reviewed the actual master plan performed in 2013, and we're surprised that 10 years before it explicitly came to the exact same conclusion as me.

Namely, the 2013 master plan explicitly calls for an analysis of the area, like the R1A, reveals a stable, well-developed zone that should be preserved in its current form.

It is recommended that the conditional use requirement for multifamily apartments of four stories or more be deleted from the section.

End quote.

Most of the council members that are serving today were on the council and approved this master plan in 2013.

Why the council never took action, according to the recommendations of the master plan is beyond me.

It is therefore clear that changing the zoning would not only match the constituents' desires, but just as importantly, also provide for good city planning and produce a healthier future for Passaic.

Not in my words, but in the words of the city's own planning experts.

Thank you.

Thank you, sir.

Neil Ross.

Thank you for this opportunity to speak to the members of the council.

It is just a wonderful thing that in this country we can citizenry can appear before their elected officials and address issues that doesn't occur everywhere else in the world.

So it's something to be appreciated.

That said, I rant into a little glitch calling into the planning board recently.

I'm very, very low on technology.

So I get the code numbers call in on my landline phone.

I was able to get into the meeting, but when it came to speaking, there were some issues.

So hopefully going forward.

Every possible attempt will be made to allow for participation for people who don't have every bit of technology and want to participate in the government process who have low tank and can participate on an equal basis.

Thank you very much.

Thank you for your comment, sir.

Good evening.

Joe Condescenti Council President.

My first question, the ordinance 2485-25.

Residential parking permits.

The question that I have is what is this contained to?

Is this for the host city, part of the city?

I would like an explanation on that.

My second question is the zoning map.

I'm going back when they changed it over.

And I don't recall a R1A.

To recently I found out that sky's the limit.

All of a sudden, we got sky's the limit.

Before you could go dig down to the ground, maybe 10-20 feet.

Now you can go up to the sky.

What's that?

Hopefully more than 10 20 feet.

Well, when you go down, I'm saying to make up the difference for the height.

Um my thing is that West of Westville Place and uh Orchard Street.

I don't know how they come up with a R1A.

Um, because that's a small area.

That's a small residential area.

The streets are narrow.

Uh this thing, if it's if it passes, it's gonna be humongous.

You're talking about the height of the bank building and half of St.

Mary's on that whole corner.

And you know, it's it's crazy.

I would like to have answers on this.

My next question I have to say, you'll forgive me.

What was the question?

The question is why this in this area, this thing is humongous, so big for what reason?

We're gonna start looking like New York once you pass this because it's gonna be continuous.

It's way too big for that area.

My next question I have uh street naming signs.

I notice if you go down the county roads, you got city roads.

The question that I have, I know city could approve on the city roads, but did they get any kind of approval on county roads for these signs?

That's my question.

My next one I have the VFW Albert Lawson.

10117, 135 Summer Street.

They just read they just made a new building, they did the service, they did everything.

I'm not against any of it, but I have only one problem.

It's a VFW post, it's a VFW DAV, and you have American Legion.

The problem with this is the American Legion is illegal.

This is not registered, nowhere is written anywhere.

Um my thing is I like to see it taken down until it's official to make an American Legion.

We only have two.

Actually, we got 359 on Third Street.

There was, and there used to be uh 200 on Hoover Avenue, but they start losing.

They start losing the soldiers and everybody, and uh there's no more continuing.

My next one is the property at 147, 149 Broadway, in violation of 219 obnoxious growth, and the properties in need of full cleanup and repairs.

I don't know what they're doing with this property.

I all I know he's one of the builders that we have in Besheik.

And I don't know why he's getting away with this.

He's gone too long.

Um there's so much trash, there's so much, it's just horrible looking at it every day.

I don't know if the departments were supposed to have it in court.

I don't know whatever happened with it.

I don't know what your people are doing with it, but you need to do something.

Um 181 Harrison Street, 103 stairs.

I appreciate uh new steps.

Thank you so much for your comments, Mr.

Let me try to briefly uh respond to some of your questions.

Number one, you asked about county roads, the street namings are honorific, and to the best of my knowledge, they do not require county approval.

Um jurisdiction is the city of the six.

Correct.

Thank you, sir.

Um, next in terms of the VFW, the American Legion, and Daughters of the American Revolution and so many of those other organizations.

Um, if there's any going on between them, but the mic closer I can hear you if there's any goings on between them.

I'm sure that they can look forward to correcting the situation.

The problem amongst those organizations is historic, as you know, Mr.

Condocenti, they go back many, many years and include areas that we would rather not get into.

So unless something not registered as American Legion, that's why Mr.

Condescente, we trust that you will write a letter to the newspaper and let them know through their readership that it is not something that hasn't been done.

In terms of 147 to 149 Broadway, Mr.

Fernandez, any thoughts on that cleanup area?

We'll have code enforcement go take a look.

Very good.

Um the gentleman asked why was uh R1A created, what is its genesis?

This goes back how many years since it was done.

Um, so it's probably the late 50s.

There was a report done, a planning report conducted, and ultimately after that report, the city council at the time passed the conditional use uh of the R1A for the high-rise component, which was the question um that Mr.

Connassini was alluding to.

Good deal.

Thank you.

Thank you, sir.

Anyone else like to address the council?

Well, esteemed members of the city council.

Hello, esteemed members of the city council.

My name is Razil Asa.

I'm here to discuss the R1A rezoning.

This area is a small area, and it plays a very important role in our community.

It includes a private school that many children walk to and from every day.

Introducing additional high-rise developments here would significantly significantly increase traffic, congestion, and parking pressures, which in turn would put those children at greater risk as they cross streets and walking and walk along sidewalks.

Protecting their safety must be one of our top priorities.

Beyond this, our neighborhood is made up of almost entire almost entirely of single and two-family homes.

That low density character is what makes it safe, family-oriented, and livable.

Allowing additional high-rise buildings in this location would be out of scale with existing homes and inconsistent with the fabric of our community and the needs of the neighborhood.

Many people are interested in moving here, but can't find the appropriate large single-family homes that they so desire.

There's also there are also broader impacts.

Adding additional large multifamily homes would compound those problems and diminish the quality of life for everyone who lives here.

It's important to stress that this is not about resisting change for the sake of change.

We all want our city to grow and thrive.

But growth must be appropriate for its settings.

High density developments belong in areas that are designed and equipped for them, not in the small residential packet where children walk to school and families have invested their lives in building a safe and stable neighborhood.

By modifying this zoning in this area to allow only one and two family homes, you would bring clarity, stability, and fairness.

You would protect the integrity of our neighborhood, ensure the safety of our children, and preserve the residential character that so many of us treasure.

I ask you to please listen to the voices of the people who live here and support this rezoning request.

Doing so will protect safety, character, and livability of our community for generations to come.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Thank you, ma'am.

Anyone else wish to adjust the council.

Just making it short.

I grew up in the country, didn't like it.

I'm sorry, member Tribe Fernandes.

I grew up in the country.

Your name.

Thank you.

Okay, country was not my speed, got stuck in the city for a bunch of years, not my speed either.

And I moved here because it's suburban, and I'd like it to stay suburban.

We've been here for over 30 years.

Um that's the type of community we want to live in.

