Concerned citizens sparked some heated discussions about the pros and cons of life in Closter last week.
About 30 residents came to the library to give their input on the Master Plan revision process, for which the borough has hired the services of Richard Preiss of Phillips Preiss Shapiro Associates, Inc.
Most of the crowd seemed to be in agreement that Closter is a pleasant place to live with friendly people, good schools, green space and close proximity to Manhattan. However, they were also vociferous when it came time to discuss the borough’s negative aspects.
"High taxes, absentee landlords, McMansions, too many nail salons, arbitrary enforcement of zoning laws and heavy traffic patterns [on certain roads]," were all responses given by the groups formed by Preiss at the event.
Preiss guided the discussion with questions about the quality of life in Closter, which four breakaway groups then spoke about at length.
This was all part of hearing the community’s feedback about what the major issues are in town and what recommendations people have about "what kinds of things should be done," said Preiss.
"The Master Plan guides growth and development in a community and is the basis upon which to develop zoning ordinances," he said, adding that the plan also allows for other changes not addressed by zoning laws.
The Master Plan revision will reflect the areas the public thinks need improvement. "We need to get an idea of whether there needs to be a change of policies, assumptions or goals moving forward and also providing recommendations for change," said Preiss.
For example, there seemed to be consensus among all the groups that the downtown could use more diverse businesses and improvements to the building façades. Another suggestion aired by many groups was to make the town more amenable to things such as outdoor dining.
Louise Boyarsky said the problem of parking behind stores should be addressed. "Only a small portion is owned by the municipality. The town should acquire the majority," she said.
Another group member, Reggie Parcells, thinks angled parking would help provide more spots for shoppers, something he thinks is needed especially during the holiday season.
Preiss said the meeting was just part of the whole Master Plan re-examination process, which entails looking back at the progress made since the last revision six years ago and seeing what still needs to be done.
"We have done interviews and gathered information which has provided us with an idea of what progress has been made and what problems or issues still need to be addressed," said Preiss.
The meeting gave the planners a better idea of what recommendations and policies people want looked at, which will be set forth in the Master Plan re-examination.
"In a couple of instances we will be able to provide more detailed, concrete recommendations as it relates to the downtown and industrial areas. But some others may be recommendations for future studies, analysis or future changes in legislation. We will not be involved in the implementation of all the recommendations," said Preiss.
The concrete recommendations he could provide may relate to signage, façade design, attracting a particular type of tenant to the downtown or changing zoning ordinances in order to permit or prohibit specific uses, he said.
Preiss said a draft of the plan will be drawn up for the borough to review at another meeting and based on that feedback a final draft would be created for Planning Board approval. The entire process will take a couple of months, said Preiss.
Preiss has done Master Plan re-examinations for Montvale, Teaneck, Harrington Park and other Bergen County municipalities and said the concerns in Closter are not unique.
"Each town has its certain list of issues or problems that are specific to it. A lot of the problems raised last night are faced by other communities such as the downtown industrial areas, enforcement and McMansions," he said, calling them "common problems in Bergen County."
