JACKSON, NJ – On Wednesday, residents in Jackson cheered Mayor Michael Reina for negotiating a compromise to prevent four private schools from being built on a farm in the western end of town.
Reina hosted a town hall for residents in the Leesville area to discuss the recently announced plan to preserve a tract of land slated to be turned into four private schools.
Initially, Councilman Marty Flemming tried to negotiate a deal with land owner Mordechai Eichorn to build 60 houses, complete with affordable housing allocations on the 30-acre tract of land. That plan was shot down by the Jackson Township Zoning Board, and the school project was back on the table.
After Flemming’s plan to replace the schools with high-density housing was shot down by members of the zoning board, Mayor Reina ordered township lawyers and engineers to start negotiating directly with Eichorn’s legal team.
The deal, which will cost the township nothing, involves a public land swap with Eichorn. While the exact location of the land was not released, the project involves a tract of land owned by Jackson Township that sits on the border with Lakewood in the Cross Street area. The zoning for the land is industrial and schools are permitted in that region.
The location near Cross Street and White Road is already full of private schools that line Cross Street from the Jackson border into Lakewood.
Eichorn said he could not give details about the tract of land but said, once again, the situation is not ideal for him, but he wanted to show good faith to the residents of Jackson and accepted the mayor’s plan for a compromise.
“I’m being set back two years by the mayor’s proposal, so no, it’s not exactly ideal for me. We’ve already invested in engineering and site planning, plus two years of planning,” Eichorn said on Thursday. “But, the mayor’s plan does work in the long run for everyone in Jackson. It puts the schools where they should be. We can’t hide from the fact that with the growth of the Orthodox Jewish community, we’re going to need schools. Making sure they are in the right place is the right path forward for everyone. This plan is much better than the previous one offered to build houses.”
Eichorn said he was willing to accept the compromise after listening to concerns from residents in the Leesville area. Eichorn hinted that the property is on the Lakewood-Jackson border, noting that the Leesville property is a more valuable and important parcel than the one he is swapping for.
Mayor Michael Reina on Wednesday was cheered by Leesville residents but was also criticized by Councilman Marty Flemming and his supporters at the meeting, who are calling the land swap election malarkey.
Once negotiations are finalized, Flemming and the township council will have the final say on whether or not they want to approve the plan.
“The decision here is ultimately Marty’s and the council,” Reina said. “I negotiated the plan through our township legal counsel, but at the end of the day, the council are the ones who will say yes or no.”
If Flemming rejects the offer, Eichorn said he would be forced to build the schools on the Leesville property. Flemming did not say whether or not he would approve the land swap during Wednesday’s meeting.
At one point, residents chastised Flemming’s supporters for making a meeting about their neighborhood’s future political, many of whom were not from that section of Jackson or the area where the land swap will relocate the schools.
At the meeting, Reina reminded residents the township’s hands are tied by the Department of Justice and Jackson Township officials cannot stop the development of private schools.
“Anyone who’s running for office and says they can stop the development of schools is lying to you,” Reina said. “We’re bound by the conditions set forth by the Department of Justice on this. If we deny a school, we’ll be in violation with the DOJ agreement.”
If Flemming decides to block the school project, it would most likely eventually end up in a favorable lawsuit for Eichorn and put the township back in court with the Department of Justice.
Reina said he could not comment on the details of the project and that the matter would be in the hands of Council President Flemming. Flemming, after being briefed on the details will have the sole authority to present the matter for public discussion and a council vote. The five-member Jackson Township council will then be tasked to vote on the project.
Today, Eichorn notified Shore News Network that he is putting the Leesville project on hold until after the township council votes on the matter. He has asked to indefinitely postpone a December hearing before the Jackson Township Planning Board.
“If the council approves the plan, I will immediately pull the application,” Eichorn said.
Eichorn said that if Flemming refuses to put the agreement to a council vote on the public agenda, he would be forced to continue moving forward at the Leesville site.