August 25, 2025, Planning Board Special Meeting Transcript - WEHI

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 117 on a 120 acre tract of underdeveloped forested land located on the western ridgeline of the Watchung Mountains, bordering Essex Fells, Verona, and Roseland and WHEREAS, this area is heavily vegetated with mature trees, wetlands, steep slopes, and serves as a watershed for the Peckman River and Canoe Brook, and WHEREAS, West Orange is a heavily forested, steeply sloped municipality in Essex County, which is the most densely populated county in New Jersey and mostly densely populated state in the United States; and WHEREAS, the environmental impact of this development include deforestation, increased stormwater runoff, disruption of local ecosystems and watershed, and potential homes around neighborhoods due to inadequate drainage systems, and WHEREAS, the loss of thousands of drains will exacerbate flooding risks in nearby towns, including Verona and Essex Fells, and diminish air quality and biodiversity, and WHEREAS, changes in weather patterns and climate, and warmer average temperature create circumstances for more frequent and stronger storms, which have not been adequately accounted for in the current proposal, and WHEREAS, this development contradicts sustainable