West Milford In a scene increasingly familiar in West Milford, a major residential developer’s plans for new housing in the town have been denied. The town planning board unanimously rejected a plan to place 100 townhouses on 10.5 acres of land adjacent to Union Valley Road. Not that the developer, Trammel Crow Residential, plans to pack away its blueprints and start fresh somewhere else. Instead, Trammel Crow plans to appeal the decision, and the case will likely end up in Passaic County court. But the victors last Thursday night were the West Milford residents who oppose the development, called Valley Ridge. In a hearing at town hall that lasted over four hours, the posse of engineering, architectural and environmental experts brought by Trammel Crow were clearly stunned by the strength of opposition to the plan. The four men, alongside Rich Murphy of Trammel Crow and the developer’s attorney, Christopher DeGrezia, met with a barrage of questions and comments from the public. The meeting began with the surprise recusal of board member Steven Castronova. The reason for his withdrawal was unclear. Castronova’s recusal at the hearing’s opening was to be book-ended at the meeting’s end by the recusal of board Chairman Michael Tfank. Tfank raged at town councilman Bob Nolan’s comment that Tfank would provide the developer with grounds for appeal if he voted to deny the plans following a comment he made two weeks ago to The West Milford Messenger. In the article published on June 23, Tfank said he was disappointed the court had passed back to the planning board the question of whether Trammel Crow’s 1997 preliminary site plan was valid. Reluctantly, Tfank withdrew from voting on the plan. But he did say he would have voted in unison with his fellow planning board members had he not felt the need to recuse himself. Residents who spoke last Thursday said they feared the development would cause water shortages, and that the town’s sewage treatment plant would not be able to handle the extra load. Pinecliff Lake resident Dr. Doris Aaronson said water samples she had taken downstream from Old Milford Sewerage Treatment plant and submitted to Garden State Labs showed an excessive concentration of bacteria. “The state standard for bacteria in water is 200 parts per million,” she said. “From that main outflow pipe it was 47,000.” Aaronson said that since Municipal Utility Authority is unable to deal with the current level of sewerage in town, it cannot be expected to handle increased sewerage flow from Valley Ridge. Town resident Bettina Bieri agreed. “To approve any project that relies on the [Municipal Utility Authority] is certainly negligent if not criminal,” she said. Ada Erik, who operates a horse farm on Macopin Road, said she was afraid an influx of new water consumers may harm the broader community and in particular her own supply. “My family drinks a lot more water than anyone else here,” said Erik. Addressing Trammel Crow’s Rich Murphy, she said, “Are you going to provide my water if my well goes dry?” Former town mayor Carl Richko urged the board, “Do the right thing for the people of West Milford, not for these developers.” Only a few seconds after the public comment session ended, planning board member James O’Bryant said to Tfank, “Mr. Chairman, I move to deny.” Amid applause and cheers from the public, the remaining board members, minus the recusing Tfank, agreed with O’Bryant and defeated the plan. The township now awaits Trammel Crow’s response. If ever approved, the 74 two-bedroom units and 26 three-bedroom units would cost anywhere from $500,000 to $600,000 each, the Trammel Crow team said. Attorney DeGrezia referred to the project as an “affordable” housing development because 11 of the units will be priced at less than market value under Coalition for Affordable Housing regulations.