Residents worry Market Street development will worsen traffic; officials say affordable-housing figure was dramatically reduced in negotiations

Residents at the Saddle Brook council meeting raised concerns that a planned Market Street development—described by a commenter as 60 units—would add significant traffic, but town officials and the administration challenged some of the numerical claims and described how the affordable-housing obligation was reduced through a court-supervised process.

Why it matters: Housing density and traffic flow are recurring issues for Saddle Brook taxpayers and commuters. Public concern focused on how many units would be built, the potential number of vehicles, and whether the town's negotiation with courts and special masters materially changed obligations.

In public comment, Omar Rodriguez said residents expected the Market Street project would generate heavy traffic and described density-related worries. "If a 120 cars are going to come, I want you to explain to the residents how are they going to improve the traffic on Market Street?" he said. (Omar Rodriguez, SEG 268–340)

Township officials pushed back on both per-unit value and traffic claims. The township administrator and other staff said the developer must construct 40 underground parking spaces with an estimated engineering value of about $1.2 million, which changes the simple per-unit cost math; the administrator also said the developer did not get a pilot tax break and therefore will pay full property taxes. The administrator characterized the initial 279-unit figure as an early fair-share estimate that the town contested and then reduced through legal negotiation and credits to a much smaller prospective obligation (stated in the meeting as 17 units) as part of a settlement and overlay-zone approach.

"The town didn't just accept the number that fair share came up with," the township administrator said, describing the role of a court-appointed special master and subsequent credits for already-built units and those planned at Market Street. (Township administrator, SEG 653–729)

Officials also pointed residents to an upcoming county/state meeting and a long-range DOT plan for the Market Street bridge and intersection. A presenter described preliminary design work for a bridge replacement over the Saddle River and said preliminary construction estimates range roughly between 2030 and 2032; that project will address intersection geometry, pedestrian access and temporary detours during replacement. The mayor encouraged anyone concerned about traffic to attend the public meeting on the project and participate remotely.

What comes next: Town staff asked residents to attend the scheduled informational meeting and said the council will continue to monitor the project and developer proposals. Officials emphasized that a final development approval would require public notice and hearings before planning bodies.

Sources: public comment from residents and staff explanations during the meeting (timeline entries on Market Street and affordable housing).