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New York Post
19-05-2025
- Business
- New York Post
Billionaire NFL owner wants to build affordable housing on a pristine NJ hilltop — and locals are mad as hell
Locals in West Orange, NJ aren't just shouting from the rooftops — they're shouting about what might be built above them. A billionaire's bid to transform a pristine hilltop with Manhattan skyline views into a nearly 500-unit apartment complex is the latest drama in a decades-old land use battle in the tony town — and this time, the argument involves affordable housing. Owned by the family of Minnesota Vikings co-owner Zygmunt 'Zygi' Wilf, the 120-acre wooded parcel in the Watchung Mountains will be developed by Wilf's Garden Homes, a real estate firm, reported. 6 A controversial plan to build a 496-unit apartment complex—100 of which would be affordable housing—on a pristine 120-acre hilltop in West Orange, NJ, has reignited local opposition. West Orange Planning Board Besides clearing roughly 30 acres of woodland, the developer's vision includes a four-building, four-story complex with amenities like a clubhouse and pool. Of the 496 units, 100 are designated as affordable housing. While the plan goes to help satisfy the township's state-mandated housing obligations, locals say the environmental and public safety risks are simply too steep. 'Public safety and irreparable environmental harm trump, if you will, affordable housing,' said Joseph Pannullo, president of grassroots group We Care NJ, in an interview with The roots of the current plan trace back to New Jersey's controversial Mount Laurel Doctrine — a series of court rulings requiring municipalities to provide their fair share of affordable housing. West Orange, like many other towns, has faced pressure to comply. 6 Spearheaded by billionaire Zygi Wilf's Garden Homes, who owns the Minnesota Vikings, the project stems from a 2020 settlement aimed at helping the township meet its affordable housing obligations under the Mount Laurel Doctrine. Getty Images The saga began back in 2006, when the Wilf's proposed a less inclusive project for the property, which was rejected over similar concerns — including flooding, steep slopes, and limited emergency access. Finally, in 2020, local officials struck a court-approved deal with developers — Garden Homes got the go-ahead, so long as it introduced an affordable component that helped the town meet its mandate. 'It's a situation where the law is very coercive from a municipality's point of view,' West Orange Council President Joe Krakoviak told 'Municipalities' hands are very much tied because they have little, if any, influence over how many units of affordable housing to approve.' 6 While the developers argue the plan supports housing goals, residents and environmental advocates say it endangers public safety and exploits affordable housing as a loophole. Lithium6ion via Wikipedia Despite the legal issues, Krakoviak has remained outspoken in his skepticism of the Wilf proposal, citing the project's remote location and complex terrain. '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,' he said to noting distance from public transit and basic services. The project has already cleared several regulatory hurdles, including receiving a stormwater permit from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. 6 Critics—including township council president Joe Krakoviak—cite concerns over flooding, isolation from public transit, and limited emergency access on the hilly, forested site. Google Maps Opposition is mounting, however. In July, the West Orange Environmental Commission asked for a delay in site plan review, raising red flags over potential damage to state-protected wetlands and two tributaries of the Canoe Brook. A November report by environmental consulting firm Princeton Hydro also stated that the site plans did not comply with state stormwater regulations, according to 6 Grassroots groups argue the land, untouched and far from basic amenities, is unsuitable for development, regardless of income level. Lithium6ion via Wikipedia Rachel Klein, a local resident and We Care NJ member, accused the developers of using affordable housing as a 'guise' to push through a plan that has previously been deemed unsafe. '[They] thought we'd be afraid of being accused of NIMBYism,' she told '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.' Klein, who has lived near the mountain since 2016, emphasized that her objection is not to affordable housing itself, but to the placement. 6 The plan is under review by the West Orange Planning Board. Lithium6ion via Wikipedia 'The need is there, for sure, and the town is working on it. But the problem is West Orange is already exceedingly overdeveloped,' she said. 'This is just not the appropriate place for it.' As part of the plan, the remaining undeveloped acreage would be preserved as green space and recreational trails, and developers have proposed replanting trees lost to construction. But critics remain unconvinced that mitigation measures can reverse the impact of clear-cutting a mature forest. According to the median list price in the surrounding area is $599,725, underscoring the contrast between market-rate housing and the proposed affordable component. While Garden Homes has not commented publicly, the township planning board is still reviewing site plans, with the next public hearing scheduled for Wednesday. For now, the mountaintop remains a flashpoint — caught between the urgent need for affordable housing and the equally pressing calls to preserve what locals see as one of the last untouched natural spaces in Essex County. 'I fully expect opposition to the project to grow well beyond the board's decision,' Krakoviak told
Daily Mail
14-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Billionaire NFL owner wants to build 500 homes on 'dangerous' New Jersey mountaintop... and locals aren't happy
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 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 '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 '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.'
