Citizens for Zoning Transparency
Madison Avenue frontage along Lot C, a proposed subdivision of Drew University’s campus to enable Avalon Bay to put up a 193-unit apartment complex.
View of Lot C from the exit of the Ardsleigh and Fairwoods neighborhoods onto Madison Ave. on a typical winter day. Click to hear children squeal. Remember that time when you were young? Where will they play if this goes forward as planned?
What is Happening and How to Help
📍 Protecting Madison’s Neighborhoods, Safety, and Green Spaces
The Borough of Madison is moving forward with a plan to rezone a section of Drew University’s property (known as "Lot C") across from our neighborhood to build a massive, 193-unit high-density apartment complex with Avalon Bay (Vivmark).
This plan was carved out behind closed doors as part of the recent Drew Forest affordable housing settlement. Neighbors were given no notice—and if it passes without our input, it means a dangerous influx of traffic, severe pressure on our local streets and schools, and the potential permanent destruction of forested buffers along Vinal Place and our community’s favorite winter sledding hill on Madison Ave—a space we’ve enjoyed for decades.
We are not here to block affordable housing or destroy the hard-won Drew Forest preservation deal. We are here to demand a seat at the table as this goes forward.
We want the Borough Council to use its powerful redevelopment zoning tools to protect our safety, secure deep wooded environmental buffers, and save our grassy historic community spaces for the health and safety of all concerned. And no more “hiding the ball”!
🚨 THE CRITICAL DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 10 AT 7:30 PM
The Madison Planning Board is holding a vital public meeting via Zoom on Tuesday, November 10th at 7:30 PM. They are reviewing a study that labels this active, vibrant green space as a "faulty arrangement" that is “detrimental to the health, safety, welfare or morals of our community” to fast-track this layout. We should call “BS” on this characterization so there’s a clean record going forward.
In addition, the Borough has tied its own hands in a court settlement with Drew related to affordable housing in January 2026—basically giving Avalon Bay the contractual right to get the zoning for its big apartment complex even if we don’t like it now that we’ve received actual notice of what is afoot. Take a look at this settlement in our Resource tab (since it is obtusely located on rosenet.org and even then it was missing the critical exhibit that shows the parcel’s layout).
Hundreds of Madison residents need to flood this Zoom and all subsequent meetings related to this project to challenge these bogus claims and show we care about what happens here, including ALL the details. Let’s give the town officials incentives to stop this project (our children sled, but we vote) if they can, or at least force major concessions from the developer to protect our welfare.
🛑 TAKE ACTION IN 60 SECONDS:
SIGN UP FOR ALERTS, AND THEN PLAN TO SIGN OUR OFFICIAL PETITION WHEN IT IS READY
We are drafting a digital petition demanding that the Borough Council mandate a permanent easement over the sledding hill and route the project's access road safely to protect pedestrians and traffic sightlines to reduce distractions along the busy Madison Avenue corridor, by densifying further back off the main road. Also it is critical to keep the forest buffer intact along Vinal Place. If you have ideas on this, let us know! Only verified Madison residents may sign.ATTEND THE ZOOM HEARING: Save the date for Nov. 10th at 7:30 PM. For those who sign up, we’ll send you digital access to our logo to set as Zoom background if you choose. Better yet, set up a picture of your family walking the dog or your kids sledding on the parcel. We also plan to post or email some “best practices” and “useful themes” for making comments at the meeting (3-minute limit) before Nov. 10—please check this site frequently.
TALK TO YOUR BLOCK: Download and print our printable flyer to drop on the porches of three neighbors on your street today. And if your “block” is a digital one, then post it on your social media. If you are willing to attend a pre-meeting organizational meeting before Nov. 10, put it in your registration message and look for further invites.
Contact Our Steering Committee:
To volunteer to distribute flyers, request a yard sign for your property (not yet available), or securely share municipal documents with our team, email us directly at: sosadmin4@gmail.com . Also be sure to read the educational materials on our Resource tab.
🗺️ The Facts: Corridor Safety, Site Geometry, and the Settlement Agreement Deadlines
Citizens for Zoning Transparency fully supports the Borough of Madison meeting its strict affordable housing compliance deadlines. Protecting our town from a Builder's Remedy lawsuit—which would strip Madison of its local zoning control and potentially force a massive, unregulated project on our neighborhood—is our top priority.
