NUTLEY

What impact do apartments have on Nutley school crowding?

Owen Proctor
Staff Writer @OwenProctor1

The focus on Nutley's school expansion proposal has switched from construction to traffic, parking, and the influx of students from multi-family dwellings.

The Nutley district's biggest proposed project expands Walker Middle School to accommodate the sixth-grade, which would no longer be at the elementary schools.

The Nutley Board of Education proposes $68.9 million in school construction projects, intended to eliminate crowding and provide modern programming. The biggest project would expand Walker Middle School to accommodate the sixth-grade, which would no longer be at the elementary schools.

After a series of town hall meetings at the schools, the Nutley Board of Education presented its plans on Wednesday, Feb. 15, before the Nutley Board of Commissioners, Nutley Planning Board, and Nutley Zoning Board of Adjustment. "This is the first time I can remember the Planning Board, Zoning Board, Commission, and Board of Education all in one room," noted Planning Board Attorney Barry Kozyra.

CONSTRUCTION: Nutley BOE proposes $68.9 million to expand schools

In addition to renderings of construction layouts, the Board of Education showed where the Nutley public school students are coming from, based on pupil residential addresses.

Between 2005 and 2016, the number of Nutley public school students from single-family homes decreased from 3,092 to 2,705, while students from multi-family complexes increased from 896 to 1,129, according to the Board of Education's presentation.

Cambridge Heights, 603 Hartford Dr., zoned as a "private road" development, was carved out separately. Its students increased from 73 to 163, according to the enrollment statistics. A Planning Board member noted that, when that housing development was approved, it was depicted as a place for empty-nesters, whose children have grown up and left home.

East Gate of Nutley opened in 2011 at 57 E. Centre St. Students from those apartments increased from 10 to 41 in the past five years, according to the Board of Education's numbers.

The school district continues to analyze these statistics, Schools Superintendent Julie Glazer said. It hopes to create a living document to provide the latest data, she said.

"There is an impact," said Glazer when showing the origination numbers from multi-family complexes. She said that obtaining and comparing similar data in other towns would be difficult, as the student address information is private for each district.

Zoning Board Chairman Frank Graziano wondered about the impact on the schools based on the number of bedrooms in apartments. Graziano said zoning applicants bring experts testifying that their developments would have little or no impact on the local schools. Mayor Joseph Scarpelli questioned whether such data is always relevant to Nutley.

During public comments, resident Michael Odria bemoaned apartment approvals. "Does your master plan make us another Belleville or Clifton?" he asked the Planning Board. "Stop building more apartments."

Resident Carmine Alessio asked what would be Washington Elementary School's student capacity after construction and whether it can handle future apartment construction.

"Ninety-eight percent of [townspeople] don't want apartments, and you people keep approving them," Alessio said.

Resident Eric Buset asked about the turnover of one-bedroom apartments and whether their occupants have a "rooted interest" in Nutley. Filling up the town with apartments is easy, but can Nutley attract developments more conducive to the town's character? Buset asked.

Answering a Planning Board inquiry about school registration authenticity, Glazer said that when she became superintendent last summer, a review revealed 28 students had questionable verification. However, after checking children for special education permission, state-ordered enrollment and shared parental custody, six students were dis-enrolled, she said.

Congestion

The Walker Middle School expansion part would be built over a drive that currently exists between the school structure and a commercial building to the south. The municipal government bought the commercial building to make way for the school expansion.

In the drive's place, another would be added to the south side of the expansion, according to the school plans.

Phil Zanes told the boards that he worries about users of the new drive blocking access to his commercial property. His neighbor, chiropractor Donna Pontoriero, also thinks the plan would interfere with her customer parking, already a problem during pickup and drop-off times, and special events at the middle school, said Pontoriero.

"I'm not opposed to school expansion, but we have to have a better plan," she said. "It becomes a safety issue and a business issue."

Pontoriero suggested a traffic study.

She also said that the project's tax implications are unclear for businesses.

The Board of Education’s capital reserve of $2.4 million would drop the total cost to $66.5 million, district Business Administrator Karen Yeamans previously said. As the proposal currently stands, Yeamans said the estimated annual tax impact would be $367 for the average homeowner, based on a house assessed at $316,427.

Proposal

As the projects currently stand:

  • Walker Middle School would stretch out on the south side, where the town recently acquired property in anticipation of school expansion. The $36.7 million would cover 20 additional classrooms, a cafeteria and service kitchen, multipurpose room, toilet facilities, a secure entrance, and reconfiguration of the office wing. A lobby in the back would provide access to the new multipurpose room and existing gymnasium, versus visitors going through the rest of the school get there.
  • The $15.6 million Yantacaw Elementary project would expand out the north and south of the existing building. It will include six additional classrooms, a multipurpose room with a kitchen, additional toilet facilities, relocation of the main office and a secure entrance. These additions and the removal of the sixth-grade classes would eliminate the trailers.
  • Washington Elementary would also nix the trailers. Its $6.95 million project would include a three-story addition of six classrooms, toilet facilities, and an elevator on the southwest corner.
  • Under its $8.75 million renovation, Nutley High School would get additional physical education/multipurpose space. The media center area would be converted into four additional classrooms and common learning areas. A new media center would include the television studio.

Email: proctor@northjersey.com