And I'd like it to stay like that, not have very big high-rise buildings like the one that's being proposed right behind my house, literally.

Um, we don't have to.

I know that the town has spent a lot of time, the mayor has been a lot of time working on the parking issue.

Thank you.

Um, but we don't have to even imagine what the parking situation would be like if we do build 194 apartments with what was it, 150 parking spots?

We just have to look at the Pennington apartments, and we know exactly what's going on.

When I drove there last night, and the person I was driving with can barely find the spot in front of her house.

And this is a much much worse problem.

Um it's obviously not for a project like this right behind our house and in our neighborhood.

Thank you.

Thank you, ma'am.

Mr.

Finn is what is the status of that area, the R1A area.

Could you share with us some uh thoughts?

I'm sorry, sir.

Could you share with us uh background to our R1A?

Why does it exist?

Why was it put here?

Um the council tomorrow.

So based on the previous studies that were there, there was a large discussion in the paperwork regarding the area and access to mass transportation, right?

Understanding that on one side of the train station is a significantly strictly single family R1 zone without any other uses permitted.

Right?

Adjacent to that, you have now what was created back in the time in the 50s, the R1A zone, which is what permitted the construction of your car towers, the towers, the presidential towers, the boulevard towers, and the town homes that are surrounding them.

Um, based on the studies and the review, the fact that this zone wasn't created as a permitted use, just so we're clear.

The permitted use is your single family and your townhouses, I believe.

But because of the proximity to the train station, at the time they developed a conditional use for a high-rise type of establishment.

The way they wrote it was buildings of five stories or more or 50 dwelling units or more, and they had 800 dwelling unit per acre maximum density within it.

Um to meet that conditional use requirement.

There are there are a number of conditions uh which are very distinct and very different from the underlying committed single families that is there that have to be met before they can end up at a planning board if they do not meet those conditions under the state municipal land use law, they would then go to the zoning board for what's called the conditional use variants, which holds um higher burdens of proof based on uh the code.

So uh based on that, and as we're all aware, it was back in the 50s.

Uh members of the audience stated they've been in the uh area for over 30 years.

For you to be able to take advantage of one of these conditional use requirements, there has to be a collection of properties to make it big enough to be able to apply the conditional use variants.

That's why you don't really see it as often.

And after, you know, I think the last one built might have been the presidential towers or the boulevard towers.

I'm trying to remember on the years.

Um, you really haven't seen many more of them developed.

But the reason that R1A, which is a limited area, right?

So putting it in perspective, um, it's one of the smallest zones next to our OR zone that we have.

It's our smallest residential zone.

Uh, and the reason for that and the way it was delineated is because of proximity to the train station and to not negatively affect uh the residential single family homes that surround the other side of the train station.

And that is why that area that we're discussing, not only has basically our major residential towers, because there's really no other residential towers uh in the municipality, but also your garden apartments.

So you have the Barry Gardens that are there, and then the townhouse complexes that you've seen built around the area, and that was all due to the creation of that R1A zone, which stemmed back from a study that existed back in the 50s.

Could the council and its wisdom decide to change the zone?

Absolutely.

There has to be some sort of nexus and uh consistency with the master plan to do so.

But yes, understanding recognizing that this is the only R1 R13 is R1A R1A in the city.

Wouldn't that be enough?

No, sir.

What would be enough?

So it depends.

It depends what the it's very hard for me to answer that question, knowing what the change is, right?

So if you tell me what the change is, then we can discuss whether that's consistent with the master plan or inconsistent with the master plan.

Um it would have to have it would have to go to the planning board, like every land use.

So this is required by the state of New Jersey.

This is not a creation by the city of Passake.

Um the council, let's say decides to change the ordinance to say whatever it wants to say, it goes to the planning board for a consistency review.

And the whole point is is this request that the council is making consistent with the master plan?

If the planning board finds that it is, they will send a letter over to the council saying that it's consistent, or they can provide some recommendations to the council.

Ultimately, the state of New Jersey in the municipal land use law is very particular to explain to councils when a planning board finds inconsistency, right?

And the reason I'm bringing that up is because the council still, if they still wanted to go with a project that's inconsistent with the master plan, they could still do that, but it would be at the liability and the hindrance of the governing body.

So because I don't know exactly what it is, I can't really tell you what direction or how that would apply to the municipality.

This is all guided by the state of New Jersey municipal land use law that we follow to the team.

Good.

Thank you.

Council President, mayor, may I just would ask the BA if you would share a bit or rather that the council would um consider, especially with those who are here speaking to a specific project that though um the R1A permits a project like this uh be presented before the board, the city does not proactively seek out projects like this.

This isn't uh something where the business administrator or members of the city council go out and say, Hey, we would like you to consider building a high rise.

What occurs is individuals in this law in this provision, uh what is allowed has been public that anyone can access since the 1950s, they bring an application before the board, and the board obviously, because of the responsibilities and oaths that they have taken, must only consider what is permissible according to the law.

That clarity is important because some may have the perception that somehow the city is proactively seeking projects like this.

I think that most of us have had in-depth conversations regarding the impact of development throughout the city.

We've had real conversations about having a balance approach to ensure that the footprint of the impact on the community does not have adverse impact or effects on the quality of life of the residents, but we're subject to the law.

So I wanted to clarify that because I think it's important when residents come to a council meeting or speak to the man.

Was nothing I can do, but more rather than if they meet all of the requirements of the law, we are limited as to what a city can do, because then of course we could be liable and it could go to court if an individual has an application that meets all of the requirements and they are denied unjustly.

So I wanted to give that.

Appreciating Mayor, appreciating that fact, of course.

Yes, sir.

Sv.

Weissman, 155 High Street.

Good evening, Mayor Mayor Laura, Council President, the members of the city council.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak tonight.

We're here tonight, not just to express concern, but offer a solution.

Others have spoken and will speak about the damage the outdated zoning is doing in our neighborhoods.

I'm here with one clear focus message.

The council can and must take action to amend the R1A zoning code and prevent more damage from being done.

We've come we've come to you with more than a complaint.

We've come to you with a drafted zoning agreement amendment.

The language is ready to be introduced and be voted on.

We're not speaking alone.

Although there's only a few members here, we have a petition signed by close to 400 members of our community.

It reads as follows.

I believe the R1A zoning district is already stable, well-developed zone that should be preserved in its current form.

And that conditional use requirements, multifamily apartments of four stories or more, must be uh be more be removed from this district.

I believe the R1 R1 and R2's districts preserved the diverse housing choices for the city of Passaic, with single family houses consisting of less than 10% of the housing stock.

And that newly passed provisions allowing town as development in these districts will exorbit the shortage of diverse housing choices for saying residents.

The additional um something on the on the on the petition, but that that's referring to the project.

Um we've gathered near close to 400.

Okay.

What's more frustrating is that this moment was entirely predictable.

And it was predicted.

Mr.

Goldman for saw this exact situation a few years back.

He emailed some of you right here tonight, and he warned that the R1A zoning, if left unchanged, could lead to this kind of at-of-scale development we're seeing now.

And the response he got, don't poke the beer.

Well, it happened anyways.

And now we're in a position where you can keep either keep on saying it won't happen again, or we could actually do something to make sure it doesn't.

