Maple Lake, A Hidden Gem
A hidden gem, Maple Lake is a lake no more. This 24-acre tract is located north of Canterbury Lane and borders Midland Park. One point of access in the lake’s hey-day as a swimming hole was from Cedar Hill Avenue (traveling on Cedar Hill Avenue from Wyckoff Avenue toward the Wortendyke section of Midland Park, Maple Drive is entered via a left turn at the hair-pin turn near the bottom of the hill). Where Maple Lake is located
Wyckoff refuses to buy Maple Lake
A Mr. Richenbach sought and received permission in 1928 to reconstruct a dam on the Goffle Brook and created a five-acre lake. In 1948, the Abagardo family purchased the property and created the Maple Lake Swim Club. We have reports from several Friends members who learned to swim there. Area residents also went horseback riding and had picnics at Maple Lake. In the 1958 the Gottschalk family purchased the property, which continued to be used by area residents. The club closed in the 1960’s, falling prey to residents’ rising incomes that brought both backyard pools and summer home alternatives. Before selling in 1973 to the Canterbury Development Corporation, which is based in Englewood, New Jersey, the owners of Maple Lake tried to sell the property to Wyckoff for recreation purposes for a price of less than $200,000. The town refused.
Site of 180 condominiums?
In 1981, the Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) inspected the Maple Lake dam
and ordered Canterbury to repair it. The developer apparently ignored
the ACE directives, and later those of the New Jersey Department of
Environmental Protection (DEP). Finally in the late 1980’s, the
DEP allowed Canterbury to remove the dam and apply for permanent removal
of the dam. The yards of residents along the Goffle Brook downstream
were flooded, and a large number of fish died when the developer open
the dam. Effectively, the DEP rewarded the developer for ignoring the
directives from both the ACE and the DEP.
Wyckoff zoned Maple Lake for high-density affordable housing, with a maximum density of 10 dwelling units per developable acre. Canterbury initially proposed to build a total of 180 units on about 18 acres, with access to the site through Canterbury Lane and surrounding streets. In August, 2004, Canterbury filed an application with the DEP for a Letter of Interpretation (“LOI”) seeking to confirm the delineation of wetlands on the property, a standard but crucial step in the development application process.
Township seeks to remove affordable housing zoning
Resident adjacent to Maple Lake formed the “Concerned Residents
Against Maple Lake Development, Inc.” to fight the developer. To
date it is reported they have spent more $35,000 on expert and legal
expenses. In November, 2005, Wyckoff sought to reverse its decision to
zone the Maple Lake site for affordable housing as part of its standard “third
round housing element and fair share plan” petition to the state
Council on Affordable Housing.
“This site is essentially a bowl, with steep slopes around its perimeter and water and wetlands at its base….Of the unbuilt sites, the Township considers this tract the least suitable for higher density housing contruction.” Saying the Township did need the tract to fulfill its affordable housing obligations, Wyckoff sought to rezone the tract not for open space but for market-rate residential housing with standard 25,000 square foot lots.
Court decision leaves status of Maple Lake zoning unclear
In January, 2007, the Appellate Division of New Jersey invalidated the
rule that allowed municipalities to require developers to fold affordable
housing into their projects without a so-called “density bonus,” which
had effectively allowed developers to put more units than otherwise
permitted with the proviso that they include affordable housing. The
state Council on Affordable Housing has appealed this decision. The
lack of clarity about the rules for the provision of affordable housing
mean that a decision on the Wyckoff’s affordable housing plans
by the state will be indefinitely delayed.
The Cooper's Hawk, a state endangered species, nests at the site, and
the wood turtle, a species which favors pristine wetlands, has also been
documented at Maple Lake. This wildlife, and wetlands, may reduce development
at Maple Lake, but are not enough to stop it. The site would, however,
certainly be a candidate for open space preservation, but Wyckoff officials
to date have shown no interest in this alternative.
Have any old pictures of Maple Lake or a Maple Lake story to share? Send
it to info@FriendsOfWyckoff.org.
 A diving board was once attached to the top of the dam that created Maple Lake. |
 The Goffle Brook, east of the now-destroyed dam, flows parallel to the lower end of Cedar Hill Avenue, under Newtown Road, and into Midland Park. |
 The Goffle Brook flows through the Maple Lake site. This is a picture of the western portion of the tract. |
 The Maple Lake site contains significant wetlands. This is a view looking west from the dam. |
 Although the Army Corps of Engineers ordered Canterbury Development Corporation to make repairs to the dam, the company ignored the directives, and eventually apparently got permission to put a hole in it and empty the lake. |