January 28, 2026, Planning Board Special Meeting - WEHI Transcript

29 of 66 sheets Page 113 to 116 of 155 02/26/2026 05:17:42 PM 113 catastrophic preventable incident. You have not1 required this developer to take any precautions with the2 homes below Building D. A debris slide from the Grande3 damaged a home on Nestro. There are so many homes below4 the proposed Building D, my neighbors and I are from all5 walks of life, all income levels, races, you cannot6 paint us as a few rich NIMBYS, we are far from that. To7 have a proper catchment area, you need to be in front of8 the toe of the slope, as Mr. Gall explained, the issue9 for this developer is, our homes are the toe of the of10 slope, making this impossible, which should be reason11 enough to not approve this development. And don't12 worry, if there is a debris slide or anything were to13 damage my home, I will of course sued, but what price14 will you put on our children. Please, listen to us,15 your neighbors, and put aside why you believe you must16 approve such a half baked proposal. Vote no on this17 proposal. This will be your legacy, the largest18 development ever approved at one go in the Township of19 West Orange, but any and all fallout from this, too,20 will be your legacy.21 CHAIRMAN BAGOFF: Thank you very much.22 State your name for the record, sir.23 THE PUBLIC: Johnathan Sharret,24 S-H-A-R-R-E-T. My address is 11 Howell Drive, West25 114 Orange.1 MS. McGOVERN: Do you swear or affirm to2 tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the3 truth.4 THE PUBLIC: I do.5 MS. McGOVERN: Thank you.6 THE PUBLIC: I'm a life long West Orange7 resident. I grew up here, I was born in 1981 in St.8 Barnabas Hospital. I returned with my wife to West9 Orange in 2009 and as I said before, we live in Howell10 Drive.11 This steep slope that everybody talks about,12 the development that's literally our backyard. But I13 don't want anybody to think this is a case of nimbyism.14 All right. You heard multiple people throughout the15 entire township, all right, tell you that this is a bad16 idea and urge you to go back, at least to deny this plan17 and tell the developer to go back to the planning18 stages. All right. This area is uniquely unsuited for19 development. All right. This is not a new thing, as20 multiple people have pointed out, all right, this has21 been before this Planning Board in various forms over22 decades and every single time it was denied. All

ll right. This is not a new thing, as20 multiple people have pointed out, all right, this has21 been before this Planning Board in various forms over22 decades and every single time it was denied. All right.23 There's nothing here that has changed, all right, on the24 ground. All right. Other than the fact that there was25 115 a lawsuit over affordable housing. Affordable housing1 should not be used, you know, as basically, you know, a2 sword over our necks, right, in order to force3 development that should not happen. All right. There4 should be a better plan in this town, right, for5 affordable housing. I haven't heard a single person6 talk, all right, about how they are against affordable,7 all right, or that they don't want certain type of8 people, whatever that may mean to them, all right, in9 their backyards or in their town. People want10 affordable housing in this town. What they don't want11 is affordable housing in a place that makes absolutely12 no sense and what they don't want is affordable housing13 used as a cudgel, all right, to force development that14 shouldn't happen. If you look at this area, right, it15 is uniquely unsuited, all right, for development, right.16 You look in particular at Building D, right. Why is17 Building D where it is, seven feet away from the ridge18 line. Why would any developer want to put a building19 there. Because they're forced to, right. If you look20 at the wetlands layout, okay, that has been mapped out,21 there is literally no other place that they could put a22 building and make a profit. So they put the biggest23 building possible right next to the ridge line. Right24 next to all the neighbors, all right, that are going to25 116 be on Howell Drive, right. You look at the shapes of1 those buildings, why are they in such weird shapes.2 Again, because of the wetlands, right. Why is the road3 that goes around there in the shape that it is. Again,4 to avoid wetlands. Why do they have to go and get a5 dispensation from the DEP. Again, because of the6 wetlands, right. That entire area, all right, is7 unsuited for buildings there but they want to force you,8 all right, to put those buildings there because of the9 affordable housing, right. They tell you and they have10 their engineers and they have their experts telling you11 that you have nothing to worry about, right.12 In my career, I'm a patent litigator,

affordable housing, right. They tell you and they have10 their engineers and they have their experts telling you11 that you have nothing to worry about, right.12 In my career, I'm a patent litigator, I've13 been litigating for many, many years and I know how14 experts work, all right, and maybe this is cynical, but15 for every expert, you know, you have no trouble finding16 one, okay, to support your ideas. All right. And you17 can say that on both sides of the issue. For every18 expert there's another opposite -- equal and opposite19 expert, all right. But I'm asking you to use your20 common sense. If you haven't gone to that area, I urge21 you to go to that area, all right. You've heard for22 example, all right, that there's going to be no problem23 whatsoever with water runoff. Go to the area, all24 right. Go in the early spring, right, it's not that far25