As many mentioned, the fact that your own planning documents said the cities in the city's 2013 master plan recommended removing the high-rise development and and as a permitted conditional use in the R1A zone.

And the 2024 master uh plan re-examination reaffirmed the same recommendation.

It recognized that the R1A zone is a stable, developed residential district, and high-rise buildings are no longer appropriate.

The planning documents are aligned, the residents are aligned.

The question is is the council willing to act.

You've told us privately.

Your hands are tied, and that the zoning is outdated.

Well, here's the opportunity to untie those hands.

If the council fails to act, it's not a neutral position.

It's a green light to developers that this kind of project is welcomed in our R1A.

You're not just leaving the door open, you're holding it open.

We understand that it may not, it may not help the current development application, but this resolution about stopping the next one or resubmission of another version is what we're here for.

The language is drafted, the public's behind you, and the city owned owns plan support this change.

So please let me introduce uh the ordinance as well as the petition.

Can I come uh present this?

We'd be happy to uh if you'd like to get to the clerk, please.

Thank you so much.

Anyone else like to adjust the council, please?

Good evening.

It's 23 Aspen Place, apartment 6C.

I come tonight, I'm gonna start back.

Was um on August the 23rd, the residents of Spain Village gave a community back to school event.

The reason I said I'm starting back was because it was a major concern by the residents, because six police officers attended that event and just still around.

We was wondering why they were just there for a back to school event, and they never did when bullets is hitting our windows in our buildings in our cars.

That was a major concern by the resident.

We were wondering why for a little community back to school event with school-age children.

Six officers was present.

Nevertheless, we wanted to make that point noted.

They're never there when needed.

Because we didn't understand that one.

I didn't either.

But nevertheless, they were there.

They didn't do nothing, they just stood in the middle of the way, technically.

We have video footage that you can see if you want to review that because at time we say something is always questioned.

But nevertheless, I would like to thank um Persake Bravest, our fire department for coming out, cooking all of those hamburgers and hot dogs for everybody that attended.

We just do not participate with residence of spare village.

We do that HUD radius where surrounding neighborhoods is allowed to come and participate with us.

And we would like to thank uh Passaic Finance, the fire uh the police department for donating uh juices and waters and sodas.

We greatly appreciate any time any agency or organization or government part of this city participate with us on behalf of the residents of Spear Village.

I like to thank Weatherly and Office uh Deputy Chief Genteel always uh overseeing our permits, make sure that we are legal and um we abiding by the rules and regulations.

So we thank you for your help and participation, especially to the PBA and the reply department.

Thank you.

Thank you, Ms.

Griggs.

Any anyone else like to adjust the council, please.

Good evening, Mayor, Council President, Council members.

Uh my name is Yet Sweiss.

I live at 97 West of Rail Place, uh, along with my wife, diagonally opposite the proposed uh complex that's uh that people are thinking of being uh developing.

Um I'm here this evening to lend my voice in support of all of those who have come out tonight to oppose that complex and to request respectfully request that the council seriously consider amending the uh the ordinance or passing an ordinance rather to amend the um the zoning.

Um I would also like to specifically request from the council if I can um any next steps that we might take as a group.

Um one positive that has come out of this is it has caused the it has galvanized a grassroots effort for some of our people from some of the people living in our city to become more interested in what goes on in our city government.

I guess that's a good thing.

Um, but if we can have some specific direction in terms of what we can do going forward to possibly um help this cause.

Thank you.

Stay up there, yes, for just another please.

It is possible that there might be litigation on this matter, which is why you won't hear much from this council or from the administration, it's certainly not publicly.

By the way, the reason that it has not been on the agenda is multi multifold.

Um, not the least of which is that a member of this council is uh many of you may be aware, uh, lost both his uh daughter-in-law as well as his father within a short period of time.

It's been uh made difficult uh for him and uh for all of us and the oncoming holidays and etc.

So it is not out of uh neglect that this issue or concern that this issue has not been on the public agenda, it has been on the private agenda.

I will admit to you that uh speak to the mayor several times a week, sometimes several times a day, and inadvertently or purposely.

This always is a part of the conversation.

Having said that, um realistically cannot expect members of this council to share with you, forgive me, or anyone else, um, discussions which are held in private and not for public discussion uh on matters such as this.

Um, of course, respecting all requirements for quorum and for majority of votes, etc.

Uh, but nonetheless, there is that that caveat as we're aware.

So I wouldn't want anyone leaving here saying the council was not being cooperative with us because they won't even share with us the things that they're discussing when in fact financial we count.

This is a very uh interesting area to say the least.

It touches upon any number of areas um and any number of concerns, and all of us are, I think, scratching our heads and saying, why didn't we do something in 1950?

When I think that I might be one of the only people here who actually not 50 but 51, but sort of a year late.

Um but let me assure you that it has been a matter of discussion, it will continue to be a matter of discussion.

It is not an easy solution.

Um, it touches upon any number of different items, which I would rather not elaborate for the record.

Um, but we are well aware of the concern, we are well aware of the posters, we are well aware of the handouts.

Um we have to go out a way to make this work.

If you or anyone else that you know um have some ideas, um, I know this usually involves lawyers to a large degree.

I always thought that you could get the opinion that you wanted, depending on the speaking to the right lawyer, but I'm told by my daughter-in-law, my brother-in-law, my brother, all of whom have the pleasure to be lawyers in their defense.

So we'd be happy to keep you posted with anything that we can publicly.

It is a matter of concern.

We hear uh many people's uh concern and outrage.

We know this is uh the biggest investment, they're how much the biggest investment they've ever made in anything and probably ever will, that their values, their quality of life.

We are aware of it.

Um we are aware of it.

Um, but right now we can come to some conclusions which need to pass, as the mayor so eloquently stated, need to pass the Gol Master.

We in fact cannot continue.

So we're in a stoppage right now, but we hope to even in the next days coming up, get something done uh on it.

But right now we're just not there yet.

Um, and to the gentleman, if I may forgive me, who handed us the ordinance, we'd be happy to have our attorneys look it over and see if there's any uh kind of value that we it can get from it.

Councilman Mayor.

Thank you.

Uh Mr.

Fernandez, the R1A modifications were made in the 50s.

The assumptions were like it was closer to public transit back then.

Um assumptions were back then people had like no cars, one car at max, and currently I think someone mentioned a different project in close vicinity that probably had similar requirements, was the assumptions in 1950.

I would assume that people had zero to one car, and now it's probably more than that.

Yeah, which definitely makes the argument to maintain the high rise.

Maintain the high rise, even though the proof is that there's more cars, yeah.

So they're pushed currently now 50s being the 50s, but currently the push throughout the state in New Jersey is urban transit development.

There's money out there to do urban transit development.

The push, especially we are what's considered in the state of New Jersey a planning area one, which is where development should be occurring, right?

But again, let's preface it with balance and oversight and review.

It's not uh right, these are just generic statements.

This is not me saying we're doing XYZ.

These are just specific planning factors that are currently happening within uh the state and in the country, by the way, um, where urban transit development is especially in the state of New Jersey is pushed.

Uh, unlike many other municipalities, our only mass transit train that we have is in our single family zone, right?

