WEST MILFORD Trammell Crow Residential (TRC) representatives were pleased with the final decision to overturn the planning board’s denial of the Valley Ridge Project. Judge Anthony Graziano found no reason legally to deny the plan that was presented, said Jonathan Epstein, TCR’s attorney. “We felt our position was completely consistent with the law and the planning board was legally obligated to grant the final site plan approval under the New Jersey municipal land use law,” he said. The board could not deny the project after it had originally received preliminary approval, said Epstein. He said any opposition should have taken place once the preliminary site plan was presented, not at the final site plan. “The town is legally obligated as long as the site plan was the same,” he said. “There’s always changes in the final site plan. They require developers to make changes, but it is consistent with what the board previously approved. It was apparent to the court, apparent to me, and any objective person would understand the final site plan was completely consistent with the preliminary plan.” William Drew, planning director, was on vacation and unavailable for comment. Board member Michael Tfank said the planning board did all they could to present evidence to the contrary, but ultimately the judge denied the township’s rejection of the Valley Ridge project. He said there is not an ordinance in place or changes to the site plan that would allow the planning board to request another environmental study. The planning board does not have the right to request a five-day well pump test. “That is the jurisdiction of the DEP,” Tfank said. He said the planning board might send a letter to the DEP requesting they deny the permit, because ultimately the project stands before the DEP before it can move forward. Diane Pereti, director of the MUA, said the MUA only addresses the infrastructure in relation to water and sewage. She said the planning board, not the MUA, zoned the project. The MUA currently has five lift stations, meaning that sewage is pumped up through a higher elevation than the existing community. “This set-up is not unusual in West Milford,” Pereti said. “They have been doing it for the past 40 to 50 years.” When the Valley Ridge project is completed, they will connect their wells to Bald Eagle Village. “If this is built,” she said, “it will be connected to Bald Eagle, which would be beneficial to Bald Eagle. It would also increase the fire protection for Bald Eagle.” She said Bald Eagle would benefit by receiving water through the Valley Ridge connection. Also, if Valley Ridge constructs a storage tank on Beacon Hill, near the tank belonging to Bald Eagle, then Bald Eagle would benefit from the fire protection these tanks would provide. “We are definitely not taking water from Bald Eagle; they would be enhancing the system,” Pereti said. “This has been explained to the Bald Eagle representative, and they didn’t have any disagreements with the plan.”