Canceled Meeting

First of all. I just want to say "Thank You" to all the people who have supported my family. Your support has been fantastic. You are the reason why the meeting was cancelled.

People can say what they want. But I believe certain developers, hair dressers and politicians wanted no part of borough hall being full of citizens and the media asking hard questions. But this fight is far from over. Eminent Domain will probably be used across the street from me 601-624 ridge road. I guess that is where Palumbo, Sanborn's and the Capodagli builders will target next.

That simply means the process that our borough has to use Eminent Domain has to be stopped. We have to fight Eminent Domain anywhere in the borough. Nobody has the right to take your property from you and hand it over to a developer. We are all still targets.

Here is the latest letter. This one is actually from the borough of North Arlington.

Save North Arlington from Eminent Domain

The Borough meeting scheduled for 8:00 pm february 23rd has been cancelled.


First of all I want to say. That what is happening to my home can happen anywhere in the borough of North Arlington. Not just Ridge Road, or Porete Avenue.

With that in mind. Imagine if you will. You wake up on Saturday morning. You get your kids ready for the day. You take one of your kids to the middle school for her weekly traveling team practice. You get to the middle school and one of the parents at the school walks up to you with a local newspaper and say’s, ‘Hey I see you’re moving’. On the front page of one of the local papers is a project called the Renaissance and it’s where your house is.

That’s how my family was introduced to Eminent Domain. That’s how my neighbor Robert Palumbo’s Hair Saloon decided to tell us about his condo project. Nobody from the borough notified us. Nobody told us that this was going on. Just another parent reading an article, was sharing there concern. That’s the way that my family found out how some greedy developer and a hair dresser has plans for our home.

Art Roberts Studio has been a staple of North Arlington since 1958. Mr. Miller purchased his home and opened this business to make a better life for his family. Mr. Miller is typical of all homeowners, businessman and taxpayers. Buy your house, go to work, raise your family. I think they call that the American dream.

Mr Miller is my father-in-law. My family has lived in the second floor apartment at 610 Ridge Road for over 17 years. My wife was born here and our children were born and raised in North Arlington.

My family strongly disagrees with the power of government to take private property and hand it over to only developers. With the use of eminent domain a developer doesn’t have to negotiate. He just has to go to the City and say, listen; we have a better plan than what these property owners have. We can generate more property taxes. We want the property.

From what I understand, eminent domain is defined as taking a private property for public use. Public use should only be used for reservoirs, highways, police departments, schools.

That’s what our forefathers intended it to be for, not for luxury hotels, condos, industrial parks that only benefit one person, and that is the developers and their friends.

“Any property may now be taken for the benefit of another private party, but the fallout from this decision will not be random. The beneficiaries are likely to be those citizens with disproportionate influence and power in the political process, including large corporations and development firms.” - Justice O’Connor



The Ridge Road re-development plan places homeowners and business at risk. We are all exposed to Eminent Domain under this plan. Several Council members have stated publicly there stance on Eminent Domain. Councilman Massa has stated several times how he is against Eminent Domain for private development. Councilman Tanelli is looking to have this very issue addressed on the November election in the form of a referendum.

But this borough is not alone.

Several other boroughs have already passed legislation to protect property owners. Paramus and Bogota to name a few. In Bogota, the response to the threat of Eminent Domain was clear.
There, a referendum asked the mayor and council to pass an ordinance limiting the use of eminent domain to condemn private property to public purposes only, such as to build a school, build a highway. The ballot passed.

This is a very clear issue. Protect our property, our homes and our business’s. This is not New London, Conneticut, it’s North Arlington. This Planning Board and Council has the power to protect North Arlington residents. We need the borough to protect us from greedy people and developers who are looking to prey on people in the borough.

If not, you could be next.

Update on my home.

On Wednesday the 16th early in the day my family reached out to Mayor Pittman and called the town hall to find out what was going on with the letters I received from the boro planning board. He wasn’t available then.

