Before It’s Paved: Save Eisele’s Nursery — Let Paramus Have a Voice

$14.5 million. Six acres. Eighty years of history. A future our children deserve to inherit.

Vision means holding on to the past while embracing the future — without erasing it.

For 80 years, Eisele’s Nursery & Garden Center was part of the heart and history of Paramus.

In September 2026, its approximately six acres at 232 Oradell Avenue reportedly sold for $14.5 million.

But the sale of land does not erase its history, its meaning to our community, or the opportunity to ask whether it can still be preserved.

What kind of Paramus are we leaving behind for our children, our veterans, and the families who call this town home?

Our Veterans Served. Our Children Will Inherit. Our Families Deserve a Voice.

Paramus is home to the New Jersey Veterans Memorial Home.

Our veterans have given years of their lives in service to this country. They deserve dignity, peaceful surroundings, and a community that honors their sacrifices.

Our children deserve more than memories of the farms, orchards, and nurseries that once made Paramus special.

Our families deserve places to gather, our seniors deserve peaceful walking paths, and our neighbors deserve a community where nature still has a place.

Imagine Eisele’s preserved as a living community park, with gardens, walking trails, agricultural education, and a memorial garden honoring our veterans and those we have lost.

A place where grandparents can walk beside grandchildren, sharing stories about the Paramus they once knew.

We cannot preserve every piece of our past. But shouldn’t we make an effort to protect what remains?

Luxury Apartments, Affordable Housing, and the Land We Already Developed

Paramus has continued to accommodate major residential developments.

Vermella Paramus contains 260 apartments, yet its 2026 affordable-housing lottery advertised only 15 affordable units.

New Jersey’s Mount Laurel framework requires municipalities to address affordable-housing needs.

Why weren’t more affordable apartments pursued through major luxury developments?

Could additional affordable units have been negotiated?

Were alternative locations considered?

How does this development contribute toward Paramus’ affordable-housing obligations?

These are questions about planning and transparency, not accusations of wrongdoing.

A September 2026 commercial real-estate report also identified 37 active commercial property listings in Paramus. These are not necessarily 37 vacant buildings, but they raise another important question.

Why aren’t we examining more opportunities on already-developed land before permanently transforming our remaining agricultural spaces?

We support affordable housing. We also support preserving the history and natural beauty that cannot easily be replaced.

Responsible planning should consider both.

Other New Jersey Communities Found a Way

Cherry Hill preserved the 23-acre Holly Ravine Farm through a municipal purchase in 2024, following community concerns about development.

Closer to home, Wyckoff purchased Russell Farms in 2012, using municipal open-space funds and Bergen County assistance. Wyckoff voters had previously approved an open-space tax.

These examples show how residents, local officials, negotiated purchases, and preservation funding can work together.

Eisele’s circumstances are different. The land has been sold, and any purchase would require the current owner’s willingness and a financially responsible arrangement.

But shouldn’t Paramus at least investigate whether a similar preservation opportunity is possible?

Let the People of Paramus Be Heard

For months, efforts have been made to contact officials, attend meetings, and understand how residents can request a public vote.

New Jersey law, N.J.S.A. 19:37-1, provides a procedure for municipal officials to place a nonbinding public question on a general-election ballot.

Such a vote would not force the owner to sell or commit the borough to purchasing the land.

It would allow residents to formally express their preferences.

We ask the Mayor and Borough Council to investigate that option, explain whether any separate special-election procedure is available, and provide clear guidance.

Nearly $100 Million — Show Residents What Preservation Would Cost

Paramus’ 2026 municipal budget totals approximately $98.07 million, including $73.07 million raised through municipal and library property taxes.

We understand that these funds support essential services and existing obligations.

We are not suggesting the borough has millions of dollars sitting unused.

We are asking officials to investigate the costs of preservation, including New Jersey Green Acres funding, Bergen County grants, voluntary purchase negotiations, and potential taxpayer impacts.

If our town can plan for major development, shouldn’t it also seriously examine the financial possibility of protecting historic land?

What We Are Asking

We respectfully request that Paramus officials:

Investigate a nonbinding public referendum and explain all legally available voting procedures.
Explore a voluntary, fair-market-value purchase or preservation agreement with the current owner.
Examine county, state, and other preservation funding.
Explain Mount Laurel affordable-housing obligations and whether existing developments or previously developed properties could help meet them.
Publish an inventory of vacant and underused commercial properties.
Present a transparent financial assessment and hold a public forum for residents.
Before It’s Gone, Remember Who We Are Protecting

We are not against progress.

We are not against housing.

We are not against business.

And we respect property owners’ rights and their right to fair compensation.

We are asking for thoughtful decisions that consider everyone who makes Paramus a community.

For the veterans who served our country.

For the children who will inherit our town.

For the families building their lives here.

For the seniors who remember the Paramus that once was.

And for the generations who have not yet had the chance to call this place home.

The land has been sold. But the opportunity to ask questions and explore lawful preservation options should not be dismissed.

This is not one person’s vision. It is a community asking to be heard.

Please Sign and Share

Every signature adds to the request for transparency, preservation consideration, and meaningful public participation.

Before it’s paved, let Paramus have its say.

Vision means holding on to the past while embracing the future — without erasing it.