For Immediate Release
Media Contact: Jackie Greger, Jackie.Greger@sierraclub.org
Victory for Open Space: West Orange Planning Board Rejects Disastrous Watchung Development
West Orange, NJ - Last night, the West Orange Planning Board rejected the West Essex Highlands proposal to build 496 units of housing on a 120-acre forested area on the Second Watchung Mountain Ridge. This is the largest forested area in a densely populated, overdeveloped part of the state and provides much-needed green space for residents and wildlife in North Jersey.
The New Jersey Sierra Club has been involved in fighting this development since it was first proposed in 2005. Over the course of the nearly 2-year hearing process for this new application, NJ Sierra Club staff and volunteers have attended nearly all of the planning board meetings in person.
Maegan Kuhlmann, New Jersey Sierra Club Chapter Organizer, made the following statement:
“We thank the West Orange planning board for stepping up against harmful development and protecting open space. This area is unsuitable for any type of development due to its slopes, wetlands, and critical wildlife. Affordable housing, land conservation, and sustainability can all coexist, but not like this. This housing proposal would have caused irreparable environmental damage, more flooding for nearby residents, and increased costs for both residents and the township during storm events.
The NJ Sierra Club, alongside the community group WECARE, have been fighting this project since it was first proposed in 2005. This victory is thanks to tireless, grassroots community activism that refused to back down against a billionaire. This is what happens when organized people don’t give up or back down for decades. Together we will continue to make sure the Watchung Mountain Ridge is protected now and for future generations.”
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About the Sierra Club: The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information about our work in New Jersey, visit www.sierraclub.org/new-jersey.