Top Wyckoff Stories to Watch in 2014

For the past week, Patch has been looking back at some of the biggest and best in Wyckoff and Franklin Lakes of 2013. In honor of New Year’s Day, Patch will look ahead to some of the stories we think locals should follow that will become or continue to be big news in 2014.

Franklin Lakes Affordable Housing 

Later this year, the High Mountain Golf Course plans to close. In December, the borough council passed an ordinance allowing for the rezoning of the golf course property so that it can become a housing development containing 60 single-family homes, 60 “carriage” homes, or condo units with garages, and 55 affordable housing units.

Though some residents have expressed concern about the project, township officials say the project will help Franklin Lakes meet its state-mandated affordable housing obligations.

One-to-One Laptops 

This month, the Ramapo Indian Hills Regional High School district is set to roll out its 1-to-1 initiative. In the works for over a year, the plan to give out a laptop to each of the district’s students has garnered both positive and negative feedback from the community.

And, RIH students may not be the only ones with laptops on the way. The Franklin Lakes Board of Education is set to soon hear a presentation on a possible 1-to-1 initiative at the district’s middle school.

Monitoring the implementation of more personal technologies in the classroom will likely be a hot topic to follow in 2014. 

CHCC Expansion

The Christian Healthcare Center is looking to expand. The project has already been approved in Wyckoff, and hearings are underway in Hawthorne considering the proposal. Since part of the CHCC land on the border is in Hawthorne, both municipalities must approve the project before it can go through.

NorthJersey.com recently reported that the “Vista project” hearings in Hawthorne are underway, and will include a public visit to the site this month so that officials can get a better grasp on the scope of the project.

The CHCC is proposing a 199-room expansion at its senior living facility.