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West Brook Mountain won't be developed

Bergen Record

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

BY BARBARA WILLIAMS

Staff writer

RINGWOOD — A wooded mountain with steep ridges and rocky outcroppings will not be developed now that the state, county, and municipality have joined to purchase it.

The 155-acre parcel, which includes West Brook Mountain, was bought for $4 million from West Milford developer Jack Levkovitz at the end of July.

FINANCING: The state put in $2 million, Passaic County used $1 million from open-space funds, and the borough used $1 million it received from the state earmarked for preserving environmentally sensitive tracts.

LOCATION: Sitting in the southwest section of the borough off Burnt Meadow Road, the parcel drains into West Brook, which is vital to trout production and feeds the Wanaque Reservoir. Adjacent to Norvin Green State Forest and Long Pond Ironworks, it is a key link to the Wyanokie Highlands Greenway that runs from Federal Hill in Bloomingdale to Sterling Forest in New York.

BACKGROUND: The Ringwood Planning Board initially granted approval for 39 luxury homes to Levkovitz in 2002, but the environmental group Skylands CLEAN helped fight the project. Hearings were reopened and the Planning Board denied the application in December 2003. The state’s 2004 Highlands Act, which severely curbs development in North Jersey’s prime watersheds, further impeded any chance of developing the tract.

WHAT THEY SAID: “If I had my choice I wouldn’t have sold it but with the Highlands [Act], I couldn’t build,” said Levkovitz. “Without the Highlands [Act], it would have been worth twice as much, and because I’m in the business, the potential was probably threefold.”

 “This is one of the most magnificent properties in the Highlands,” said Robin O’Hearn, Skyland CLEAN’s executive director. “It’s been targeted for open space acquisition for years and CLEAN’s role in saving this property will always be one of our proudest accomplishments.”

 E-mail: williamsb@northjersey.com

 

RINGWOOD — A wooded mountain with steep ridges and rocky outcroppings will not be developed now that the state, county, and municipality have joined to purchase it.

The 155-acre parcel, which includes West Brook Mountain, was bought for $4 million from West Milford developer Jack Levkovitz at the end of July.

FINANCING: The state put in $2 million, Passaic County used $1 million from open-space funds, and the borough used $1 million it received from the state earmarked for preserving environmentally sensitive tracts.

LOCATION: Sitting in the southwest section of the borough off Burnt Meadow Road, the parcel drains into West Brook, which is vital to trout production and feeds the Wanaque Reservoir. Adjacent to Norvin Green State Forest and Long Pond Ironworks, it is a key link to the Wyanokie Highlands Greenway that runs from Federal Hill in Bloomingdale to Sterling Forest in New York.

BACKGROUND: The Ringwood Planning Board initially granted approval for 39 luxury homes to Levkovitz in 2002, but the environmental group Skylands CLEAN helped fight the project. Hearings were reopened and the Planning Board denied the application in December 2003. The state’s 2004 Highlands Act, which severely curbs development in North Jersey’s prime watersheds, further impeded any chance of developing the tract.

WHAT THEY SAID: “If I had my choice I wouldn’t have sold it but with the Highlands [Act], I couldn’t build,” said Levkovitz. “Without the Highlands [Act], it would have been worth twice as much, and because I’m in the business, the potential was probably threefold.”

 “This is one of the most magnificent properties in the Highlands,” said Robin O’Hearn, Skyland CLEAN’s executive director. “It’s been targeted for open space acquisition for years and CLEAN’s role in saving this property will always be one of our proudest accomplishments.”

© 2008 Skylands CLEAN, Inc. • Background photo courtesy Dwight Hiscano, 908-273-5666