Cresskill Woman’s Club Holds Meeting with Call to Action to Protect Our Palisades

April 17, 2013 (Cresskill, NJ) – The Cresskill Woman’s Club held a special meeting on Tuesday, April 16 in the Senior Center regarding a proposed development in Englewood Cliffs that would affect the Palisades Interstate Park. Over 60 members from the Cresskill Club and surrounding clubs attended. Guest speakers were Linda Babeuf, President of the New Jersey State Federation of Women’s Clubs (at right in photo), and Ed Goodell, Executive Director of the New York-New Jersey Trail Conference. Ingrid Morley, program organizer for CWC, is at left.

At issue is the plan by LG Electronics to build a 143 ft. high office tower that would loom over the Palisades Interstate Park. The building would ruin what is currently an unspoiled ridgeline that sweeps along the New Jersey side of the Hudson River from the George Washington Bridge north for some 11 miles. The Borough of Englewood Cliffs overturned zoning laws to enable LG to build this tower that will be four times the current height limit.

A call to action was voiced by the NJSFWC to stop the tower from being built above the treeline. The call to action included educating residents in area towns about the development plans, having members write letters to LG Electronics and local officials opposing the spot zoning, and having people sign petitions. A court-mediated hearing is scheduled for the beginning of May.

Linda Babeuf, President of the NJSFWC told the audience: “Since the 1890s, when members of the New Jersey State Federation of Women’s Clubs fought and won the battle to make the Palisades a protected natural reserve, Palisades’ towns have observed a 35 ft. height limit on their buildings, thus preserving an unspoiled ridge line for the generations that followed. Now our generation of members must fight to ensure their legacy is maintained”.

Ingrid Morley, program organizer for CWC said: “The proposed zoning changes are of immediate concern to residents of Cresskill. Tenafly, Alpine, Englewood and all the towns close to Englewood Cliffs and must be resisted”.

Several organizations opposed to the height of the building have started a coalition called Protect the Palisades, and many others are lending their support. The NY-NJ Trail Conference, Scenic Hudson, New Jersey State Federation of Women’s Clubs and Natural Resources Defense Council are spearheading the movement.

To find out more, visit www.protectthepalisades.org