So to change that zone would be of significant detriment to those living in the municipality, and that's understood.

Uh, so the R1A was then created at that time, and I must say that a lot of the similar concepts that were discussed in that document are still um discussed in today's in planning circles about developments within urban transit hubs, such as the uh the train station and hopefully our brand new uh state-of-the-art bus terminal, and that's where things are located.

And if you look at our R1 as a zone and you do a radius in that section, you'll see that from the train station to main avenue's bus terminal is roughly a 10-minute walk.

The law that was passed by the uh by the legislature in the state.

Um, certainly we're all well familiar with the urban transit zone that was Senator Lesniak's legislation, right?

Um allows, encourages, does not require.

Oh, that's 100% correct.

That's why I prefaced my statements with you know planning facts and what uh the planning proposals are uh based on those.

Not every municipality heeds that or takes it act of that.

We're just saying that in the planning world, planners, right?

Plan for that, right?

And then municipalities have to evaluate the impacts of that and decide whether that's gonna continue or not continue.

But it is proper planning to, in fact, as being blessed as the author of both of the master plans.

I can tell you that one of the concepts was higher densities around the train station.

Just from my knowledge, and I know the answer, but so it's a limited question.

But in terms of people per square mile in the city of Pacific, would you know what that number is?

Uh so it would depend on the so let me rephrase it.

To my understanding, has always been on within the top 20 municipalities in terms of density in the United States.

At one time, we were the fifth most densely populated city for populations of over 50,000 residents when juxtaposed to the city.

And the suggestion is being made that a bunch of planners are going to tell us that we're not dense enough.

No, that's not what they're saying.

And in proximity to transportation to the train station.

Um, every section of Passaic is not the same.

Correct.

Um, there's a availability of additional density in some areas, then in others, each of them have to be evaluated on their own.

Um, and planners suggest and recommend and governing bodies pass or deny, right?

And planning boards approve or deny projects that you know are the impacts are too negative within each of them.

That's why the process was created.

There's checks and balances, there's regulations that that um take into effect that we all have to abide by and follow.

But you cannot deny the fact that when you're pushing for mass transit, not having population around your main mass transit building is a negative for the mass for the use of mass transit, right?

Or to or to uh de incentivize the driving of vehicles because the idea of um the densities around uh mass transit is twofold, right?

It's twofold.

One is to de incentivize the use of vehicles so you can get around a lot easier, and number two, give access to those that otherwise wouldn't have the ability to track to traverse the city and into other areas to have the ability of having mass transit to access the mass transit.

So it's a multi, it's a multifaceted.

I agree with you 100%, but where I think that we may disagree is whereas your analysis draws you to the train station as that central hub.

My analysis is that to say being a city different than many, many others, and not blessed with a railroad per se.

But what we are but blessed with um, you know, our cars and with uh taxis and bus routes and inclusion of the mayor's new initiative, which is great, and a dollar eighty-seven to go anywhere in the city and all this other stuff.

In our free shuttle that goes around the city within the city, amazing stuff that we're wrong in only one way, and that is that rather than speaking about the train station being the epicenter, it in fact should be the bus station, which becomes the epicenter, and that it would seem to me might change the scenario a bit, no?

Yeah, well, we look at all mass transit.

Who's the Williams Harkey?

The the planning, the planning world, right?

We're talking about planning and design.

We look at all of the alternative means of transportation as all how do we get individuals to the most means of transportation as possible.

So generically, in you know, planning, that's what you look at.

How do we get the maximum amount of people to access mass transit, whether that be the bus, whether that be the taxi, whether that well, actually, the bus and the train station are the two main modes of transportation that you try to design to get individuals to that area.

But again, this is not, I'm not saying one way is right, one way is wrong.

I'm just generically speaking about planning and how you know um planners.

The perspective from the perspective from the planner.

I'm not saying that's gonna be what we do here or not do here.

It's just so you understand kind of the idea of why things are happening the way things are happening, and the council can say tomorrow, I hate it all, get rid of it, right?

And then we go ahead and try to do that.

Council President, me oh, councilman, I don't want to council president for me.

If I may, I just wanted to share an obviously for those that may be watching online and you hear uh urban transit hub development and all of these words that individuals are privy to, or because of the knowledge of the background, may lose what uh we're basically talking about if I just may closer to the train station, more appealing, and some perspectives of development further away from the train station.

But council president, I'm gonna ask you to monitor carefully these next statements just because I did want to address the speakers' uh requests, but carefully understanding that we may face uh future litigation and potentially have some hearings that I want everyone present to be aware that at the request of many of the council members, along with the business administrator and myself, we have explored alternatives that we cannot go into detail that may specifically resolve the concern of those in closest proximity to the proposed application, and we may be able, even though uh legally there is a right to build, and they have for lack of a better description, cross all their T's, dotted all their I's and have a right to move forward.

There may be a way to incentivize over the years, and our east side of our city is the most densely populated area of Passake.

We've been able through incentives, uh, through uh negotiations and perhaps proposing more conducive areas that'd be uh obviously more appealing for development to those who would want to invest.

We've been able to see uh investors perhaps change direction in a way that would benefit all of the community and here at the direction of the council.

This may be vague, but it's purposely vague because of what the council president shared.

We have had meetings with our business administrator, and we are pursuing a potential solution to this specific concern.

Now, I understand that this is two parts.

One with the specific development that has been proposed and passed through boards, and they're discussing, and then the potential of perhaps looking at the uh boards and how we can rezone.

That is a question for the council.

Again, council president asked it is a council meeting.

I get to share a little bit every now and then, but I or maybe more than just a little bit every now and then.

But I did want to share that and let the community know that perhaps it can be encouraging to understand that it's not that the council said, Oh, well, there's nothing we can do.

And again, I'll reiterate these aren't projects that the administration or the council, the members of the administration go out into the community proactively seeking.

I know there's been some description.

Our perhaps some people portraying this, the council isn't going around, and neither is the administration saying we need more high rises in this area or other.

Uh, we look at applications, we have to be objective again, because if it goes to court and there is even a hint of us trying to sway these boards one way or another for any reason outside of something that directly would adversely impact the community, then the city could end up, and we've seen neighboring municipalities that deny application, end up having to pay out and the development occurs anyway.

So we're very cautious in that approach, but I want to assure you the council members of the council, the council president, the business administrator, myself, members of the council, we have met with uh stakeholders, those who are involved and interested parties, and we've spoken to key individuals, and there is a lot of interest in pursuing the alternative that we came up with, though I cannot guarantee it.

I am optimistic that we may find a solution that everyone in the immediate area will be very happy with.

And then, of course, I leave that to the council in regards to any future consideration of designations.

But to the business administrator's point, there's money available for development in proximity to transit.

That's just a way of the state goes around in perspectives.

Everyone may have a different opinion, obviously.

Buses are extremely important.

That's why we pursued it.

Our council president through his role as assemblyman was uh crucial securing us over six million dollars to get a state-of-the-art brand new bus terminal on Maine Avenue that connects from the train station here to the train station in Bergen County.

So that is exciting, and we share it, but with those funds and advancement and progress, and come sometimes I wouldn't call it pressure because of what it connotes, but the request from the state for us to explore opportunities for urban transit hub development, and that we don't proactively go out there, we can't deter people from putting in applications before boards.

