NEW JERSEY SITE FIGHT: TRAFFIC WORRIES

Wal-Mart traffic generates noise, trash [The (N.J.) Record]

SADDLE BROOK—Living 100 yards from a big-box store is bad enough, but residents in this winding neighborhood north of Route 46 say Wal-Mart customers are practically in their back yards.

Despite clearly marked signs that say “no parking,” customers of a shopping complex containing Wal-Mart, Modell’s and a small furniture store continue to park behind the building—an area that abuts several back yards on Adriana Street.

Wal-Mart traffic generates noise, trash [The (N.J.) Record]

SADDLE BROOK—Living 100 yards from a big-box store is bad enough, but residents in this winding neighborhood north of Route 46 say Wal-Mart customers are practically in their back yards.

Despite clearly marked signs that say “no parking,” customers of a shopping complex containing Wal-Mart, Modell’s and a small furniture store continue to park behind the building—an area that abuts several back yards on Adriana Street.

Township officials say they are addressing the problem, but some residents argue that not enough has been done to alleviate the traffic and noise behind their homes.

A small creek separates William Bradley’s back yard from the rear of the shopping complex, but he is close enough to hear the steady roar of cars pulling in and out on weekends and holidays. Though the problem is worst in winter—when the trees blocking his view of the parking lot are bare—he often has Wal-Mart bags flying into his pool.

“This is a major privacy issue that’s going on two years and disrupting our back yards, pools and family barbecues,” said Bradley, one of the most vocal neighbors, who has spent nearly two years complaining to the building’s property manager, the corporate headquarters, the mayor and the police chief.

“My back yard is a parking lot when it’s not supposed to be,” he said.

Police Chief Robert Kugler said he and Mayor Lou D’Arminio are in negotiations with the property owner, Englewood Cliffs-based Oster Realty, to find a solution that benefits the businesses and nearby residents. So far, they’ve put up signs prohibiting customers from parking behind the store, and have asked the property owner to patrol the area looking for offenders.

“This parking issue didn’t start happening until a few years ago, when Wal-Mart got more popular,” Kugler said.

“Suddenly, we have a mall that hasn’t been too busy in the past and now has a big anchor store that draws in hundreds of vehicles each day and the number of parking spots is limited,” he said.

Kugler said that after complaints from residents, the property owner came up with his own solution: He planned to hire a towing company to patrol the lot. But the township stepped in, arguing the move was too drastic.

“We certainly didn’t want any predatory towing going on in there,” Kugler said.

“If there was a tow truck operator on standby, waiting for customers to park and taking their cars, it could turn into a similar situation as the McDonald’s in Fair Lawn,” he said.

Last year, police in neighboring Fair Lawn were called to a McDonald’s parking lot nearly three dozen times because of altercations between a tow truck company and vehicle owners who were apparently towed after parking their cars at the IHOP restaurant next door. A number of North Jersey towns have since passed laws against “predatory towing,” or tow drivers who charge excessive fees or lie in wait to pounce on cars in a matter of minutes. The Assembly and Senate have recently passed guidelines to crack down on the practice.

But Wal-Mart’s neighbors say towing would have been a deterrent.

“When customers get to Wal-Mart and the lot is full, even if they go back there and see a sign that says ‘No parking,’ they do it anyway because they know no one’s coming around to enforce it,” Bradley said.

Avi Oster, the property owner, did not return a call seeking comment, but township officials say a quick-fix solution is unlikely.

While they want to avoid a predatory towing situation at all costs, ticketing customers is tricky, Kugler said.

Police officers can ticket and tow vehicles on private property only if they are in a fire zone. Other than that, the burden falls on the property owner.

“We realize it’s a quality of life issue, but we’re doing our best to accommodate all parties involved,” D’Arminio said.

“I don’t think it’s being addressed quickly enough for some people, but we’re in negotiations and everyone seems to be cooperative at this point,” he said.

D’Arminio added that officials have discussed placing a high fence or large shrubbery to block the view.

Neighbors say trees and a fence won’t block out the noise. What’s more, the creek is polluted with shopping carts and plastic bags.

Lucia Camporeale, a 21-year resident of South Boulevard, up the block from Adriana Street, said the noise and trash behind the shopping complex have grown worse over the last few years.

“There is excessive noise, you hear radios blasting until 9 or 10 o’clock at night, alarms going off, cars honking and there’s trash all over the place,” Camporeale said. “It’s getting really annoying to deal with,” she said.

A call to Wal-Mart corporate headquarters was not returned.