Voluntary transaction
Any acquisition should be by agreement with the property owner — not condemnation.
A RESIDENT-LED COALITION • WAYNE, NEW JERSEY
Protect what makes
Wayne feel like Wayne.
Preserve Wayne brings neighbors together around responsible land use, environmental stewardship, safer roads, and the protection of our remaining green spaces.
Respectful. Factual. Inclusive. Focused on land use — never on who lives, works, or worships here.
Photo: Wes Hicks / Unsplash
9.68acres at 225 Colfax
Woods + wetlandsenvironmentally constrained land
Passive parkwalking trails + native plantings
Voluntaryfair-market-value acquisition concept
OUR MISSION
Growth should fit the land, the roads, and the community.
Wayne's woodlands, wetlands, and quiet neighborhood roads are finite. Once mature woods are cleared or wetland buffers are disturbed, those changes are difficult to reverse.
We support a balanced Wayne: neighborhoods, parks, schools, commerce, and institutions — each able to thrive without asking environmentally constrained properties and residential roads to carry more than they reasonably can.
A POSITIVE ALTERNATIVE
Save 225 Colfax
Explore a voluntary path to preserve the property as a quiet public conservation and walking park.
Conservation initiative
Keep it wooded. Keep it low-impact. Keep it for Wayne.
The current community concept is for Wayne Township to evaluate a voluntary, fair-market-value acquisition of the 9.68-acre property at 225 Colfax Road.
A low-impact park could preserve woodland and wetlands while adding a modest walking loop, benches, native plantings, and limited parking only if needed.
THE VISION
Woods • Wetlands • Trails
Passive conservation and walking park
Independent due diligence
Appraisal, environmental review, title work, wetlands review, and a realistic concept plan should come first.
Blended funding
State, county, municipal, philanthropic, and negotiated seller support could reduce reliance on any one funding source.
CURRENT FOCUS
The 225 Colfax Road application
The pending land-use application illustrates the questions Preserve Wayne believes deserve close, fact-based review.
~53,300 sq fttwo-story building proposed
~10 acreswooded parcel with wetlands & steep slopes
468 seatsplus classrooms, café & event space
251 spacesparking on a two-lane residential road
Land-use concerns
- Environmental Protection waiver: whether a smaller design could avoid protected-area impacts.
- Wetlands & buffers: whether disturbance is necessary and fully documented.
- Stormwater: whether the design is tested against current rainfall standards, real soils, and downstream drainage capacity.
- Traffic & parking: whether peak activity and neighborhood spillover are fully accounted for.
- Cumulative scale: whether the number of requested variances and waivers indicates the project exceeds what the parcel can comfortably support.
Our ground rule: Keep every concern use-neutral and site-specific. Preserve Wayne welcomes every neighbor and institution. The issues here are land, scale, traffic, stormwater, parking, and environmental impact.
A PRACTICAL PATH
How conservation could work
The goal is not to ask one group to pay for everything. A preservation effort can be structured from multiple sources and only proceed if the numbers make sense.
Authorize a feasibility review
Township evaluation, appraisal, environmental due diligence, and initial owner discussions.
Engage conservation partners
Coordinate with NJDEP Green Acres, Passaic County, and The Land Conservancy of New Jersey.
Build the funding stack
Combine eligible state/county assistance, municipal open-space resources, private support, and any negotiated seller contribution.
Proceed only if it works
Any purchase remains subject to agreement with the owner, due diligence, funding, and formal Township approval.
NJ
NJ Green Acres
Potential acquisition grants and municipal financing, subject to eligibility and program approval.
PC
Passaic County Open Space
Potential acquisition support through an applicable future county grant cycle.
WT
Wayne open-space resources
Potential local match, appraisal, due diligence, or acquisition contribution.
+
Private support
Potential gap funding and stewardship support through a qualified nonprofit or government account.
TAKE ACTION
Three useful things you can do today
Ask Wayne to explore preservation
Contact the Mayor and Council and ask for an immediate feasibility review of voluntary acquisition of 225 Colfax Road.
Show up and stay factual
Attend public hearings. Speak to flooding, drainage, traffic, parking, tree loss, scale, and other site-specific land-use issues.
Check Wayne Township →Bring your neighbors
Share the site, forward the sample email, and encourage people with engineering, planning, environmental, or traffic expertise to participate.
COPY • PERSONALIZE • SEND
Sample resident email
Personal words matter most. Add one sentence about your own street, flooding experience, traffic concern, or reason you value Wayne's remaining open space.
To: Mayor and Members of the Township Council
Please explore preserving 225 Colfax Road
Subject: Please explore preserving 225 Colfax Road as a conservation park
Dear Mayor and Members of the Township Council,
I am writing as a Wayne resident to respectfully ask the Township to authorize an immediate feasibility review of voluntarily acquiring the 9.68-acre property at 225 Colfax Road as a passive public conservation and walking park.
This is an opportunity to explore a positive, long-term solution that could preserve woodland and wetlands, support stormwater protection, and create a quiet public green space for Wayne residents.
I respectfully ask the Township to:
1. Open discussions with the property owner regarding a voluntary, fair-market-value transaction;
2. Consult with NJDEP Green Acres, Passaic County, and The Land Conservancy of New Jersey regarding funding and acquisition options;
3. Authorize an independent appraisal and appropriate environmental due diligence; and
4. Evaluate a low-impact concept centered on woods, wetlands, walking trails, native plantings, and limited amenities.
I understand that any acquisition would require agreement with the owner, due diligence, available funding, and formal Township approval. I am simply asking Wayne to explore the opportunity while potential conservation funding is available.
Thank you for considering a constructive way to protect an important piece of Wayne's remaining open space.
Respectfully,
[Your name]
[Your street / neighborhood], Wayne, NJ
GET INVOLVED
Preserve Wayne starts with neighbors.
Join the update list, volunteer professional expertise, help with neighborhood outreach, or simply ask to be notified about the next public meeting.
WHO TO CONTACT
Public officials & conservation resources
Mayor Christopher P. Vergano
Wayne Township
973-694-1800 ext. 3200
verganoc@waynetownship.com
Township Clerk's Office
973-694-1800
ext. 3207 or 3208
Routes messages to Council members.
The Land Conservancy of NJ
Sandra Urgo
973-541-1010
surgo@tlc-nj.org
NJDEP Green Acres
609-984-0500
GreenAcres@dep.nj.gov
Important: Do not privately contact Zoning Board or Planning Board members about a pending application. The proper channel is the public hearing and board staff. Calls and emails about policy should go to the Mayor and Township Council.