RIDGEWOOD − The village’s controversial proposal to install an adult-sized artificial turf field on its historic Zabriskie Schedler property has won conditional approval from the state Department of Environmental Protection.
The nine-page approval letter was signed Aug. 27 by Elizabeth Dragon, assistant commissioner for the DEP’s Community Investment and Economic Revitalization office. A 19-page resolution stipulating conditions for approval was attached.
The 28-page response follows a six-hour hearing on the project Aug. 21 before the Historic Sites Council, which issued a temporary denial giving Ridgewood 60 days to respond to a long laundry list of questions. During a two-hour public hearing, 37 speakers were split on the plan: 22 against, 15 in favor of the project.
An alternative plan placing the athletic field farther from Ridgewood’s historic Zabriskie-Schedler property won DEP approval Aug. 27.
The council decision was forward to the DEP Commissioner Office for a final ruling by Aug. 27. The Village has 60 days to accept its conditions.
The approval is for a “Plan B” presented by Village Manager Keith Kazmark at the Aug. 21 hearing. It pushes the field to the property’s northern border, from 63 feet to 171 feet from the circa 1825 farm house that was nationally landmarked in 2019 as one of the last wood-frame Dutch farmhouses in Bergen County.
“The Village is pleased that a final decision on the future of the Zabriskie-Schedler property has been made,” Kazmark said in an email statement Wednesday. “A balanced plan needed to be achieved that preserves and celebrates the historic character of the John A. L. Zabriskie House, while providing for the recreational needs of the community.”
COUNCIL ISSUES TEMPORARY DENIAL Historic Sites Council issues temporary denial of Ridgewood sports field on landmark site
Approval conditions
While acknowledging “the proposed development is incompatible with the size, scale, and materials of the historic property,” Dragon stated Ridgewood had provided adequate evidence that its proposal was the best of several alternatives, and gave her approval with the following conditions:
Photograph documentation. Using the services of an Architectural Historian, the village “shall document the existing conditions of the house and its setting” with high-resolution digital photos that meet the National Park Service National Register Digital Photo Submission Standards. These must be accepted by the Historic Preservation Office prior to any further construction activities, including site remediation.
Archeological preservation. Using the services of a person meeting the Secretary of the Interior’s standards in archelogy, Ridgewood “shall ensure a plan documenting and preserving in place to the greatest extent possible” the John A. L. Zabriskie House site, including protective fencing and an architectural monitoring plan.
Signage. The village shall design and install three interpretive signs in the Zabriskie Schedler Park detailing the history and significance of the Zabriskie House and property.
Landscape plan to be completed by a licensed landscape architect experienced with historic properties, including a buffer between the Zabriskie House and the athletic field and parking lot. Evergreen and deciduous plantings must be “adequate to screen the field, parking area, and associated development from the historic property.”
Operations, management and financial plan for the proposed History & Cultural Center of Bergen County approved by the Village Council resolution Aug. 13 to be contained in the house.
Interpretive display to be installed in a publicly accessible location at the Zabriskie House regarding the history of the Zabriskie House and property, including the archaeological discoveries on the property.
The report accepts the village’s representation that “artificial turf is a more durable, low-maintenance solution than grass, which can better withstand the high volume of activity anticipated at the park.”
2023 PLAN APPROVED Ridgewood has a new plan for the Schedler-Zabriskie property. See the details
Neighborhood opposition
Even before Ridgewood bought the Zabriskie property in 2009, an adult-sized sports field was put forward as a justification for its purchase. However, the main concern of residents at the time was avoiding its acquisition for a strip mall similar to one on the southbound side of Route 17. Whether it became a park or sports field was secondary.
In 2015, the Village Council passed a resolution approving the recommendation by its Open Space Committee for an adult-sized multipurpose field overlaid with an adult-size baseball diamond. However in 2017, during the first term of Mayor Susan Knudsen, the 2015 resolution was rescinded, and a new committee appointed to “re-analyze the proposed plan.”
Resident Don Delzio filed two conflict-of-interest complaints against Knudsen in 2017, one of them charging her with stalling action on the Schedler sports field because her parents lived within 200 feet of the property. The charges were eventually dismissed, but not before the ad hoc committee issued a report that December recommending a child-sized grass multi-purpose field for the site.
Often referred to as the “original plan,” neighbors have continued to regard it as sacrosanct, unalterable by future administrations. Additional restrictions were added when the house was landmarked in 2019, and the property separately landmarked in 2020 or 2021 for its association with George Washington quartering his troops around what is now the Old Paramus Reformed Church.
The newest plan was approved by Village Council in 2023, returning to the adult-sized multi-purpose/ball field combination, this time with the addition of artificial turf. Because homes east of Route 17 in Ridgewood are on private wells rather than piped-in water, neighborhood concern immediately focused on reports alleging contamination from the artificial surface.
However, a majority of council leaned in favor of its sports organizations, who pressed for durable sports surfaces that could withstand multi-game scheduling and increased risk of flooding.
The 1,195-page plan was originally submitted to the state in February 2024, and revised to 1,238 pages that May. Petitions and letters opposing the proposal totaled 593 pages, or 48% of the application.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Ridgewood NJ gets conditional approval for sports field