Pssssssst!
It’s happening this Monday, November 10th, at Borough Hall, 54 Fairmount Avenue.
Tell no one.
Slip in the side door around 7:30 pm. Take the elevator to the upper level. Step down the hall.
Enter the big doors on the left. Take a seat in the back. No need to speak, or even give your name.
Listen closely for any reference to actual local issues. See if you can catch any direct answers to important questions posed by residents.
You really can’t make it? (Grounded? Bed-bound? Moonlighting? Prepping for a colonoscopy on Tuesday morning?) You can always Zoom here:
https://www.chathamborough.org/resident/calendar/mayor-council-meeting-23-1762817400
To find out what happened last night, keep scrolling down!
Yesterday shortly before 5:00 pm, our Mayor & Council made their way to Borough Hall, filed into Room 301, and shut the door behind them.
They were behind closed doors for a special meeting to discuss recent developments in the litigation over their controversial Master Plan amendment of June 18th.
That’s the Master Plan amendment that includes sacrificing the green, vacant, Borough-owned parcel at 58 North Passaic Avenue, right next to Memorial Park.
The Borough adopted that Plan over the objections of more than 90% of residents polled, who want the Council to consider preserving that parcel by putting affordable housing on other Borough sites.
Nearly two hours later, the door to Room 301 swung open and out trudged the Mayor & Council.
They refused to answer questions posed by residents, citing the advice of Borough lawyers.
https://chathamborough.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=1&clip_id=429
They didn’t promise to consider alternatives to 58 North Passaic Avenue in closed session, or even to hold off signing a development agreement for that site until residents have had a chance to weigh in.
All we know is that the next settlement conference in that case has been set for November 20:
The Mayor & Council also chose not to answer any questions about their plan, commissioned one year ago, to Redevelop the rest of Chatham‘s River Road, south and west of the massive, 245-unit Ivy complex at the corner of River Road and Watchung Avenue.
The Council’s new project would put 500 new apartments adjacent to the Ivy and no doubt insist on an exemption from paying millions in property taxes, just as the Ivy has.
For more information, attend the next Council meeting, this Monday, November 10th, 7:30 pm at Borough Hall, 54 Fairmount Avenue. Take the elevator to the upper level. Use the big doors down that hall on the left.
Being there counts. Speaking is optional.
