Planning Board Opposes Mahwah High School Sports Complex

The Mahwah Planning Board does not get to decide whether or not the township school district constructs a $3.8 million facility on its high school campus, but it is issuing an opinion warning school officials against it, NorthJersey.com reported.

According to the report, the school board does not need the Planning Board's approval to build on its property. However, the Planning Board has reviewed the plans for the facility, and sent a letter to the state commission of education raising concerns about it.

The board expressed concerns that the building, which is proposed near the football field at MHS, would obscure sight lines by drivers and present a safety concern, the report said. 

The facility would also shrink the distance between the high school and the Pilot gas station on Route 17 to 150 feet, the report said. An ordinance passed when the station was built says the distance between it and any school building should be no less than 460 feet, it said.

The Planning Board also expressed concerns about emergency access to the facility, the report said.

According to NorthJersey.com, the state Department of Education needs to approve the plans for the complex, and though it is not bound by the Planning Board's recommendation, it will consider it.