WEST MILFORD The Vreeland Store has been standing at the intersection of Macopin and Westbrook Roads since 1753. Over the years the store has been uninhabited, bat infested and in need of much repair and the original 15 acre property has been whittled down to two. Three years ago, Vinnie and Fran Lanza purchased the property and began renovation. Their plan is to open a Northern Italian restaurant under the direction of Sam Nastory, former owner of Bella Montagna Restaurant in Ringwood. Accompanying the restaurant will also be a specialty store, filled with gourmet items and a market basket gifts. The Lanzas have already put a tremendous amount of work into preserving the buildings with custom detail and woodwork. They expect to be finished in three or four months. The building has the nostalgic look of the mid-1700s when the original owners, The Vreeland’s lived there. It was passed down through the family until 1995. Miss Emma Relda Vreeland was born September 8, 1878 and died February 24, 1980 when she was 101 years and five months old. Throughout her life she had many job titles; insurance agent, tombstone saleswoman, general store/antique owner, acting postmistress for Upper Macopin, livery service owner, photographer, suffragette, Board of Registry and Elections, member of West Milford Golden Age Club, and charter member of Macopin Volunteer Fire house ladies Auxiliary. Her personal references reads as follows: “Member of Echo Lake Baptist Church, performed in the church plays, drivers license in 1914 at age 36, and a member of the Woman’s American Baptist Foreign Mission Society. Recognized by the North Jersey Historical Society as the oldest living resident in West Milford. This multi-faceted woman used to take gifts to the poor on holidays in her sleigh, but was somewhat particular in her generosity. She said, “I help everyone who’s worth helping. Some people aren’t worth helping.” She was a staunch Republican and received letters from President Carter and Gov. Byrne when she turned 100. Some people remember the portrait of President Eisenhower that hung in her window for decades. She even received a replacement from Eisenhower when vandals broke her window and ruined it. Emma Vreeland is just part of the history that will be preserved with the restoration of the Vreeland property. But the renovations have hit a couple of hitches, including a tree in front of the house which will be removed since it is in the clear zone for Macopin Road and constitutes a “hazard to the public.” The County of Passaic wants the front porch taken down because of its proximity to the road. Since the porch was erected before the road, eminent domain has yet to be established. At the Historic Preservation Commission meeting held on January 18, 2005, the commission decided that under no circumstances should the porch be altered. The Highlands Act doesn’t allow any development to exceed a quarter-acre of disturbance, preventing the installation of an impervious surface. The definition of “impervious surface” appears in the Highlands Act at N.J.S.A. 13:20-3 and includes porous paving, paver blocks, gravel, and crushed stone. Project manager Mark Jakubek said that for every four seats in the store, one parking space needs to be provided that’s approximately 22 parking spaces. The Highlands Act will make providing those spaces tricky. At one time the store was very close to being sold to a developer who planned to knock it down and put up three new houses. But the Lanzas hope instead that this piece of West Milford history will be flourishing with life again in the near future.