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Billionaire NFL Owner Wants To Build Nearly 500 Homes on an Untouched Mountaintop—but Some Say It's Not Safe
A decades-long battle over a development on an untouched New Jersey mountaintop, with sweeping views of the Manhattan skyline, has bubbled to life again, with furious locals saying it's simply not safe and it is being pushed through under the guise of providing affordable housing. Plans to turn a 120-acre wooded area in West Orange into a 496-unit residential development have been given the green light. Around 100 of the units will be designated as affordable housing. The current median list price in the neighborhood is $599,725, according to data. The project is spearheaded by Garden Homes, a real estate company run by billionaire property developer and Vikings chairman and co-owner Zygmunt (Zygi) Wilf and his family. Garden Homes owns a portion of the land on the Watchung Mountains, which has views of New York City. The expansive proposal includes a large apartment complex and extras such as a pool and a clubhouse. Around 30 acres of property, which is also owned by Wilf and his family, will be cleared for the development. However, local opposition groups say the proposal is dangerous and is being snuck throughunder the pretense of affordable housing—a hot-button issue in New Jersey. The development is the result of an April 2020 settlement to ensure the township of West Orange fulfills its affordable housing obligations. Local municipalities are entering their fourth round of obligations under the '70s-era Mount Laurel Doctrine, which requires them to provide a reasonable share of affordable housing. The West Orange Town Council recently voted to approve its own affordable housing obligation of adding or rehabbing 1,000 units between 2025 and 2035. The pressure on local municipalities to make suitable arrangements to get the job done is considerable—if they don't, developers can turn to legal tools, like builder's remedy, which could ultimately allow them to bypass local zoning ordinances. This can be done on the grounds that the municipality is not making its best effort to meet its obligations. Joe Krakoviak, president of the West Orange Township Council, tells that affordable housing rules could lead municipalities to support developments they would otherwise oppose, given they effectively represent the lesser of two evils. 'It's a situation where the law is very coercive from a municipality's point of view,' he says. 'Municipalities' hands are very much tied because they have little, if any, influence over how many units of affordable housing to approve, and also because they can't utilize many local zoning ordinances that the rest of the township, and developers, are required to comply with.' Krakoviak adds that he holds considerable reservations about Wilf's development and its potential impact on the surrounding community. '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 says. The development would sit significantly far away from the local public bus, as well as other necessary amenities, like a gas station or a shopping center. '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,' Krakoviak says. There have been numerous attempts in the past to develop the mountaintop, with plans to install housing on the site being mooted periodically since at least the 1990s. A previous proposal, which included 136 units, was denied in 2006 over concerns around the environmental impact and safety. Local grass-roots organizations, such as Our Green West Orange and We Care NJ, have been at the forefront in opposing the latest development. Similar to Krakoviak, their reservations include concerns over flooding and debris in the event of storms, and a lack of facilities. Some opponents view the affordable housing component as little more than a ploy to finally making Wilf's development a reality. The developers 'thought we'd be afraid of being accused of NIMBYism,' Rachel Klein, a local resident associated with WeCare NJ, tells '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.' Klein, who has lived next to the mountain since 2016, says the issue lies with the site itself—not the wider need for affordable housing. 'We could go into a long, deep dive on why this is an inappropriate place for fair share housing. The need is there, for sure, and the town is working on it. But the problem is West Orange is already exceedingly overdeveloped,' she says. 'Nothing's ever been built on this land. It's in the furtherest 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.' Affordable housing advocates have been measured, with some pointing to the proposed 100 units earmarked for lower-income earners as important in West Orange fulfilling its obligations. Garden Homes declined to comment when approached by The development is currently before the West Orange Planning Board. 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