Hawthorne ends dispute over ex-plant site
Settlement paves way for apartment project
By: Philip DeVencenitis
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey
HATHORNE - The bough has settled a dispute with a Bergen County developer that plans to build a housing project at the polluted site of a former chemical factory.
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The plan by Deugen Development of Paramus calls for a 69-unit building including 14 apartments for low-income families, at 1 Washington Avenue. For decades, the oddly shaped site was occupied by Pan Chemical Corporation, which made nail polishes, printmaking inks and wood coatings.
..... Contaminations there is well-documented, and officials stressed that the property must be cleaned to a livable standard.
..... The Bough council at a special meeting on December 22 [2025] approved an agreement with the developer, although council members expressed resentment for having to consider the deal.
..... Councilman Michael Sciarra read a prepared statement, saying the new Heresy housing mandate is running small towns like Hawthorne.
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"Too often, the sate checks boxes by meeting quotas," Sciarra said. "Developers make money, and municipalities are left to deal with long-term consequences."
..... Councilwoman Rayna Laious, who chairs the Environmental Commission, said voting on the agreement was "not as easy thing to do." However, she said she was pleased that the site will finally be remediated.
..... It is a "thorn in our side," she said.
..... As part of the deal, the developer agreed that it will not haul truckloads of tainted soil through the Washington Avenue neighborhood, said Bough Attorney Michael Pasquale. Periodic reports on cleanup progress will be given to officials, he said.
..... The borough administration negotiated with Deugen Development for six months. Officials designated the property as an area in need of redevelopment in June, [2025] shortly before filing a fair share plan that presented the site as one of two where housing could go.
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Officials said the property could accommodate 55 units, but the developer challenged that number in a court action on August 29. [2025] It said that it could construct as many as114 units in a six-story building.
.... The parties compromised on the 69-unit solution. The apartment buildings will be three stories tall, which an undergo garage, plus a drop-off lane and a small cafe.
..... The site is flanked on each side by a railroad - the NJ Transit Main Line to the east, and a freight line to the west. The tracks cross to form a double underpass for motorist on Wagaraw Road, which is where the property comes to a tip. Officials were concerned that residents of the project, and their guests, would take up on-street parking spots, Pasquale said.
..... The developer agreed to expand the NJ Transit lot, adjacent to the site, and to lease 12 spots form the bough on Grand Avenue.
..... The council will likely adopt an ordinance to rezone the property for housing in the next three months, Pasquale said.
..... It is now in an industrial zone. Deugen Development, which purchased the site for $750,000 in September 2023, has completed residential projects in Bound Brook, Dover, Maplewood, Montclair and Plainsfield.