However, meeting the deadline does not require adopting a hazardous infrastructure layout. The Borough can—and must—mandate strict design standards within the final Redevelopment Plan to protect public safety and preserve neighborhood assets. Smart growth principles support that, particularly where the neighborhood asset is a grassy open space.
We urge the Planning Board and Borough Council to focus on two core planning priorities during this process:
1. Mandate a Safe Access Alignment for Corridor Safety
The access point, if it is to remain off the front part of Lancaster Road as seems to be implied in the shape of the parcel (and note that it would be more logical to move it further behind Tilghman House for a number of reasons) must be carefully configured to prevent traffic friction near the frontage of Madison Avenue, interfering with driver sightlines and creating a dangerous distraction for drivers along that heavy corridor. For the same reason, the internal vehicle queue (stacking buffer) that is likely to be required should be designed to prevent Madison Avenue gridlock and also be shielded from sight for similar safety reasons.
2. Recognize Topography to Save the Sledding Hill and Green Buffer
The developer’s requirement to build 193 units is a contractual floor, but density does not require architectural sprawl.
Smart Site Design: Our community needs the developer to proffer, or the Borough to demand, an easement for the public good over the historical sledding hill portion of Lot C, which should remain grassy and unpaved in the final plan. Moreover, a sledding hill is not just a slope; it requires the horizontal flat run-out zone at the bottom to remain completely unobstructed for safe deceleration.
The Preservation Solution: The Borough must mandate design guidelines that respect the natural contours of the land. By utilizing compact architectural footprints on the higher, flatter portions of the parcel, the developer can easily achieve their full 193-unit allocation while leaving the hill's face, the flat run-out zone, and the vital green frontage buffer along Madison Avenue entirely intact.
Vinal Place Wooded Buffer: Finally, there is a wooded buffer along Vinal Place in Lot C that is essentially part of that forest yet unprotected by the Drew Forest settlement. This is environmentally important and also provides a critical buffer against higher development uses for a neighborhood that has borne the brunt of more than its share of those already. This must be redlined from being destroyed in any redevelopment plans.
Get Educated on Our Resource Page
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Get Educated on Our Resource Page 〰️
We urge you to check out the studies, slide presentations, and court documents on our Resource tab to get educated about the project in preparation for upcoming meetings. We’ll build this out with Borough contact names as well.
Our mission is simple: get a seat at the table as the Borough of Madison seeks to rezone and develop Lot C, which could unnecessarily wipe out our beloved open and forested green spaces, increase traffic, and burden our schools. To date, the Borough, Drew University, and the Developer have effectively cut backroom deals that will adversely impact all of us without any real input from the affected neighborhoods. Let’s change that.
Join Our Mailing List to Get Alerts
We’ll try to get back to you if we learn of something big, but don’t forget to read the local news and check back often in any event. We won’t sell your personal information or use it for anything but this project.
Latest News and Commentary
Madison Drew University Redevelopment Study Heads to Public Hearing
Madison News Media Facebook
Site Admin Note: These links are not from our site. Be careful, and be sure to bookmark us beforehand so you can “get back to where you once belonged…” As important, be sure to check out our Resource Tab which is very informative about the history of these development plans and the upcoming meetings.
Site Admin Note: By the time it was postponed, over 100 people attended the original meeting on October 6, 2026 to discuss the study. We need more Nov. 10!
madison.newjersey Instagram
Site Admin Note: The bubble above says no “specific” development has been approved, but don’t be misled—some form of 193-unit complex has—and blessed by a court! Check out the facts in our Resource tab.
Our expertise (or not)—i.e. , we have disclaimers!
We are local homeowners in Madison NJ trying to hold down day jobs while development that greatly affects us and our children advances along. We try to watch the news and attend to what we can. We appreciate our public officials and expect them to have our best interests in mind. We lean into AI for answers. It and we make mistakes. Information on this site might even be wrong be it factual or just our opinions. We’ll correct it when and if we find the time. We’ve used a lot of stock photos. We are trying to be helpful but aren’t giving you legal or lifestyle advice here. So do your own diligence about anything you see on this site and do not rely on us to be right or protect you. That’s on you. Be a citizen!
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