Hi everyone! In just a few short days, we've raised $4,745 of our $20,000 goal! Please continue to show your support by donating, "sharing" to your socials, and spreading awareness with neighbors/family/friends! This process takes a village and we need YOUR help!
https://gofund.me/aad28783 ⬅️ Please donate! ��
Montville Residents for Responsible Growth LLC, and Neil Boyle, are asking for your donations and support towards legal fees to work with an attorney to appeal the wrongful Montville Township Zoning Board Of Adjustment decision that was made on October 4, 2023 regarding Diversified Properties LLC’s proposed development “Brookside at Montville.” We are asking our fellow residents and concerned individuals to please support the effort to protect the 29 acres of undisturbed wetlands and woodlands in Montville. This case would've been approved without opposition a year ago if we didn't have a collective voice that kept showing up. We've amassed 3,266 supporters on our change.org petition, 700 members on our Facebook group , and record turn-out at countless town meetings over the course of multi-year process - we know the power of coming together for this cause!
As Tom Longo stated, "The bigger question that all residents should be asking as election day draws closer is, 'Why is it necessary for residents to hire an attorney to fight their own local governing body over a project that a majority of people in town do not want?'"
There are too many red flags in this project to allow this to proceed, even Chairman Marinello stated that there were too many negatives and the Diversified Team seemed to "bend over backwards to minimize the many negatives" throughout this whole process; additionally, our township attorney Michael Carroll voiced concern regarding this being a "rezoning" issue, as "rezoning" is an overstep of the ZBOA's scopes of practice. We have two major conflicts of interest at play with ZBOA members that voted to approve the proposal as well. To share one of blatant self-benefit, ZBOA member Ray Giordano owns a private in-home senior care provider business, based in Montville... and he just increased his customer base big-time by voting "yes" on this Brookside at Montville 55+ community, that of which has zero care-providing services in-house and any residents requiring care will need to privately hire local services. This basis would immediately disqualify this interest-driven vote under law.
We have an incredibly strong case in the eyes of the law (from several attorneys' expert opinions) to protect 29 acres of undisturbed forest from being destroyed & turned into a giant 266 unit multi-family development right near the entrance to our town off Route 287 (Main Rd/Rt 202, Valhalla Rd, & River Rd)! We need to get this in front of a judge who will base their decision on the law, unlike the ZBOA members did when 5 of them voted "yes" for this project. 3 of which voiced no reasoning at all, and 2 of which gave arbitrary and capricious reasoning.
Reasons why your support is well-worth it:
•Due to the topography of the land, this development will tower over neighboring homes by 8-10 stories
•increase in light and noise pollution for woodland species and neighbors 24/7 by clearing out many buffer trees
•add massive traffic & congestion to Rt 202/Main Rd
•lead to an increase in accidents at the Main Rd/202 entrance & exit to the project, due to limited sight distance required to safely stop or slow down
•increased flooding to nearby residents & roads once all the natural ground cover is removed & replaced with impervious surfaces (& wetlands are encroached upon)
•destroy the natural habitats of all the wildlife who make this forest their home (notably including a bobcat, which is a NJ endangered species)
•will negatively impact one historic home and will demolish the other entirely: the Peter Doremus House / Benjamin Lawrence Tavern, a pre-revolutionary war tavern that President George Washington visited (& was recommended to be put on the National Registry of Historic Places) will be partially-relocated & turned into a “Clubhouse” to store sporting equipment for active adults and lose any "historic" standing (as only a portion of the structure will be salvaged and moved). The other historic home known as the Richard Husk home (which appears to be eminently salvageable and has gorgeous, original wood beams supporting its ceiling), will be demolished entirely.
The law is on our side! Please read the GoFundMe description for more of the legal information regarding this strong case! We have a great opportunity to protect this land from this development, but we need your help! Please give what you can - NO AMOUNT IS TOO SMALL! All support is incredibly appreciated!
Please click here to show your support- https://gofund.me/aad28783