FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 22, 2026
MEDIA CONTACT:
Ben Dziobek, Executive Director, CRAN
M: 732-543-3005 | E: ben@climaterevolutionnj.org
West Orange, NJ — Following more than two years of testimony, expert analysis, and sustained community opposition, public comment has officially concluded on the proposed 496-unit development atop the Watchung Mountain Second Ridge Forest. The application now advances to closing arguments, scheduled for February 25, where attorneys representing the developer and WeCareNJ will deliver final presentations before the West Orange Planning Board.
The proceedings have become one of the longest and most exhaustive Planning Board reviews in New Jersey history. More than 25 hearings were held, often stretching hours into the evening, with dozens of expert witnesses called to testify and more than 2,000 pages of documentation entered into the record. Over 50 residents spoke in opposition to the proposal. Not one member of the public testified in support.
Public engagement extended far beyond the hearing room. During the summer, residents and coalition partners organized a large community mobilization on the ridge itself, drawing regional and statewide attention to the proposed destruction of one of the last intact core forests in the Watchung Mountain range.
The 120-acre forest has long been identified as a preservation priority and represents the last remaining core forest of its kind in the region. The outcome will determine the future of the last unprotected core forest on the Watchung Second Ridge and is expected to carry significant implications for how environmentally sensitive land is evaluated amid development pressures across New Jersey.
“We are sitting on the precipice of ruining forever what our ancestors placed here with intention. These mountains were not random. They were pathways of communication, from ridge to ridge, all the way to what we now call the Hudson River,” said Ramapough Lenape Chief Vincent Mann.
“This fight has always been about whether our communities get a real voice when the stakes are this high. For more than two years, residents, experts, and advocates have built an overwhelming record showing why this forest matters for flood protection, public safety, indigenous history, and climate resilience,” said Ben Dziobek, Executive Director of the Climate Revolution Action Network.
“The Watchung Ridge Forest is the last of its kind — an untouched 120-acre undisturbed ecological oasis along the second ridge of the Watchung Mountains that provides a crucial green jewel amidst Essex County,” said Doug O’Malley, Director of Environment New Jersey.
“The Watchung Mountain Second Ridge forest must be protected. It is far more than a collection of trees; it is a mature ecosystem that provides critical flood protection, purifies our aquifer, stores carbon, and sustains diverse native species,” said Essex County Commissioner Brendan Gill.
About We Care NJ
WECARE NJ CORP is the successor to the original West Essex Committee Against Rezoning Excesses (WECARE), an association formed in 2000 that won a landmark victory against overdevelopment before the West Orange Planning Board in 2006.
About Climate Revolution Action Network (CRAN)
Climate Revolution Action Network (CRAN) is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the social welfare of communities across New Jersey by advancing equitable, evidence-based climate policy, building civic power, and mobilizing a diverse generation of advocates to address the climate crisis.