Woodcliff Lake has now adopted zoning for roughly 670 new homes on four sites that used to hold a corporate headquarters, a hotel, another headquarters and a short row of Broadway lots. For a borough made up almost entirely of single-family houses, that is the biggest change to its housing stock in a generation, and it lands right where downsizers and first-time buyers have been asking for townhomes and condos.
The borough's own planning documents tell a narrower story. The amended Fourth Round affordable housing plan lists one of those four projects as for-sale housing: the former Hilton at 200 Tice Boulevard. As of the borough's published materials, none of the four current plans has an approved site plan.
Four sites, one spreadsheet
These are the projects as the borough has zoned them. The tenure column comes from the credit table in the First Amendment to the Fourth Round Housing Element and Fair Share Plan, prepared February 11, 2026.
| Site | Former use | Zoned maximum | Affordable units | Tenure in borough plan | Zoning adopted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 300 Chestnut Ridge Road | BMW headquarters | 370 | 34 family, 40 supportive | Rental | July 21, 2025 |
| 200 Tice Boulevard | Hilton hotel | 148 in plan; 147 in housing plan | 30 family | For sale | March 16, 2026 |
| 100 Tice Boulevard | Party City headquarters | 91 | 18 age-restricted | Rental, for the senior affordable units | March 16, 2026 |
| 240, 258 and 264 Broadway | Lots near the train station | 63 | 12 | Rental | March 16, 2026 |
The Hilton numbers differ by one between documents. The redevelopment plan caps the site at 148 units, and the housing plan counts 147. Call it about 150 homes. That is less than a quarter of the total, and the only project the borough's own accounting labels for-sale.
Why the homes landed on Tice and Chestnut Ridge
How this mix came about starts with a state formula. A May 13, 2025 court order gave Woodcliff Lake a Fourth Round prospective need of 360 affordable units for 2025 to 2035. The borough is mostly built out, so it qualified for a vacant land adjustment. That analysis looks for land that is vacant, available and unconstrained, and asks how many affordable units it could hold at a 20 percent set-aside.
The borough's first answer was 66 units. Fair Share Housing Center challenged the method, and the settlement raised the figure to 131 by counting properties that are "not vacant and available" but are expected to be redeveloped. The remaining 229 units count as unmet need. State law still requires a realistic path to at least 25 percent of that gap during this round, which works out to 58 units.
Woodcliff Lake has almost no open land, so the only parcels big enough to carry those numbers were the ones commerce had already cleared and paved. The obligation is counted in affordable units, and every affordable unit at a 20 percent set-aside needs about four market-rate homes around it. That is how a 30-unit affordable commitment at the Hilton becomes a plan for about 150 homes.
The tenure column is the real story
This is where the headline number gets misleading for a buyer. State rules require at least 25 percent of the affordable units to be rentals. Woodcliff Lake's plan goes well past that floor. Its own text says that apart from the 30 units at the Hilton redevelopment, "the plan is addressed with rental units."
The zoning leaves some room. The BMW redevelopment plan permits "apartments / condominiums" and townhomes, so for-sale units there are allowed on paper. The 240 Broadway redevelopment plan lists duplex units, townhomes and stacked interlocking townhomes. Still, the planning document that justified each project describes BMW and Broadway as rental developments. Until a developer files something different, that is the best public indication of what gets built.
The BMW site is also the one most likely to change what the borough feels like day to day, whatever happens with tenure. Besides housing, its plan permits restaurants, a food-related specialty market, health clubs and day spas, a hotel, live entertainment, an art gallery, a library or museum, a community or recreation center, and a public park or plaza with outdoor dining. In 2026 that is a list of permissions, not businesses.
The one project written for downsizers
For buyers 55 and older, the most specific zoning in town is at 100 Tice Boulevard, the former Party City headquarters. It came out of a dispute. The owner, SIG 100 Tice LLC, asked in April 2025 to have the property included in the housing plan. Its proposal was 100 to 120 apartments in the existing office building plus 68 townhouses on the parking lot. The borough left it out, citing density and a preference for continued commercial use. SIG 100 Tice challenged that, and mediation produced a smaller plan.
