Down by the riverside

A plan to construct a religious facility alongside the Hackensack River south of Cedar Lane could be the next flashpoint in the ongoing development debate. Only this time, the ranks of those urging protection and preservation of one of the few remaining privately owned open spaces along the river may be swelled on account of the particular circumstances of the proposal.

This Wednesday night, the Zoning Board of Adjustment will take up a proposal to build a Jehovah's Witness Kingdom Hall and a 35-space parking lot at 640 River Road. In addition to the usual neighborly objections about traffic congestion and safety, environmental conservation groups such as the Friends of the Greenway are mobilizing opposition to the project, pointing out that in the past the Township itself has sought to acquire the property in question to incorporate the vacant land into Terhune Park and the Hackensack River Greenway only to have its offers to the owner rebuffed.

There may be even more sympathy than usual for the environmental argument given that the taxpayers of Teaneck stand to gain little from a tax-exempt institution taking up on a prime piece of riverfront property. The lost recreational opportunities, potential ecological damage, and quality of life concerns become that much more significant when not counterbalanced by any real economic incentive to accede to development of the land.

The only qualm many residents may have about lining up against the proposal will be the precedent it might set for private property rights and other non-profit projects in Teaneck. But rather than creating a base of support for the proposal, such concerns may convince residents to press officials to finally formulate and enact a clearer plan for zones abutting the river so that the same battles do not have to be fought over and over.