We can't tell them, hey, you know, because they know what the state is providing money for, they understand the reports as well.

They put in those applications, and the boards have a responsibility to consider them objectively and legally.

So I wanted to share that, but again, hint at the fact that without giving details before my mic gets cut off of conversations that may potentially resolve this.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mayor.

Councilman.

Uh just go back to the perspective from the planner.

So the perspective of the planner was that high-rises and the like higher denser construction would be more appropriate, closer to the transit hubs, but the authors of the master plan makes recommendations to eliminate R1 RA.

Like so I'm not having a hard time.

Um it's in the that's for the city, correct?

That is correct for the city of the state.

Um, by the way, just to get clarity, the master plan is voted upon by the city.

But well, it's a it's a board document.

Uh so it's voted upon by the planning board with reviewing uh with advising consent of the of the city and and the planning board.

Okay, but the planning board reports to the city, the city doesn't report the planning board.

Well, in this case, the state of New Jersey requires that the master plan is a planning document and approved by the planning board.

So the way the checks and balances work in the state of New Jersey, the planning board makes the master plan, then ordinances are created based on that master plan.

It gives you the right to zone, and then any deviations from that zoning plan then goes to the zoning board uh for deviations that are not permitted.

So that's the structure within the state of New Jersey for planning.

So the master plan is a planning board document, and the ordinance are created.

And the accounts are created by the council just to get just to get clarity.

The planning board document is approved by the planning board.

Planning board, and the planning board is appointed by the mayor with a with a um member of the council and a um I forget what they call them.

Um the class two member, which is a uh official of the municipality, or the zone and the zoning board is created by the council because the council creates the laws, so the council appoints those that would deviate from the law.

Okay, I just wanted to get clarity in terms of where power comes from and all of its yeah.

Well, the laws, the only body that can create a law is this one, right?

Which I know you know, but for the public, the ordinances the only the power of an ordinance lies with the city council, so creating a law is yours, but within that there's checks and balances, that's why there has to be consistency with the master plan, and then there's appeal processes which you can go to the zoning board, right?

So good.

Anyone, I'm sorry, thank you.

I just want to say thank you.

Thank you for uh for your consideration and thank you for engaging with us on this and taking it seriously.

We that's very much appreciated.

Thank you.

Anyone else like to address the council?

Yes, sir.

Mayor, business administrator, your honor president of the uh the city council and all the other members.

Uh I'm here because the person that was speaking before me is on the corner of Orchard and Westville.

So happens that I live right on Orchard.

Right now, there's a building there, and that building was um built with my wife was nine years old.

It was built two years later.

So now they want to build a building.

This is four family four stories.

The next one's gonna be three times as big as that one.

My concern is there's a hundred ninety-four apartments, eighty-nine of them, one family, eighty-six, two families, and three families, and so forth.

Could you imagine?

Uh I personally calculated based on the weight.

By the way, I was on a zoning board in the past, so I know a little bit of this, and um and I calculated if this were to happen.

Could you imagine she says that she's gonna give 200 15 pocket spots off street?

I calculated over 500.

If you if you go by families and bedrooms and so forth.

So my concern is right now if that building was built right now and it was there already.

If that building was built right now and it was there already, I would have to, I don't know how I could see that the top of the building.

It would be like me looking up to see the tip of the Empire still building.

Those are my concerns.

And I'm hoping that you understand my concerns.

I live right on Orthe Street, literally.

Sometimes I think that the building if it was ever built and we had an earthquake, it'll fall on my house.

So those are my concerns.

And and it's weird because I already see these plans, and they're even requesting to want a dog park.

Could you imagine a dog park when there's a dog park like two minutes from the heart from where I live, which is what this would be built, and other problem that I have with that is they want to add literally put on Orchestra itself where they can back in to um I forget exactly the word, but the trucks were back in to load and I load for that so-called project.

And I'm very happy with this, and I'm just expressing how I feel with all the people here because I literally live amongst them, and they're very good people.

So I hope that you guys understand where we're coming from.

That's all I got to say.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Louis.

Anyone else like to address the council?

Hi, my name is Frida Cogan.

I live at 233.

If you could bring the microphone a bit closer, Frida Cogan, 238 High Street.

I just want to give a general view of the area where this building is being built.

So in about a six-block radius from about Van Houghton to Acrick, we have a synagogue where thousands of people go in and out every day.

We have the Mario Drago, I think how to pronounce it, um, public school.

Again, thousands of kids.

We have Yeshiva Gidola Passaic.

Again, that's a few hundred people in that building, and we have Ishiva Katana of Passaic, where there's at least 1,500 people.

We're talking about mostly little kids from these two schools, and plus the adults walking back and forth.

The traffic right now, I cannot park in front of my.

We we don't send our engineers.

The council doesn't make a phone call and say I want I want this to pass, I don't want this to pass.

That's not how it occurs.

The business administrator would like to add to such clarity.

Yeah, um, if I may just elaborate a little bit more on that.

Um one is disagreeing with any of the comments that are being made here this evening.

There is a process, so within that conditional use variance, there are specific requirements for a traffic study.

It's one of the only ordinances that actually requires a traffic study to be conducted because of the concerns that residents may have.

Additionally, just like the mayor was alluding to, it also requires a um study of the infrastructure for water and sewer services to be conducted, right?

Those are conducted, but it is in the purview of the board that is reviewing it to assess those reports and decide if those reports are significant enough to deny or ask for changes, right?

But whether it be a zoning board or a planning board, whether you would have this would ended up as a D3 or ended up with the planning board, it is the responsibility of those board members to analyze those reports and make a decision according to that.

Um as uh so the the studies, so who does the study, which is the other question, the burden of proof is always on the applicant.

So the applicant has the burden to prove whether this does not have the negative impact that they uh of the proposal, and then the the public has the right, as my understanding is has already been taken, right, to get their own witnesses, get their own attorneys and refute all the proposal that the applicant has.

That is the legal process that was created for every municipality in the state of New Jersey.

Um the council members, yes, can analyze ordinances and change the ordinances accordingly, but that does not alleviate the process that has to be followed for the approval or denial of any application.

So I just wanted to make that clear that you are correct, and that is your assessment.

You have every right to refute their professionals, and that because of the type of use that's being uh allowed conditionally, and I can't stress it enough because under the law, a conditional use variance is different than a permitted use, right?

It has that burden on the applicant to provide those documents so that they can be analyzed by the boards and can be refuted by the public.

Thank you.

Thank you for that uh clarity.

Anyone else wish to address the council?

Yes, sir.

I guess Sheer Turner, uh, live on Orchard Street, just down from the proposed development.

Um I'd just like to add to the to all the comments being said.

I want to thank you, you know, thank thank council members, the president, the mayor for the time and you know, this important issue.

Um there's a few things that make up a community.

Um, you know, and this happened, you know, throughout throughout any demographic.

Um for us, you know, for us it's about the kids, it's about having you know our kids being safe, safe place to you know, to hang out on the street if they want to come home from school, you know, I go to school.

Um that's put at jeopardy or a question, uh that becomes a problem.