But later in the day Councilman Roche stopped by my home to speak with my family about the letters and to ensure us that Eminent Domain wasn’t an issue for my property. He explained to my family that indeed there were two projects that were presented to the mayor and council. One of them was the 5 story Renaissance project on my side of the street (Palumbo’s, UVA and Art Roberts’s studio).

The other project is called the ‘Village’. That’s across the street from me. That’s 601 to 623 ridge road. That’s’ also where Joe’s Bakery, Jade Chinese Takeout, and Sanborn’s deli are today. That project will be looking to create a first floor parking lot and a three story condo complex if Palumbo gets his way.

Later in the day. Mayor Pittman stopped by my home. I wasn’t home, be he left me a number to call him to address this issue. I called the number and spoke with the mayor. He to, was like councilman Roche and unaware of this mailing by the boro concerning my property. He pointed out that even though both letters have the boro seal on them. The mailing was from the developer, not the boro.

I know it's legal to only send letters to people within 200 feet of a proposed project. But these aren't little projects and they both affect the boro dramatically. I would hate to live 201 feet away and not know what's going on next door to me. There has to be a better way of communicating that info throughout the boro.

He also mentioned to me that the boro lawyer spoke with the developer and made the mayor's position on Eminent Domain very clear.The Mayor made it quite clear he hasn’t changed his stance on Eminent Domain and didn’t understand what Palumbo and his developer were up to. We will all find out on the 23rd of February.

I have also found out today that I’m not alone in receiving letters from this developer on Eminent Domain. At least one other family across the street from me has had to endure the abuse by Palumbo’s developer.

I don’t know why we would do business with Palumbo’s developer. If Palumbo wants to move and expand. Move. But not at some family’s expense.

Greedy Palumbo and Planning Board Meeting to defend our home.

Well it looks like besides Porete Avenue. The boroughs first case of Eminent Domain and seizure of a home to build a condo complex will begin on Febuary 23rd at the boro Planning Board meeting at town hall.

There are two projects that will be discussed at this meeting.

One is for the building of the Renaissance project. That's where Palumbo wants to take his business, my home and business "Art Roberts Studio" and The UVA restaurant to build his condo project.

The second project to be discussed will be right across the street from me. That's where Joe's bakery,Chinese takeout, and Jim Sanborn's deli are. If Palumbo can't get my house. He's gunning for the second project property.

This is Palumbo playing one property against the other. He and his builder friend are manipulating the boro. Must be nice to do that. What project are we meeting on? I said once before and dozens of times since. I'm not selling my home and business. I guess the Hairdresser(Palumbo) doesn't care that I'm not interested in selling my home and business. Ive told him and his groupies dozens of times. I'm not sure who's next in the boro.

I recently gave a letter to the mayor and town lawyer. It was from the developer of the renaissance project and palumbo. They basically said that if I didn't take their deal. They would move forward with Eminent Domain proceedings. Our Boro lawyer said he would take care of it.

Thanks Marinello.

It time for Pittman and the council to stand up to these bully's. NA is not for sale. Homes and business's are not for sale for greedy developers (Encap and Capaodagli) who want to to come into our town and scoop up properties, and certainly not a hairdresser who thinks he is a real estate tycoon now. The mayor and Council member Massa have been consistent about the use of Eminent Domain against a homeowner. The mayor and Councilman Roche both visited me and told me that Eminent Domain would never be used against a home.

It's time for our elected officials to stand up and defend their words and stance on this issue.
The boro doesn't need rhetoric. It's needs leaders!

It's time for people to stop talking about it and do something about it.
It's time for NA to defend itself from the greedy and selfish developers.
It's time folks, homeowners, business people,taxpayers to protect and take back their boro.

Call the mayor, Call the council, Find out for yourself. What is their position on Eminent Domain.

It's Time!!!!!!!!!!

By the way. Another out of towner. Palumbo doesn't even live in town.

I invite all to attend this meeting. I need your help. You and I both need to know what the Planning Board is planning for our children's future. Please come to this meeting.

I have posted both letters on the projects below.

letter 1

letter 2