Trails Conference Gets OK To Restore Historic Schoolhouse

The New York New Jersey Trails Conference is now officially set to start restoring and renovating the interior of the Darlington Schoolhouse, a historic building at the end of Darlington Avenue, originally built in the 1800’s. The volunteer environmental group, which maintains nature trails throughout Bergen County and the Hudson Valley, N.Y., maps those trails for area hikers and promotes education about trails, was granted several zoning variances at a Board of Adjustment meeting last Wednesday.

After acquiring the historic property along with the township in 2007 using Green Acres and Bergen County Open Space funding, the Trails Conference completed exterior renovations on the building last year. Now, it will be able to complete its interior renovations, which include restoring the current schoolhouse structure, and constructing a 3,800 square foot addition.

In order to start the construction, the TC needed a use variance, because the intended purposes of the renovated schoolhouse - which will serve as its headquarters, host meetings and workshops, and contain a small retail shop with trails maps and hiking equipment - were not permitted under Mahwah’s zoning laws. The Trails Conference also received several bulk variances last week, permitting it to bend rules on requirements like parking spaces and setbacks.

According to NYNJTC Executive Director Ed Goodall, the not-for-profit organization is now in the midst of a capital campaign to raise the funds necessary to finish construction. The group has already raised about $1 million of the estimated $2.5 million cost, he said. If fundraising efforts happen quickly enough, Goodall said he is hopeful the Conference can move into the space before the end of 2014.

The design for the schoolhouse will stay true to the building’s original look, as the building is on the National Register of Historic Places, NYNJTC representatives said at the Board of Adjustment hearing.  

Much of the existing building will be used for conference spaces and offices, while many of the public uses of the building will be in the addition. For example, bathrooms will only be added in the addition, as the schoolhouse does not have any indoor plumbing.

Project Engineer Tibor Letiscics spoke at the meeting about the environmental impacts of the project, which is on property that the Darlington Brook runs through, is in the Highlands Preservation Area, and contains wetlands. After several years of receiving site plan approvals from various state agencies, Letiscics said the construction will actually reduce the amount of impervious surface at the site.

The building’s construction plan also includes removing fill on the site and the “ecological restoration of Darlington Brook,” attorney Andy Norin said.

“There are significant environmental benefits to this project,” he said.

The Trails Conference also received approval to have only 27 parking spots at the schoolhouse, fewer than the typical minimum amount required. Though that will be enough parking for its day-to-day operations, visitors during workshops or other events the Conference plans to hold will likely need to park at nearby lots at Ramapo College, the Ramapo Valley Reservation, or Continental Soldier’s Field.

The TC is simultaneously working on a plan to have the county construct a sidewalk from the college to the schoolhouse to accommodate the foot traffic, representatives said.

In addition to the endorsement of the Zoning Board through unanimous approvals, Mahwah Historic Preservation Commission Chair Barbara Shanley spoke at the hearing to express her support for the renovation.

“This is an amazing project,” she said. “[The Commission] supports everything [the Trails Conference] has done.”

After the approval, Goodall said he is excited to begin the next phase of the project. He called the schoolhouse, located in the center of one of the region’s most popular hiking spots, the “perfect place” for the organization’s new headquarters.

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