Oakcroft & Wheeler Street District Nominations

Please see Jan. 3, 2020 Letter from HPC Chair regarding designation of Oakcroft & Wheeler Street

The Montclair Historic Preservation Commission is reviewing nomination proposals to designate two Township neighborhoods, the Oakcroft and Wheeler Street neighborhoods, as Local Historic Districts.  The Oakcroft and Wheeler Street neighborhoods were identified as potential historic resources in the Historic Preservation Element of the Township Master Plan, adopted in November 2016.

Stay Informed About Oakcroft & Wheeler Street

Cultural resource surveys and draft nomination proposals for these two neighborhoods have been prepared for the Township by Connolly & Hickey Historical Architects. The surveys and nominations were funded by a Historic Preservation Fund grant awarded to the Township by the New Jersey Historic Preservation Office.

The draft nominations proposals are available for download below:

Each of these nominations will be considered for designation individually.

What Does Historic District Designation Mean?

Local Historic Districts help to safeguard the heritage of Montclair by preserving resources within the Township which reflect elements of its cultural, social, economic and architectural history. Local Historic Districts also helps to maintain and develop an appropriate and harmonious setting for the historic and architecturally significant areas within the Township.

In accordance with the Montclair Historic Preservation Code, the Historic Preservation Commission is responsible for proposing districts that are found worthy of landmark designation to the Township Council.

In Local Historic Districts, a Certificate of Appropriateness is issued by the Commission for certain exterior modifications only.

A Frequently Asked Questions document regarding historic district designation has been prepared to address a number of questions.

About the Districts

Oakcroft Neighborhood District

Oakcroft map

Download a map of Oakcroft

The Oakcroft neighborhood is roughly bound by Oakcroft Avenue, Parkside, North Mountain Avenue, and Brookfield Road and includes all of Princeton Place, Godfrey Road and Carteret Street and a portion of Edgemont Road. A total of 113 properties are located in the Oakcroft neighborhood.

Wheeler Street Neighborhood District

Wheeler map

Download a map of Wheeler Street

The Wheeler Street neighborhood is roughly bounded by Woodland Avenue, Willowdale Avenue, Lincoln Street and Maple Street and includes Wheeler Street and Monroe Place. A total of 97 properties are located in the Wheeler Street Neighborhood.

Outreach & Meetings

Members of the public are encouraged to participate in the nomination process.  The schedule of meetings to discuss the nomination is provided below.  The Township allows for residents to express both support and opposition to the proposed nomination.  Specific details are provided in Montclair Code 347-135B(5).

October 24, 2019 HPC Meeting

The draft nomination proposal was first presented to the Historic Preservation Commission at their meeting held on October 24, 2019.

November 12, 2019 Community Meeting

The Historic Preservation Commission held a public community meeting on Tuesday November 12, 2019.

December 10, 2019 HPC Designation Public Hearing

Pursuant to the Township's procedures for designation under Montclair Code 347-135B, the Commission opened the public hearing on the two nomination proposals at their meeting on December 10, 2019 and continued the public hearing to January 9, 2020.  Proceedings from the December 10 meeting are available online at the link below:

A summary of the received protest letters was also provided at this meeting.  Below, please find the summary of the protest letters received for each area:

January 9, 2019 HPC Designation Public Hearing

UPDATE: The Commission has extended the public hearings.  More information is available here

The public hearing on the Oakcroft and Wheeler Street nominations will continue at a meeting of the HPC on Thursday January 9, 2020.  The public hearing will be held at 7:00pm in the Council Chambers of the Montclair Municipal Building.  The continuation of the public hearing will also be broadcast on Montclair TV34 and streamed live on Montclair Government YouTube.

Protests in opposition of the nomination, signed by 30% of the property owners within the proposed district, must be filed with the Historic Preservation Commission, through the Dept. of Planning & Community Development, by December 31, 2019.

At the public hearing on January 9, 2020, the Commission will review the nomination proposals, consider all public comments received and advance any recommendations on the nominations to the Township Council.

Future Meetings

Pursuant to the Township's procedures for designation under, the Council will refer the proposed nomination to the Planning Board for input. Following receipt of any recommendations from the Planning Board, the Council will take final action to approve, reject or modify the nomination proposal.