Um, and that obviously is uh you know a concern and a big concern of mine, I'm sure you know, everyone, everyone here today.

Um we we made mistake about seven years ago.

No, so we knew what we're moving into.

I moved on to Orchestra, I knew that building was there, I didn't know too much about the building.

Um, but I knew I knew I knew you know, you know, it wasn't, you know, it was out of character for the place, right?

Aesthetically at least.

I didn't know much about the demographic and and things like that.

Living there though, uh, for the past seven years, we've come accustomed to, you know, uh you know, certain certain things that have you know happened if it's drug busts that have happened there, police have come there and busted, you know, if the drug deals that we saw happen on the street, um, you know, we've witnessed that.

Um, it's it's a transient population that that building has introduced a transient, you know, type of population.

People are not invested in the in you know, in their properties, they're renting or whatever they're doing.

And they're not, you know, they're not fully invested like like we are, you know, we have families, we want to build the community, we want to know who our neighbors are.

This is not New York City.

Uh, you know, we want we want to know who our neighbors are, we want to get along with them, you know, Santiago come to him often on, you know, if we need assistance, whatever the case may be, you know, certain times.

Um there's a certain there's a sense of community that we want to build and that we have.

So, you know, I moved in there knowing, you know, I'm not rehashing the past, you know, what's done is done, it's already there, you know.

But it better the devil, you know, right?

So, you know, we can live with live with what we have already, but to introduce something you know that that introduce a further transient population into our you know, into our community.

I think it sets a dangerous precedent for us as a community in terms of you know wanting to stay there.

If this if this bill is like I would seriously consider moving, because it's just not part of the fabric, it's not part of what I you know, what I wanted for my family.

And I think that's you know, all the all the uh the the you know, everyone's been a beneficiary of you know the the influx of you know the Jewish populace into that area, you know, probably prizes that riven, you know, you know, they have risen quite quite uh uh dramatically in the last couple of years that everyone's experienced, and you know, yes, that means more land taxes, more investment by you know, by the community in infrastructure, like the Isle One, for instance, you know, the big big center on uh on Brook Avenue, things like that that you know that every everyone's a benefit of.

Um, so I think this could, I think you know, a development like this could put that in jeopardy, it could put the future of at least you know that that that area in jeopardy and could you know wind things backwards.

Uh, furthermore, just speaking on the safety of it, so beyond that statics and the city planning of it, uh the the safety of of the current population that's there.

Um, you know, my my children can't walk to school that route.

So we live orchard, and then there's Westerville right at the end.

That would be the quicker way for my girls to go to school because the girl school is just up there, they have to walk around.

Now, fine, okay, we live with it currently, but I can only imagine how much worse it's gonna be when you know, when you know, if if a greater transient population is introduced, you know, four or five times the amount, it's it's gonna completely, you know, it's gonna make things a lot worse.

Um, beyond that, my my daughter also has a friend that lives at the end of the street.

She's too afraid to walk alone, you know, to her friend's house on the corner of Western on Orchard Street.

It shouldn't be happening, I don't think, at least in Passaic.

So fine.

So we we alert the police, you know, when we can, you know, they come and they they they take care of the issues.

Um, but uh, you know, but again, this is this is something I think you know we we've learned to live with.

But I think that, you know, I think in the future, I think I think if we can stop something potentially getting worse and making it even more, you know, I think the responsibility is on us to do so.

Um, furthermore, just on the traffic end, also when when a bottleneck's created, right?

It causes people to go a lot faster, right?

They take opportunities and they and they sometimes, you know, they're trying to, you know, avail of certain gaps in traffic, whatever the case may be.

So they might they might, you know, go be flast, and that's that's caused problems also for my children when they're crossing the street at the stops, at the stop signs and that kind of thing.

Uh, people try and cheat their way through just because of the just because of the current traffic uh traffic issues there.

So again, how much more so when you know this you know you're adding another 194 cars or whatever the case may be, you know, all those extra cars.

Thank you.

Is there anyone else who wishes to address the council at this time?

Single hands with no motion of close public hearing things.

Motion is there a second, please.

Second motion and second, royal call, please.

Councilman Mellow, yes, councilman mayor, yes, councilman Garcia, yes, councilman Golomon Daniel, yes, council president she's yes, thank you.

We'll take a five-minute break, ladies and gentlemen, then come back for business.

Maybe we have a motion to reconvene.

Uh second motion and second to reconvene.

Royal call to reconvention.

Yes, councilman mayor, yes, councilman Garcia, yes, councilwoman Colomo Daniel, yes, and council president shear.

Yes, thank you.

We are back on the agenda room and number six ordinances for second and final waiting hearing is required.

Number one, proposed council president, forgive me.

I I wanted to share something with you if possible, because there was a question that was asked, and we didn't have time to address it.

Um there was a question asked, and I want to thank Ms.

Renee Griggs and all those who put that program together in Asmond Police for the children, but there was a question about the police and why they were there, and I just wanted to share on the recording to the council.

The council knowledge, oftentimes when there's an event, whether it's a not-for-profit, whether it's an organization and there are permits, there's a requirement to have police presence.

The city has often, in order to avoid having charges made, have police in a presence free of charge without cost.

Whether that happens in the park or an organization says we want to do this event, whether that happens at a not-for-profit or a faith base, and they say we're going to do this and we'll send the police in the area for free.

If in any way there was a lack of communication with the police, but I want to thank the chief because oftentimes what we do, and perhaps we could do a better job at explaining to individuals when they come to the clerk and they'll say we're gonna have an event, we're expecting 80 people, 100 people out in the public.

There's a requirement of pay for police, and oftentimes again in the past, what we have done, and we continue to do is say we'll just have cops in the area, and then they won't have to pay, depending on the organization.

So I wanted to clarify because they should the organizers should have been aware the police in the presence till they appear.

Why are you here?

It's not a call, it's actually to save them from having to pay any additional costs because police by record and requirements are supposed to be at public events, depending on the number of people.

So I just wanted to add that for clarity.

Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you for that clarification.

What is this for second and final reading?

Proposed ordinance 2495-25.

An ordinance amending chapter 295.

Vehicles and traffic of the city of Passaic adding new section 29 295-7.4 entitled State Street Municipal Parking Deck Fees.

Is there a motion to up open public hearing?

Second.

Motion and second roll call, please to open.

Councilman Melo.

Yes.

Councilman Mayor.

Yes.

Councilman Garcia.

Yes.

Councilman Colombani.

Yes.

And Council President Shea.

Yes, thank you.

Ladies and gentlemen, at this time, the council is contemplating proposed ordinance 2495-25.

So we would like to address the council on this item only.

Motion and second roll call, please.

Councilman Mellow.

Yes.

Councilman Mayor.

Yes.

Councilman Garcia.

Yes.

Councilman Colomo Danes.

Yes.

Council President Shield.

Yes, thank you.

On the ordinance, is there a maker, please?

Motion.

Second.

Roll call, please.

Councilman Mello.

Yes.

Councilman Mayor?

Yes.

Councilman Garcia.

Yes.

Councilman Colombanias?

Yes.

And Council Presidential.

Yes, thank you.

The ordinance is passed.

Yes, sir.

Thank you very much.

Next, please proposed orders 2496-25.

