Residents press council on NJ Transit station business, traffic and sewer repairs; mayor says grant-funded project is underway

Two residents raised separate but related concerns at the April 23 Passaic City Council meeting about a new commercial operation at the train station site and nearby infrastructure.

Marva Wade, of 79 Barry Place, asked who owns the property next to the train station that currently houses a Rita’s and whether any plans exist to alter the site. The business administrator said New Jersey Transit owns the parcel and that Rita’s won the lease through a public bid process about a year and a half ago; he added that the city has not received any proposals to expand the structure. “To the best of our knowledge, there are no plans to expand in terms of square footage of the building itself or the business,” the mayor said.

Resident Anthony Wade of 79 Barry Place raised neighborhood impacts — traffic congestion, double parking, litter and a reported increase in street congregation — and tied the issue to long-standing sewer problems. He asked whether funds that residents expected to be used to replace pipeline infrastructure had been diverted to support the business, saying: “So what I'm asking is, were the funds that was supposed to redo the pipeline, were they diverted and applied to readers?”

Mayor and administration strongly disputed the claim that funds were redirected. The mayor said no grants had been diverted from sewer projects to any business and asked the business administrator to provide specifics: the administrator said the area is part of an approximately $6,000,000 project that includes sewer and stormwater improvements and that a backflow preventer was installed as a stopgap while the larger project proceeds. The administrator referenced a DCA Resilient Communities grant (RCG/RCG grant) and said the city received an award letter previously and included match funding in a 2024 capital outlay.

Officials also said the business owner reached out to the city about traffic and coordinated with police for openings; they reported improved lighting, surveillance and a reduction in certain homelessness-related incidents around the station since the business opened. The mayor said the city will continue conversations with New Jersey Transit about landscaping and maintenance responsibilities and will follow up with residents on sewer project timing.

Why it matters: neighbors described immediate quality-of-life impacts (parking, litter, perceived safety) and asked whether infrastructure funds were redirected. City officials said the sewer/stormwater work is part of a larger grant-funded project and pledged follow-up on landscaping and a timeline for repairs.

The council did not take immediate legislative action on the matter during this meeting but asked administration to investigate and report back.