The Master Plan Community Survey which purpose was to provide a channel for residents to share their suggestions and concerns to help guide the development of the Master Plan. It was open for 2 months in May and June 2021 and garnered 202 online responses and 10 physical responses for a total of 212 responses.
The following is a summary of the survey results
The Survey Says....
Survey Question 1: What image does Woodcliff lake currently project? Has this image improved or deteriorated in the past 5-10 years?
Common responses were:
- Small, suburban, quiet, residential, family-oriented, tight knit
- Upscale, affluent
- Bucolic, tree-lined streets, lots of greenery & open space
- Great schools
- Broadway is a hodgepodge/eyesore/dilapidated, vacant spaces, overdevelopment
- Rural/pastoral history
- Concerns of overcrowding on the east side
- Bad roads, lack of walkability
- High Taxes, bad budgeting
- Fighting against Affordable Housing
- Loss of farms on Chestnut Ridge
- More congestion
- Spot Zoning Variances
Survey Question 2: What are Woodcliff Lake's best assets?
Common responses were:
- Schools (quality and small sized classes)
- Small town feel, sense of community, involved volunteers
- Natural beauty, reservoir, tree canopy, parks
- Public events
- Single Family, large lots, low density, beautiful well-kept homes
- Access to highways and trains, close to NYC, shopping sources, good medical providers, etc
- Tice's Corner
- Safe, quiet, clean, low crime
- Country/rural feel
- Currently not overdeveloped or too congested
- Low taxes compare to other towns
- Stable ratable base
- Care of historic sites
- Concerns on overdevelopment and apartment buildings
Survey Question 3: What are the most pressing issues Woodcliff Lake faces now? What might be the biggest challenges in the next 5-10 years?
Common Responses:
- Overdevelopment, restricting tall buildings and high-density multifamily development
- Beautify Broadway Corridor, quaint walkable downtown, attract retail and restaurants
- Increases in traffic, overcrowded schools, and demand on municipal services if there are more development in WCL and neighboring towns.
- Preserving open space
- Zoning variances
- No need for Master Plan
- Conversely, without a Master Plan, our town is exposed legally and aesthetically
- Corruption, greedy developers and their political enablers
- Unification of neighborhoods on East side and West side. East side is a dumping ground for uses other neighborhoods don't want
- Dangerous intersections and difficult turns (Woocliff & Werimus; Woodcliff & Broadway)
- Maintaining quality of life and services
- Better governance, elected officials need to come together and be open to everyone's thoughts and opinions, focus on bringing peace and harmony and what is best for our town.
Survey Question 4: In the next 5-10 years, my vision for Woodcliff Lake is....? I want Woodcliff Lake to have....?
Common Responses:
- Maintain a small town, single-family residential, family-oriented character
- Restrict overdevelopment and high-density development, making sure newly developed structures are reasonable size and maintain visual appeal & design character of the community
- More sidewalks and bike lanes, more accommodation for walkers, runners, and bicycles; especially for kids and seniors who may not drive
- Improved, walkable downtown area, redevelop abandoned properties, more small businesses, shops, restaurants, but not too built up
- Improved parks and more recreational amenities (e.g. children’s playgrounds, pickleball, basketball, soccer field, gaga-bit, boating and fishing on the lake)
- Complete trail around Reservoir, open walking trails through town and with connecting towns
- Maintain parkland, remain a green community with lots of open space
- Continue to have solid tax base and good schools
- Fix roads, signage, and dangerous intersections (e.g. Woodcliff Lake Ave at Church Road, Dorchester Ave to Train Station, school to intersection of Pascack, Highview and Broadway
- Incorporate the beauty of the lake into any redevelopment
- No high density development
- More transparent zoning requirements
- Streetscapes with safe lighting, sidewalks with landscaping on Broadway, more walking paths through town
Survey Question 5: Any additional topics that you would like to bring to the Boroughs attention?
Common Responses:
- Stop runaway spending and mismanagement, vote by line item to keep expenses in check
- Continue to fight the EWR and Teterboro flight paths over Woodcliff Lake
- Reduce late night train whistles from approaching and departing trains. Should be a quiet zone
- Resist any attempt to permit high density housing at 188 Broadway
- Block new multifamily or town homes, or restrict to below 6 units per acre
The responses above are excerpts from the full document posted on the town website. Download the Master Plan Community Survey Report.