An ordinance amending the city code of the city of Passaic, chapter 295, vehicles and traffic.

Article 12 schedule section 32.1.

Schedule 14.

Stop intersections to add additional stop sign at Monroe Street intersection on Hope Avenue.

Is there a motion, please to open public hearing?

Motion motion and second roll call, please.

Councilman Mellow.

Yes.

Councilman Mayor.

Yes.

Councilman Garcia.

Yes.

Councilman Colombanias.

Yes.

Council Presidential.

Yes, thank you.

Is there anyone who would like to adjust the council on proposed ordinance 2496-25?

See no hands.

Motion to close.

Second.

Motion and second to close public hearing.

Councilman Mellow.

Yes.

Councilman Mayor?

Yes.

Councilman Garcia?

Yes.

Councilman Colombanez.

Yes.

Council President Shield.

Yes, thank you.

The ordinance is passed.

Is there a regular ordinance?

Move it.

Second.

Motion and second roll call, please.

Councilman Mellow.

Yes.

Councilman Mayer.

Yes.

Councilman Garcia.

Yes.

Council Mugolomu Danes.

Yes.

And Council Presidential.

Yes, thank you.

Next, please.

Proposed an ordinance 2497-25 and ordinance amending the city code to say the section chapter 295.

Vehicles and traffic part one.

General provisions article 12 schedules, section 23.1 schedule for A angle parking.

Is there a motion, please to open public hearing?

Motion motion and second.

Thank you.

Roll call.

Councilman Mellow.

Yes.

Councilman Mayor.

Yes.

Councilman Garcia.

Yes.

Council Mukolomo Daniel.

Yes.

Council Presidential.

Yes, thank you.

At this time, ladies and gentlemen, the council is contemplating proposed ordinance 2497.

Is there anyone who would like to address this item of this item only?

See no hands.

Motion to close.

Second.

Motion and second to close.

Roll call.

Councilman Mellow.

Yes.

Councilman Mayor?

Yes.

Councilman Garcia?

Yes.

Councilman Colombon D.

Yes.

And Council President Shea.

Yes, thank you.

On the ordinance.

Motion.

Second.

Motion and second to approve.

Roll call.

Councilman Mellow.

Yes.

Councilman Mayor.

Yes.

Councilman Garcia.

Yes.

Councilman Colombanias.

Yes.

And Council President Shire.

Yes, thank you.

The motion is passed.

Next, please proposed ordinance 2498 that we have to find an ordinance amending the designation of restricted parking for disabled persons.

Is there an action, please to open public hearing?

Motion and second roll call.

Councilman Mellow.

Yes.

Councilman Mayor?

Yes.

Councilman Garcia.

Yes.

Councilman Colomban.

Yes.

A council presidential.

Yes, thank you, ladies and gentlemen.

At this time, the council is contemplating proposed orders 2498.

Is there anyone who addresses wishes to address the council on this item and decide amount of one and move to close?

Motion and second to close public hearing.

Councilwoman Mellow.

Yes.

Councilman Mayer.

Yes.

Councilman Garcia.

Yes.

Councilman Colombane.

Yes.

The council presidential.

Yes, thank you.

That was on the ordinance.

Motion.

That was why are we on this ordinance?

We need to adopt it.

Is there a motion to adopt, please?

Okay.

Motion.

Second.

Motion and second to adopt 2498.

I'll call.

Councilman Mello.

Yes.

Councilman Mayor.

Yes.

Councilman Garcia.

Yes.

Councilman Colombanian.

Yes.

Council Presidential.

Yes, thank you.

On the ordinance.

We're doing that.

We finished it.

Okay.

One communications now.

Remember.

Number five.

So we're not there.

That was uh T was there motion, please to uh public hearing on proposed orders 2499.

Motion to open.

Motion to open.

Roll call.

Councilman Mello.

Yes.

Councilman Mayor?

Yes.

Councilman Garcia.

Yes.

Council Mugolomontan?

Yes.

Council President Sharia.

Yes, thank you.

At this time the council, ladies and gentlemen is debating acceptance of ordinance 2499.

Is there who wishes to uh speak to this ordinance and this ordinance on that?

Let's close it.

Second.

Motion and second to close.

Roll call, please to close.

Councilman Mellow.

Yes.

Councilman Mayor?

Yes.

Councilman Garcia.

Council Mukulom Montanez.

Yes.

Council Presidential.

Yes, thank you.

We did the ordinances.

Now we need one to adopt.

Is there anyone that's going to be able to do that?

Motion is there a second, please to adopt.

Second.

Motion and second to adopt.

Councilman Mello.

Yes.

Councilman Mayor.

Yes.

Councilman Garcia.

Yes.

Councilman Colombon.

Yes.

Council Presidential.

Yes, thank you.

We're up to communications now.

Remember number seven on our agenda.

Item six through eleven.

Are there any questions, please on item six through eleven?

Seeing none at this time, is there motion please?

Accept item six through motion.

Motion is there a second to his motion and councilman mellow.

Yes.

Councilman Mayor.

Yes.

Councilman Garcia.

Yes.

Councilman Colombanian.

Yes.

Council President.

Yes, thank you.

We're up to all matters listed here under considered to be routine in nature.

Items 12 through 21 inclusive.

Are there any questions, please on 12 through 21?

Uh 20.

On 20, please.

Millennium strategies monthly act report.

Councilman.

I was hoping that everybody would be here still to uh the B can highlight some of these, but is there any real uh any any significant things we haven't done in the past or that we missed out on in from the grant perspective?

I'm sorry to say that in the in the uh millennium strategy report.

Are there any big ticket items that uh you want to highlight for us?

So I think uh the council knows that we have both under three and uh yes call it what it is, Mr.

Fernandez.

It's not luck at all, it's lots of hard hard work.

Well you know it helps when you have uh some connections outside.

Oh sorry, sorry, he was coming.

Um it's good to know that we have connections outside and the relationships that the mayor uh and council president outside is very good.

So, for example, one of the things that we'd like to highlight, which is in the resolution, you'll see part of that uh through the state of New Jersey.

We received over 700,000 for uh childhood led exposure prevention, and I know council president, your other revolution assembly that you were instrumental in the lead safe uh regulations in the state of New Jersey.

That's almost a million dollars right there in that 450 we also received um through the DEP Green Agers almost a million dollars again, 985,000 dollars for repairs to third board veterans memorial parks.

All that work is ongoing today that you've seen with the uh with the rubberized track and and uh the the field reconstruction is the outfield, what's the outfield gonna be?

Uh so one of the issues in some of the discussions that we've had is keeping it grass, so they're gonna put grass.

The the issue is that if you turf everything, things like the wonderful family festivals that you have that we celebrate there, or the helicopter the helicopter landing, you really can't do that on an artificial turf field, so there has to be an evaluation turf everything in every park in the city.

You're gonna restrict yourself from some of those very popular events that the children love to do.

So uh in this case, the field is going to be um yeah, it's gonna be granting some indirect issues like you won't be able to walk your dog there, which you see a lot of people to go through there.

I appreciate turf, but it looked you know the original form of uh baseball is definitely nice too.

Um we have two million dollars from New Jersey Water Bank for sewer and stormwater reuse, it's a municipal grant um that we received.