Ordinance 26-04 now allows up to 91 units: 18 affordable age-restricted apartments, 25 market-rate age-targeted townhouses and 20,000 square feet of commercial space. Townhomes are capped at 2.5 stories and 35 feet and must sit at least 32 feet back from Tice Boulevard and Harriet Drive. Other buildings can reach 3.5 stories and 42 feet but must sit 175 feet back from Tice.
Twenty-five townhouses is a small number. In a borough with so few attached homes, though, it is the only place where the zoning names a product type aimed at this buyer. The ordinance does not say whether those townhouses will be sold or rented. It is also an overlay, so the owner may still build under the existing zoning instead.
Zoning is not a delivery date
Each of these plans still needs a site plan reviewed and approved before construction can start. The Hilton plan states this plainly in its general provisions. The Land Use Board's published application list shows redevelopment plan documents for 240 Broadway and 200 Tice, but no site plan application for any of the four current plans.
The Broadway project is the furthest along on paper, and it shows how long this takes. According to the minutes of the January 27, 2026 Land Use Board meeting, planner Mr. Reiner said the 240 Broadway developer was "still involved." Asked whether the developer owned the land, he said they were under contract and that developers "typically do not own the property until approvals have been given." The Land Use Board had approved an earlier 41-unit version of this site in January 2025. It was replanned at 63 after the developer gained control of the neighboring lots.
Meanwhile, the empty sites have a cost. Pascack Press reported on August 3, 2026 that the council had approved a tax refund of about $295,000 to the owners of 200 Tice Boulevard, covering tax years 2018 through 2024. Mayor Carlos Rendo told the paper:
"It's a good settlement."
The refund covers seven tax years on a property that has yet to be rebuilt.
Where this leaves the attached market today
Townhome and condo buyers are shopping a market that is loosening while single-family stays tight. Town-level numbers aren't publicly available, so Bergen County is the clearest measure. In New Jersey REALTORS' September 2026 Bergen County report, current as of October 9, 2026, townhouse-condo sellers got 99.6 percent of list price, down from 100.7 percent in September 2025. Months of supply rose to 3.7, inventory was up 14.2 percent year over year, and closed sales fell 14.1 percent, while the median rose to $527,000. Over the same month, single-family homes sold for 103.4 percent of list with 2.6 months of supply, at a median of $835,000.
Put that next to the pipeline. A Woodcliff Lake downsizer selling a single-family house this fall is selling into the tighter of the two markets. If they want to stay in town, they are counting on a small for-sale share of new construction that has no approved site plan yet. Most of the attached homes they can actually buy are in neighboring towns, and county-wide those buyers currently have more leverage than they did a year ago.
Quick answers
Is the former Hilton being torn down? The redevelopment plan was adopted on March 16, 2026. It permits apartments, townhomes, manor townhomes and stacked flats, along with amenities like a clubhouse, a pool and open space. No demolition or site plan approval has been made public.
Who is building on the BMW site? The borough's June 2025 housing plan named Russo/Woodmont as the anticipated redeveloper with control of the property. It described a conceptual site plan prepared for Russo Development with 329 apartments and 61 townhouses. The plan adopted July 21, 2025 caps the site at 370 units, and any builder will still need a site plan approved.
Where can I read the rules myself? Start with the amended housing plan, the 200 Tice redevelopment plan and Ordinance 26-07, all published by the borough.
This post is general information about local zoning and isn't legal, tax or financial advice. If you're weighing affordable housing eligibility or a purchase tied to any of these sites, confirm the details with the borough and the right professional.
Thinking about selling a Woodcliff Lake house and staying close while these sites work through approvals? Team Deutsch can show you what your home is worth in today's single-family market and which attached options nearby are actually available to buy now. Start with Get Your Home Value.
