West Orange Planning Board Rejects West Essex Highlands Development

After years of debate, environmental opposition, and community organizing, the West Orange Planning Board voted 4-4 in May 2026 to reject the West Essex Highlands project – a proposed 496-unit residential development on a 120-acre forested parcel on the Second Watchung Mountain Ridge. A tied vote in West Orange counts as a rejection, and the decision effectively kills one of the most contentious development proposals in recent Essex County history.

If you live in West Orange – or anywhere in the surrounding area – this is a significant decision that tells you a lot about how the community thinks about growth, open space, and quality of life.

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What was proposed?

The West Essex Highlands project was put forward by Garden Homes / West Essex Highlands Inc., a development entity backed by the Wilf family – the Minnesota Vikings ownership group. The plan called for building 496 residential units, including 100 designated as affordable housing, on a heavily wooded 120-acre site on the Second Watchung Mountain Ridge in West Orange.

The development would have been one of the largest residential projects in West Orange history. The site sits on ecologically sensitive land – a forested mountain ridge that serves as an important green space buffer and watershed area for the surrounding communities.

Why did the community oppose it?

Opposition to the West Essex Highlands project was broad and passionate. Here were the main concerns:

• Environmental impact. The 120-acre site is heavily forested and ecologically significant. Clear-cutting and building nearly 500 units would have destroyed a major green space and disrupted the watershed. The Sierra Club and other environmental organizations made this a priority fight.
• Flood risk and stormwater. Adding hundreds of units and impervious surfaces to a mountain ridge raises serious stormwater management concerns. Runoff from the development site flows downhill into established residential neighborhoods – many of which already deal with flooding issues.
• Fire safety and emergency access. Opponents raised concerns about emergency vehicle access to a development of this scale on a mountain ridge with limited road infrastructure.
• Community character. West Orange residents expressed concern about the scale of the project and its impact on the quality of life in surrounding neighborhoods.
• Affordable housing justification. While the project included 100 affordable units, critics argued that the developer was using the state's affordable housing requirements as a rationale for a project that primarily served market-rate development goals on inappropriate land.

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What happened with the vote?

In early May 2026, the West Orange Planning Board held its final vote on the project. The result was 4-4 – a tie. Under West Orange's rules, a tie vote on an application counts as a rejection. The project did not receive the majority it needed to move forward.

The tied vote reflected the deep division in the community. Some board members saw the project as a legitimate response to West Orange's affordable housing obligations. Others believed the environmental and safety concerns outweighed the housing benefits – especially given the availability of other sites better suited for development.

What happens next?

The rejection doesn't necessarily mean the project is dead forever. Here's the complicated part:

The West Essex Highlands site is tied to a 2020 court-approved settlement agreement that originally allowed the development to proceed. That legal backdrop makes this more nuanced than a standard planning board rejection. The developers could potentially argue that the planning board's tie vote doesn't override the prior court settlement – a question that Montclair Local has described as "Who has the ultimate say?"

The developers may also appeal the decision or come back with a revised proposal that addresses the board's concerns. However, the strength of community opposition and the ecological concerns make a significantly different project on this site unlikely.

The broader question for West Orange remains: where will the town meet its affordable housing obligations? West Orange has been working through its Housing Element and Fair Share Plan for the 2025–2035 period, and identifying viable sites for affordable housing development remains an ongoing challenge. The rejection of West Essex Highlands doesn't resolve that obligation – it just removes one potential site from the conversation.

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What this means for West Orange homeowners

If you live in West Orange, this decision is worth understanding for a few reasons:

• Open space preservation. The 120-acre forested site on the Second Watchung Mountain Ridge will remain undeveloped for now. That's a win for residents who value green space, natural views, and the environmental benefits of preserved forest land.
• Flood risk. Without nearly 500 units adding impervious surface to the mountain ridge, the downstream stormwater impact on surrounding neighborhoods is avoided. For homeowners in flood-prone areas, that matters.
• Affordable housing pressure. West Orange still needs to identify sites for its affordable housing plan. The rejection of this project means the search continues – and other sites may come forward, some of which could be closer to existing neighborhoods.
• Property values. In most cases, the rejection of a large-scale development adjacent to established neighborhoods is neutral to positive for surrounding property values. The uncertainty of a massive construction project – and the density it would bring – is removed.

What this means for buyers

If you're looking at homes in West Orange, the rejection of West Essex Highlands means the mountain ridge area remains as-is – forested, quiet, and undeveloped. For buyers who value proximity to open space, that's a positive. And the decision signals that West Orange residents care deeply about how their community grows, which is generally a good sign for long-term neighborhood quality.

The bottom line

The rejection of the West Essex Highlands project is one of the most significant community development decisions in West Orange in recent memory. It reflects a community that values environmental preservation and thoughtful growth over unchecked development – even when affordable housing is part of the equation.

I'll be following what happens next with West Orange's affordable housing plan and whether the developers pursue any further action. If you have questions about what this means for a specific property or neighborhood in West Orange, I'm happy to talk through it.