Billionaire NFL owner wants to build 500 homes on 'dangerous' New Jersey mountaintop... and locals aren't happy

Daily Mail​

14-05-2025

A billionaire owner of an NFL football team has stirred up local trouble with his plans to build 500 new homes on a pristine New Jersey mountaintop.
Minnesota Vikings chairman and co-owner Zygi Wilf has been given the green light to develop an untouched 120-acre stretch of the Watchung Mountains in New Jersey into a 496-unit residential development.
However, local opposition leaders claim the proposal is 'dangerous'.
They say the project has only been approved because local authorities are desperate to meet their affordable housing obligations.
Affordable housing is a hot button issue in New Jersey, as it is in many other states across the US.
In the Watchung Mountains neighborhood, the current median home listing price is $599,725, according to Realtor.com.
Around 100 units of Wilf's planned development will be designated as affordable housing.
The proposal includes a sprawling apartment complex as well as a range of luxury amenities such as a pool and a club house.
New Jersey's West Orange town council is under obligation to rehab or build 1,000 affordable housing units between 2025 and 2035.
If local authorities do not meet these affordable housing requirements, developers can turn to legal remedies that allow them to bypass blocks such as zoning ordinances.
In April 2020 the township of West Orange reached a settlement with Wilf's property company Garden Homes to allow the development to go ahead while meeting its own affordable housing targets.
Wilf, who made his fortune in commercial real estate and homebuilding, bought the Minnesota Vikings in 2005 for $600 million. The team is now estimated to be worth over $5 billion, according to Forbes, and he is commonly estimated to have a net worth of around $1.3 billion.
'Municipalities' hands are very much tied because they have little, if any, influence over how many units of affordable housing to approve,' Joe Krakoviak, president of the West Orange Township Council, told Realtor.com.
'They can't utilize many local zoning ordinances that the rest of the township, and developers, are required to comply with,' Krakoviak explained.
'I have a tremendous amount of concern about the environmental ramifications of this proposal, as well as the appropriateness of placing lower-income residents in the proposal so far away from all of the things they need to reach, especially if they do not have access to public transportation or regular transportation,' he added.
'It's hilly terrain to navigate, both coming and going, and it's one road in and one road out. The fact that this is at the top of the mountain means the drainage is going in every direction. 'It's very complex, he said.
Wilf, who made his fortune in commercial real estate and homebuilding, bought the Minnesota Vikings in 2005 for $600 million
Local opposition groups, such as Our Green West Orange and We Care NJ, have pointed out that the new units would be a long distance from the local bus stop as well as other essentials such as shopping centers and gas stations.
They are also concerned about the potential impact of flooding and loose debris in the case of storms.
The developers 'thought we'd be afraid of being accused of NIMBYism,' Rachel Klein, a local resident associated with WeCare NJ, told Realtor.com.
'We said no: If it was unsafe for 136 homes that would have been worth $1 million at the time, why is suddenly throwing poor people into it making it safe? That makes no sense to us.'
Previous attempts to develop the mountain top, dating back to at least the 1990s, were not approved due to concerns over the environmental impact and safety for potential residents.
'Nothing's ever been built on this land. It's in the furthest part of town, miles away from schools and public transport.
'There is a need for affordable housing, but this is just not the appropriate place for it.'