In Ridgewood, the battle lines have been drawn over the village plan to build an athletic turf field on the historic Zabriskie-Schedler property, a seven-acre tract with roots in the American Revolution that is largest piece of undeveloped land in town.
For 15 years, village officials have been kicking around ideas about turning Zabriskie-Schedler into a combination park and sports field. Ridgewood recently submitted a 1,200-page application to the State Historic Preservation Office seeking permission to build a sports complex, children's playground and parking lot that would cover almost all of the seven acres.
To some, a big multi-purpose sports field is a project that's long overdue in a town where many kids play sports. To others, it's a monstrosity, a big patch of plastic grass that will replace the greenery and desecrate land that may have been a battlefield during the American Revolution.
“We all need fields,” said Ridgewood Mayor Vagianos, the prime mover behind the project. He argues developing Zabriskie-Scheder represents a “once in a generation” chance to build more playing space. “The property was purchased to put a field on it. The last time the village bought a field was 1980. We're fully built out. There's no open space left.”
Ridgewood bought the land in 2009, using mostly Bergen County Open Space funds, promising to preserve it as a ‘park,' with the design to be determined. Opponents say…
