Photo: summer 2006 Third River clean up at Brookside Park



  Well, the good news just keeps coming.

 

 The John DeSimone developer/Copeck/Ruvo/Tilter landowner's application has just been given the boot. The latest attempt didn't even making it past administrative review at the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Land Use. John DeSimone, contract buyer for 5.7 acres of

 floodplain/wetland (nearly 3 acres of which is unbuildable wetland), seeks to build 38 condos flush  up against Fefferman's proposed condos (see below).  



 After all this is their fourth or fifth bite at the apple over the course of six years (NJDEP's summer 2006 5-page letter of denial can be found at http://www.geocities.com/thirdriverbank/news1.html.) 

 On Nov. 16, 2006. John DeSimone (developer for Copek/Ruvo/Tilter)  was sent a three-page rejection letter. Among the problems: he submitted only $4800 of the $18,000 application fee and failed to properly notice neighbors. 

 

To recap on the other property:

NYC-based AFC Realty, owned by Arthur Fefferman. seeks to build 114

 condos on 9.2 acres of Third River floodplain/wetland; the site is still undergoing

 remediation for heavy metal and other contaminants.



Homes surrounding both sites suffer increasingly severe flooding with continuing overdevelopment along the Third River. The Fefferman application was rejected last month by the DEP; we expect he developer to return with a revised application sometime next month to beat the clock on the new flood hazard regulations.