I noticed that 20.

I'm sorry, requested million point eight from FEMA.

Yes, so thank you, Mary.

FEMA, we're we're still working with FEMA in getting all the flood mitigation repair all along the McDonald Brook.

There's still two people left in the yeah, there's still two people left in the agency that are still working on getting removed.

Um there's a lot of overgrowth in that book.

Like I was like, what's is this is there is that normal?

Is that part of the plan?

The yeah, so the excessive vegetation because once um when I saw the original plans for McDonald Brook and I saw a bunch of this, there's uh there's specific types of plants that are in the brook purposefully to you know absorb a certain amount of water.

Um there's the rocks and the hills that you see inside.

Um I was told that's called the rip rep.

And the whole thing of that is to slow the flow of water so it hits and it doesn't completely uh you know kind of irrigate the whole area, and and you have uh the the water flow issues there.

So uh that's something we've been going.

We've been going after significant amount of money.

So there is an application that we've made, and I know the mayor is uh you know was adamant we had to make this application was 15 million dollars, a 15 million dollar application.

Uh, for let me just make sure I don't uh misspeak on the amount as why what it is that we're doing 15 million dollar grant that we're requesting to the U.S.

Congress for another parking deck downtown.

So, man, I don't know if you want to take some parker uh just because the word park is in the street, that's why is the density density.

Congress turned it down last year.

We're going back for this year.

Is that yeah?

We told them that it would be huge, that it would be the best ever, beautiful, it would be perfect, and then we'll put whatever name we're requested on the parking deck if they give us the money, any five-letter name that they would order that it would farm or trump any other application.

Anyway, we also went over uh $700,000 for safe streets that will impact most by uh St.

Mary's Hospital, if you want to.

Yes.

Uh so the safe streets to school, the state uh funded project.

Uh we're very successful in doing that, and that uh throughout the years that's been instrumental in the pathway to and from schools and to transit to make sure that it's safe for pedestrians, especially school children uh with curb cuts, uh you know, the the sidewalks, different signalization throughout um, which is part of that grant that we're uh using the money for, and ultimately on Parker Avenue, the multi-million dollar uh pedestrian system.

I forgot the name, it had like a catchy name, Mary.

You remember the name of that catchy system?

And it has like all the bells and whistles for uh that can be adjusted for pickup and drop-off times on Parker Avenue, the new uh complex, which we hope to have installed uh shortly.

Noticed uh some storm water, storm water and drainage, especially like in 25.

I think there was was there for the Passaic Av Lackawanna Manhattan intersection.

I remember previously there was discussion for fixing the flooding issue there.

Yes, we are in the heart of having those discussions with the DEP to see what we can get done with the five million dollars that was awarded to us for the flood mitigation in that area.

So it's a combination of state funds and federal funds where FEMA, the FEMA and the county uh funds were assisting and redoing the little waterfall um and the trestle underneath the uh the culvert underneath Passake Avenue and the brook, and then state funds were for mitigation at the trestle, and we're looking for the best possible scenario to maximize the usage of the five million dollars.

I think what the council uh is aware of looking at all these contracts that we are presenting in the bids is that just the fear of possible additional tariffs and taxes have spiked up the cost of every single application, and the fact that some of these grants came before these discussions, you know, the pricing of some of these mitigation resources have skyrocketed.

So you know, we've had to look at different avenues and objectives to uh do a meaningful flood mitigation project in that area.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilman.

Are there any additional questions on 13 through 21?

Senior lights at this time.

Is there a motion please to accept items 13 through 21?

Excuse me, 12 through 30 through 21.

Move it, motion motion and second on 12 through 21.

Councilman Melo, yes, councilman mayor, yes, councilman Garcia, yes, council Micolom Denis, yes, and council president she're up to resolutions, remember number eight on our agenda 22 as a resolution not to close executive session.

Susie, do you have a closed session?

Thank you, ma'am.

Mr.

Fernandez, do we need closed session?

Mr.

Mayor, members of the council, good deal.

So if we can move on to 23 to 38, are there any questions, please?

On 23 to 38.

There's a move to close.

Second.

Motion and second roll call to would that be to approve.

Roll call to approve, please.

Items 23.

Councilman Melo.

Yes.

Councilman Mayor?

Yes.

Councilman Garcia?

Yes.

Councilman Colomo Daniel?

Yes.

Council Presidential.

Yes, thank you.

Remember number nine on agenda 39 ordinance amending the designation of restrictive parking for disabled persons by new to plate number.

Is there motion to accept for set down for second and final reading and our meeting of October 9th?

October 9.

Is there a motion, please?

Second motion.

Move it.

And second.

Roll call, please.

Councilman Mellow.

Yes.

Councilman Mayor?

Yes.

Councilman Garcia.

Yes.

Councilman Colombon Tan yes.

Yes.

Council President Shees.

Yes, thank you.

Ordinances we just did.

Seeing none is there motion please to accept the bills as presented.

Move it.

Motion.

Thank you.

And second.

Thank you.

Roll call.

Councilwoman Mello.

Yes.

Councilman Mayor.

Yes.

Councilman Garcia?

Yes.

Councilman Colombon Tanya.

Yes.

Council President.

Yes, thank you.

Uh administrators report.

Mr.

Fernandez.

None of this time, sir.

Very good.

Thank you, sir.

Mr.

Mayor.

We will say we have two council moving fund.

And then this weeks in the funds.

We want to obviously concern with programs associated with community development projects, especially funding.

For not-for-profit organizations for programming in the city, but obviously rental assistance and development.

So we're extremely excited about that.

In the next couple of weeks, as I mentioned before, we will be celebrating obviously Hispanic Heritage Month, the Mexican parade.

As many in the community goes to what is often referred to as the end of the year or Rashishana, and then right after the uh the new year, there will be uh observances of going into the holiday season, and obviously with that stated, we'll keep the council and the community abreast of any changes.

I mentioned on Gregory, we'll have three days where the streets will be completely closed from Madison all the way down to Pennington, especially during Rosh Hashanah.

So there may be a lot of people on the road.

We'll make sure signage and notification is going out early enough.

And then lastly, we we have had good news in terms of donations, as we mentioned in previous meetings for potential turkeys and toys.

Uh, we get extremely excited about these programs as we have many children in need in the community, and we'll make sure that the council is made aware.

Lastly, there was a bit of a gap in communication to the council that I wanted to share.

We've addressed it with our staff and police.

I believe during this promotion, uh, the council did not receive communication for the sergeant's promotions, and uh we've tightened that up to ensure that you have full information on those occurrences in the past.

You are receiving them directly from an individual's no longer here.

So we'll ensure that we designate that responsibility, whether it's fire, police to the clerk, and whenever the clerk is aware of a promotion, the council will be made aware immediately.

That is not at my reports.

Very kind of the mayor, thank you.

Uh, members of the council, singer lights.

Is there motion please to adjourn our meeting this evening?

Move it.

Motion and second row call to adjourn.

Yes.

Councilman Mayor?

Yes.

Councilman Garcia?

Yes.

Councilman Palomo Dennis?

Yes.

Council President Shea.

Yes, thank you.

This meeting is adjourned.