1. FORTHE CORPS
FORTHE CORPS
Emerson • Hillsdale • Montvale • Park Ridge • River Vale • Township of Washington • Westwood • Woodcliff Lake
P A S C A C K V A L L E Y ’ S B E S T H O M E T O W N N E W S P A P E R
VOLUME 24 ISSUE 41 DECEMBER 28, 2020
Friends from Hillsdale and River Vale pooled
their talents on Dec. 17 and gave rise to a “Coca-
Cola” snow bear in Hillsdale’s Veterans Park.
SEE PAGE 23
BUILD A BEAR
The New York Evening World ran an item on Dec.
30, 1893 about fresh burglaries along the New
Jersey and New York Railroad line, including at
the stations in Westwood and Etna (Emerson).
SEE PAGE 4
STELLAR
STUDENT
Westwood High’s Isabel Rhee
earns prestigious Dwight D.
Eisenhower Leadership Award.
SEE PAGE 11
B ck in time...
PHOTO BY WTVAC
BY MICHAEL OLOHAN
OF PASCACK PRESS
A nearly 13-acre parcel previ-
ously targeted for 73 townhomes at
463 Van Emburgh Ave.—with a
development proposal expected in
2021—qualifies for a massive tax
deduction due to its following a
woodlands management plan for two
years that cut its annual tax rate to
about $50 annually in 2019 and
2020.
However, should the property be
developed, local officials say the
landowner will need to repay the
property taxes saved under the farm-
land assessment law.
At Township Attorney Ken
Pollerʼs recommendation, the council
on Dec. 21 tabled a resolution to
refund 463 Van Emburgh Ave.
(Tomaron Inc./Viviano) $12,572.51
for its payment of 2020ʼs first two
quarterly tax bills. The council tabled
the resolution Dec. 7 over concerns
See TAX on page 25
MASSIVE TAX
REFUND?
Council seeks facts on
ʻVivianoʼtimber sales
TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON
WESTWOOD / TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON
Not seven swans a-swim-
ming but rather seven Cardinals
a-cheering! Going door to door,
Junior Cardinals cheerleaders,
whose program has merged those
of the Westwood and Washington
Township rec programs, surprised
the Washington Township Volun-
teer Ambulance Corps last week
with gifts of Christmas wreaths:
one per home and a larger one for
the headquarters door.
According to WTVAC Life
Member Richard Miras, the crews
have continued to ride and pro-
vide ambulance service through-
out the COVID pandemic.”
“It was a very emotionally
charged time for our members to
be recognized and thanked by
the cheerleaders, who traveled as
a group to each of our homes to
personally deliver the wreaths.
Each of us had to make a deci-
sion whether we would continue
SPREADING JOY: Junior Cardinals cheerleaders Gina Castronova, Emma Claire Readie, Jenna Zotollo, Elorie Roberts, Maya
Goldman, Elly DePiero, and Molly McGinty went to ambulance crew members’ homes to deliver wreaths and thanks.
Cardinal cheerleaders deliver wreaths to COVID ambulance crews

2. 16
DECEMBER
28,
2020
•
PASCACK
VALLEY
PRESS
FROM PAGE 1
to volunteer at our own risk of
becoming infected and it has been
a stressful but rewarding time
since March,” he said.
He added, “The community
response with thanks and lawn
signs and waves as the ambulance
makes its way through the streets
has been great. Many of our fund
drive donation envelopes included
personal notes of thanks. We are
humbled by the response.”
Desserie Morgan, one of the
coordinators of the cheer pro-
gram—and a squad mom—said
“I am extremely proud of the
girlsʼ resiliency during a very
challenging time this year. I love
the energy they showed; they
were real spirit leaders through
this. They were super positive and
Iʼm very proud of them.”
Corps: Cheerleaders bring joy
WTVAC MEMBERS left to right: Rich Miras, Chris Hahn, Trevor Landau, Joe Conway, Justin
Tsai, Captain Bob Rayve, Bob Ehlers, Eugene Greco, Rob Kopp, Larry Davino, Brian Doherty,
and Bob Fox. (Not pictured: Adi Mohan, Linda Husslein, Chris Kracke, David Tarshik, and Gary
Peters.)
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WOODCLIFF LAKE
A final vote on a $45,000 res-
olution to update the boroughʼs
Master Plan will likely occur at
the boroughʼs reorganization
meeting, after Mayor Carlos
Rendo postponed a vote due to the
absence of a council member at
the Dec. 21 meeting.
Administrator Tom Padilla
said the likely date for a Master
Plan vote was Jan. 6, 2021 and
noted residents will have another
chance to provide comment at the
Sine Die council session, followed
by the reorganization when new-
comers Josephine Higgins and
Richard Schnoll, both Democrats,
will be sworn in.
A Dec. 21 public comment
session lasted about 10 minutes
with two residents requesting the
vote to be postponed and one urg-
ing its passage. Councilwoman
Angela Hayes was absent Dec. 21.
