Wayne Planning Board OKs 113-unit project for low -income families
By: Philip DeVencentis
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey
Wayne - a project called the "linchpin" of the township housing strategy cleared another hurdle as the Planning Board approved its construction on Valley Road.
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The development, tentatively named Barbour Pond Village, is unique for Wayne in that all 113 of tis rental units will be set aside for low-income households - a concept proposed a year ago by Mayor Christopher Vergano to the township Council.
..... Officials moved quickly since then to find a qualified entity to design, build and operate the new apartment complex on township property.
..... RPM development Group of Montclair was selected in June, [2025] while officials included the project as a core ingredient in its latest fair share plan. The 9.5-acre site at 1805 Valley Road, which the township acquired in February 2004, was zoned for office use until the council rezoned it on March 18. [2026]
..... "I think it's a fair statement that this project tis the linchpin of the township's fourth-round affordable housing plan,' said Mark Semeraro, an attorney for Wayne Valley Road Village, L.P., a subsidiary of RPM Development.
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The board unanimously approved the project on May 11. [2026] the wooded site will be split on three lots, with the township retaining control of the largest swath of 4.2 acres. Each of the ether two lots - measuring 2.4 acres and 2.9 acres - will have an apartment building with amenities, such as a community room, laundry room and rooftop terrace. One building will have four stories with 62 units, and the other three stories with 51 units. There will be a total of 193 parking spots.
..... Ten apartments will be exclusively for residents with disabilities, although it was not decided at the hearing whether those units would be clustered in the same building. the buildings will have their own driveways and more than likely, separate street addresses.
..... The project is part of a housing blitz on Valley Road. Between this site and the Hamburg turnpike intersection, there are 473 units built and another 275 planned for construction by AvalonBay Communities Incorporated, a developer from Arlington, Virginia.