Hackensack, NJ Community Message Boards

The article indicates in two places that the accident did not occur at a street crossing

1. It says "near" the intersection of Terrace Place, not "at" the intersection

2. and then concludes with the following paragraph about respecting the right of away and crossing the tracks only at designated locations:  "Snyder said the incident serves as a reminder to stay off the tracks and to respect the right-of-way. She said that tracks should only be crossed at designated locations, never go around closed gates and that trains can't stop quickly."

You may have more information than the article.  Or the article could be wrong. We welcome further information.

Yep, there's County money out there for flood control projects on brooks and streams in Bergen County.  Here's the plan for the Teaneck Creek Conservancy, part of Overpeck Creek Park.  We need to get this Coles Brook Flood Commission created. https://www.tapinto.net/towns/hackensack/articles/bergen-county-to-receive-1-dot-4-million-for-state-g

I investigated Staib Park yesterday for flood control potential.

A paved area used decades ago for basketball and ice hockey could be excavated to approximately the level of Coles Brook and allowed to flood and hold storm water during storms. That's about an acre, and it will go a long way towards reducing flooding along the entire brook.

The pavement is nothing but urban blight; we could do without it.

A single 20 foot wide entrance to Coles Brook would allow flood waters in. Two entrances is no good, because it would take over the water flow, and leave the existing stream channel dry.

I am proposing that Hackensack, Maywood, Paramus, and River Edge create a Coles Brook Flood Commission to identify ways to reduce flooding in the Coles Brook / Van Saun Creek drainage basin. The amount of flooding and damage that occurs to the Johnson Ave area of Hackensack demands this. 

1. Other areas are hit as well.  I live in the last house on Woodland Avenue in Maywood, along the brook, and Coles Brook rose into my yard and driveway, and I got 2" of water in my basement and garage. My wife and I scrambed to move boxes and anything that could be damaged.  I drove around and took pictures during the peak water level, and I identified that a narrowing of the stream channel at Elm Ave / Stelling Ave is the cause of the Coles Brook impounding onto Maywood homeowners property in my area. Part of the problem is a raised mound between the end of Elm Ave and the brook, which could be easily removed by the City of Hackensack with a backhoe, in a few hours, at extremely low cost. However, that's not the only problem. the new house on Elm Ave has a retaining wall along the brook, which is causing the water to be a few inches higher, and that few inches is into my basement. The homeowner on the Maywood side is equally guilty. He has encroached onto a Maywood-owned flood prevention lot and he built a retaining wall. There are areas along the brook that the stream channel can be made much wider, including along Borg's Woods, and that will also make the water level drop. I can identify areas where this can be done without damaging the ecology. NOBODY should be allowed to have retaining walls along the brook to narrow the stream channel.  Fortunately, Borg's Woods itself retains water during storms, and that means less water in Coles Brook during storm events.

2. The construction of Lowes in Paramus was allowed without any water impounding area to allow water to impound before it reaches the brook. Ironically, this was proposed on the original site plan, and somehow with the intervention of Maywood and Hackensack city attorney's to help preserve a "green" setback, the flood retention basin was removed. Rick Salkin was heavily involved, but unsure if he is responsible for the site plan change. What's needed there is an impounding area IN PARAMUS that will collect water from the paved parking lots and access roads, and hold it and allow it to drain slowly FOR 24 HOURS, into Coles Brook. So the water impounding area will be very deep or even overflowing during the height of the storm, and then empty 24 hours later, so no need to worry about mosquito issues. This is done by creating a dam on the impound (not on the brook), and the dam has a slit an inch or two wide from top to base, and the slit will spew water from the impound.  There's plenty of land there to do this. Yes, some trees will be lost.

3. Van Saun Creek is the major tributary of Coles Brook, and it could be 3 or 4 times the drainage area and volume of Coles Brook. You can see this at the intersection of the two stream along South Lake Drive, Hackensack, a few blocks west of Main Street. From a pure hydrological sense, Coles Brook upstream of the stream merger is the real tributary. The main channel is Van Saun Creek. This is abundantly obvious upon site inspection. There are areas along Van Saun Creek where water could also be impounded as I suggested for Lowe's.  Including inside Van Saun Park, and behind the stores along Route 4 west. Most of the solutions needed for the entire drainage basin are in Paramus and River Edge.

4. Excavate the whole area where the creeks merge and create a large basin. Where there are now stream banks and dirt, there could be a basin holding water when it rises. I am not suggesting building any kind of dam (there are some loose rocks there now that is sort of a dam), but simply to have a LOWER AREA where water will collect. Excavating it out means there will be air where there is now a lot of dirt and soil, and it can fill with water. Basically there would be a permanent pond there, and a very low area all along the pond that can fill with floodwaters.  And that mean less water on Johnson Ave, and in the Grand Manor Condominiums, and that whole area.

If there is any interest, I am more than willing to volunteer to represent Maywood, and to help scope out what is needed for the entire project. I know this hydrology stuff, this is perfect for me.

At one time, they were the largest pet store around. 

There's more to the story. 68 years ago they were in the middle of the most fashionable multi-unit neighborhood in Bergen County. All of those nearby apartments were new, and filled with tenants with much higher income.  It was comparable to what Prospect Avenue is today.  Anderson Street was a very desirable business district to visit, for those from out of town. And that is certainly not the case any more. The lure of the entire neighborhood is just gone. The apartments are old and outdated, with old kitchens and bathrooms, old floor plans, old electrical, no parking. One building had a major fire, and 1/4 of it was demolished. There's no way they can compete with Prospect Ave or other 'luxury' apartment buildings in other towns.

I think if Kazimer's Pets were in downtown Ridgewood, they would have survived. It's more than just chain stores and internet. 

And what really killed Anderson Street was the drive by the City of Hackensack to get rid of the antique shops, which peeked in number in the early to mid 1970's, I believe. At one point there were 17 of them, and they drew customers from other Counties and even New York. Somehow the city fathers thought if those "damn" antique shops were eliminated, higher quality stores would come in.  Well, other stores came in, and they weren't higher quality at all.

Egan has good advice for Trump.  I can't imagine it being tougher for Kim Jung Il to have to face off with Donald Trump.  Trump will be tough, he will sell Democracy, he will sell peace.  He will wield the carrot and stick.  I have high hopes that real progress will be attained.

I also proposed an R40 zone to replace R2, but I couldn't get it passed.  It would have continued to allow 2-family houses on a 50 x 100 lot, but only side-by-side duplex houses. It would not allow new construction or conversions from 1 to 2-family with one unit on the first floor and one on the second floor. The intent was to increase owner-occupany, and there was a clause that the 2-family units must be separately-deeded. R40 would have also allowed a single-family house on a 40 x 100 lot.  And for both single-family and two-family, it would have allowed slightly more lot coverage, which is needed for quality construction. Otherwise, rooms would be a lot smaller, and the houses would sell for so much less that it would not be economical to build. And that is the status quo.

The result of R40 not passing is that NOT MUCH one and two-family construction has occured in the R2 zone, which is large areas of the First Ward, plus the Carver Park area. Builders could go for variances, but that's always a gamble.

I believe the R40 proposal is still relevant, and it could still be passed.  I still have all my files on that.