Resident and Zoning Board
Vice Chair Robin Malley said
there were “many misconcep-
tions” about what an updated
Master Plan would mean and said
it will not allow developers to get
what they want. “That will be the
exact opposite of what will hap-
pen.”
She said the guidelines in an
updated Master Plan will benefit
the borough, and that all stake-
holders including residents, mayor
and council, Planning and Zoning
boards, will be able to make sug-
gestions for areas around town.
She said the borough is more
than just the Chestnut Ridge Road
and Broadway corridors. She said
having an comprehensive Master
Plan may help prevent future law-
suits from developers due to an
outdated plan.
“Unfortunately, it canʼt be
business as usual… Letʼs try to
control our destiny. We need to
move forward with updating the
Master Plan now,” Malley said.
Resident Gwenn Levine
asked for a couple months delay in
voting on an update to allow more
people to become aware of the
issue.
She said she wanted to advo-
cate for retaining single-family
homes on the East Side and noted
the Broadway sidewalk is a popu-
lar walking and jogging place. She
noted traffic, the future of 188
Broadwayʼs rejected plan to con-
struct a 60-unit, two-building
apartment complex (now being
appealed), were other concerns.
She asked that her concerns
be noted prior to any council vote.
“This would mean a great deal to
me and many other East Side resi-
dents,” Levine said.
On Dec. 7, the proposed
Master Plan update faced criticism
over being rushed, plus allegations
that the update was being done to
appease some potential developer,
which offended Rendo, a Republi-
can, and especially Council-
woman Jacqueline Gadaleta, a
Democrat.
Rendo broke a 3–3 tie Dec. 7
to introduce the Master Plan
update resolution after Democrat-
ic councilman Craig Marson and
Gadaleta exchanged words about
Marsonʼs negative remarks about
the need for an update.
Voting for the update were
Rendo, Democrat Nancy Gross,
Republican Steven Falanga and
Gadaleta. Opposing the introduc-
tion were Marson, and Democrats
Angela Hayes and Brian Single-
ton. Gross and Singleton, both
lame ducks, voted yes and no,
respectively.
The $45,000 update will be
paid for by the borough over five
years. Rendo had emphasized that
the public will have multiple
opportunities for input and com-
ment over 6–12 months as a com-
prehensive Master Plan review
and update is completed.
If approved, the update will
be done by borough planner
Richard Preiss, part of Phillips,
Preiss, Grygiel, Lehenny and
Hughes LLC.
The resolution notes a recent
Master Plan reexamination did not
address issues related to afford-
able housing, Broadway and
Chestnut Ridge/Tice Boulevard
corridors, redevelopment, large
office complexes, nor constitu-
tional issues related to religious
land use or zoning ordinance
changes.
It says, “In order to address
the land use issues in the borough
and encourage certain types of
developments in order to main-
tain the character of a neighbor-
hood, it is necessary to undertake
a review of the existing Master
Plan and zoning ordinances.”
$45K Master Plan update vote moved to Jan. 6
BY MICHAEL OLOHAN
OF PASCACK PRESS
FROM PAGE 14
analysis included in the Plan or
in any accompanying documen-
tation that would inform the res-
idents on the effects of... overde-
velopment.”
In his note to Pascack Press,
Ruocco said, “Please note that
the veto only applies to those
portions of the Plan that allude to
and/or permit the density/height
bonuses.” He notified the clerk
of his specific objections in the
language of the ordinance.
In the wake of the measureʼs
second, and final, vote, Ruocco
told Pascack Press, “Obviously,
Iʼm not pleased,” and said he was
considering not signing it. When
asked if he had made a decision
on a veto, he said, “Decisions of
this sort should be made careful-
ly and with time.”
Also on Dec. 8, Councilman
Frank Pizzella, who has for a
long time championed redevel-
opment in the area, lashed out at
Ruocco following the mayorʼs
scathing takedown of the ulti-
mate plan.
Bonus densities are not a
foregone conclusion in negotia-
tions, Pizzella has said, and the
plan ties granting of such bonus-
es to the developer providing a
community benefit such as a
community center, park, open
space, or municipal improve-
ment.
Ruocco said such capital
expenses are better financed by a
bond issue, where officials may
monitor construction.
Special redevelopment
counsel Joseph Bauman said it
would take at least a year before
it was likely any developer
would come forward and be
approved.
Moreover, he said, for the
plan to transform the area into an
aesthetically pleasing and mostly
residential mixed-use or congre-
gate living zone with uses such
as assisted living, it could take
up to a decade or more.
For more, see staff writer
Michael Olohanʼs close report-
ing on the issue, including “ʻNot
Pleasedʼ vs. ʻGenuinely Happyʼ
on Hillsdale Redevelopment
Plan,” Dec. 21, 2020.
Veto: Special meeting Dec. 30