Politics

The Citizens Budget Advisory Committee (CBAC), a nine-member board comprised of local business professionals, opposed the 6.35 percent increase in the municipal budget.

A builder renovating two homes says that longtime politico Michael Manzo revoked his permits to “teach [him] a lesson,” later demanding a friendship to avoid his wrath.

The city recently acquired about an acre of land next to an existing greenspace and has awarded a contract to add a temporary playground, basketball courts, and community gardens at the space.

A legal settlement permitting the city to purchase an acre of land in exchange for allowing greater development density at properties owned by Academy Bus will be debated, along with an $8.1 million bond ordinance that would fund the deal.

Officials have moved forward with a plan to investigate whether a swath of Downtown land could qualify as a redevelopment area after a deal that would have paved the way for a linear park was derailed.

Two state senators have introduced a bill that would cap the height of all new developments east of Palisade Avenue at 10 feet below the cliff line, which would have a dramatic impact on certain neighborhoods.

The West Orange town council passed a resolution this week to designate an office park an “area in need of redevelopment.” The 4-1 vote stands at odds with the wave of public criticism during the meeting against the designation, which paves the way for a windfall tax abatement.

The decision to extend an agreement with a controversial Federal agency that houses undocumented immigrants at a county jail has churned up a lot of emotions between activists and local officials.

The Fair Share Housing Center is asking the courts to throw out legislation that the City Council approved this summer, arguing that it was enacted illegally and “gives a pass to politically connected developers.”

An old police station on Lincoln Avenue in Orange was expected to be sold for $1.2 million to a developer so that a project with 60 condominiums could be constructed. Now, the Orange Municipal Council is seeking to revoke the contract of sale and more.