Some Newark, South Orange residents blame construction at Seton Hall University for flooding issues
NEWARK, N.J. -- Some residents in Newark and South Orange allege construction over the years at Seton Hall University has contributed to flooding in their neighborhoods.
Now, the South Orange Planning Council is about to hold a vote on more construction there. As CBS2's Alice Gainer reports, this group wants it delayed until flooding issues are addressed.
Some neighbors who surround the university's campus say they've been experiencing urban flooding, which is what happens when runoff has nowhere to go.
"I've never had any flooding or any water in my basement since I moved here until around 2011," Newark resident Ken Walters said.
Walters has lived in Newark's Ivy Hill neighborhood for nearly 40 years.
"Because they've done more and more building, the water level has increased," he said.
After Ida, residents formed the Ivy Hill Flood Report to try to get answers and action to prevent any more flooding.
"We also know that Seton Hall is not 100 percent responsible. We do have an issue from Essex County Park. However, this structure is massive. They took away the green space, they built up, there's more impervious surfaces," Newark resident Libre Jones said.
She points to runoff from the parking garage.
The South Orange Planning Board has a vote scheduled for Monday on the university's plan to build a new basketball facility. The group wants that vote delayed. So too does Newark's mayor.
"Just pause the project until Newark can finish their studies," Jones said.
Seton Hall, which is in South Orange, says it empathizes with the group but said in a statement, "....We have at all times met the requirements of state and local building codes and ordinances -- often exceeding those requirements with additional features geared toward environmental responsibility and sustainability."
"This has nothing to do with a relatively modest modification to an existing gymnasium," said Elnardo Webster, attorney for Seton Hall University.
He says a comprehensive storm water study is being done and should be completed in the next year.
"Why not delay the vote just to wait and see what the study will reveal?" Gainer asked.
"I think if we thought that the resultant construction was going to make the situation worse, that would be a valid request, but based upon the city engineer, our engineers, the Newark engineers, there's no engineer that believes that what we're doing makes the situation worse," Webster said.
"What they seem to care about is basketball," Jones said. "We want everyone to work together, mitigate the issues."
The vote is scheduled for 7:30 Monday night.
The attorney for Seton Hall says he had a meeting Thursday with officials from the county, state and both municipalities.
