Watchdog Group to Discuss Redevelopment Plans Monday

A group of residents will meet to discuss a proposed redevelopment plan designed to shore up the township’s shrinking tax base.

The Wayne Concerned Citizens will meet in the public library on Monday at 7 p.m. to discuss the plan.

The plan is the brainchild of town planner John Szabo and Mayor Chris Vergano. The plan calls for the redevelopment of several dying and underutilized commercial lots, including the Wayne Hills Mall property. Several new commercial and residential establishments would be built on the lots. The township would try and get more high-end rental units and include more walkable communities with a greater emphasis on mass transit and courting young working professionals.

Members of the group have been very vocal in their opposition of the plan. They’ve spoken out against it at Planning Board and Council meetings since it was introduced this summer.

The group created a website to support its opinion and has promised to continue to rally against the plan. They have said it would radically alert the look and feel of the town and make it more urban.

Vergano touted the plan, as something the township needs in order to stabilize the tax ratable base and prevent taxes from increasing.

“Before long, we’re not going to be able to afford to live here,” Vergano previously said.