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My father, born in 1921, remembered that Radburn was advertised as "a town safe for children!" when it was first designed and people began to move in, and then in the first year a kid was run over and killed by a car.
It is kind of cool, though. I had a friend who lived in one of the original townhouses. Very solidly built, not like our cardboard townhouses that have been built since the 70s. And the sf houses around the parks are set up so that the front of the house faces the park and the kids can walk to school without being on a street.
Radburn was one or the first planned community in America.
My father, born in 1921, remembered that Radburn was advertised as "a town safe for children!" when it was first designed and people began to move in, and then in the first year a kid was run over and killed by a car.
It is kind of cool, though. I had a friend who lived in one of the original townhouses. Very solidly built, not like our cardboard townhouses that have been built since the 70s. And the sf houses around the parks are set up so that the front of the house faces the park and the kids can walk to school without being on a street.
That is exactly what I meant. This is not for everyone of course since the downside for the sf homes is that the lot sizes are very small and can not be substantially fenced off from the park. But also, some of them looked like they are actually built from bricks, not just used as a sighting. Also, I understand that the two parts of Radburn were originally connected by the pedestrian bridge across Fair Lawn avenue. Then when the avenue was widened some morons decided to remove the bridge. That eliminated walking access to the elementary school from a third of Radburn.
Also, all this convenience costs money in extra Radburn fees. I believe around $2000 a year, In addition, the real estate in Radburn is more somewhat more expensive than in the rest of Fair Lawn.
And Radburn association is not exactly very popular in the borough right now. It lead a decade long legal campaign against Fair Lawn to develop Daly field in which the boro lost. The development of Daly field remain very unpopular...
Any thoughts why Radburn Elementary ranking went down to a 7 recently? We were just narrowing in on buying in this neighborhood this spring but last month it was a 9 and now a 7 on zillow.
Any thoughts why Radburn Elementary ranking went down to a 7 recently? We were just narrowing in on buying in this neighborhood this spring but last month it was a 9 and now a 7 on zillow.
I think these ratings fluctuate quite a bit even months to months. I always take those ratings with a grain of salt.
Hello everyone. This thread really took off after I originally posted. There is actually a lot of great information, which should be helpful to people that are considering Bergen County and Fair Lawn, specifically. We decided, at the time, that the housing market was way too hot, so we continued to rent in NYC.
My son will be starting kindergarten this fall, so we are looking at renting in NJ now. I mentioned in my posts that he is on Autism Spectrum, so we are looking at towns that have good special ed programs. We would love to see him mainstreamed slowly with regular kids. I have read recommendations for Northern Valley Pie district, but the towns in the district don’t seem to have the rental stock.
If you have any good recommendations for special ed districts, please chime in.
Anyone have any insight as to how the Pulte development (Crossings at Radburn) on the old Daly Field are selling? We showed up to the pre-sale event and it was PACKED (>150 folks attending). We were in the market for a townhome in the area, and thought of putting down a deposit, but ultimately were turned off by a few factors:
-Selling price is relatively high for the town - optioned out townhome would be around 650k, which is around the higher tier of pricing in the town (never good to own the most expensive house on the block...so I hear)
- The construction manager did not really address the environmental cleanup factors taken when asked, and only diverted to the emergency protocols that would kick into place in the event that they would detect soil contamination in the future
-There was a palpable tension between some existing Radburn residents and the developers re: Radburn amenity and school overcrowding. There seems to be no plans in place to expand amenities despite the large cash flow and population coming in from this development.
-Pulte's so/so track record on build quality and after sales support re: online reviews
-Ultimately did not want to pay the Radburn fees. Most people on this board seem to like the amenities for kids, but it would have been steep given that it is calculated as a % of assessed value...which would have been quite high for this development.
Don't want to talk badly about the development or those who are considering it. Just wanted to get some updates on how it was selling and our thought process when evaluating it. I definitely see the appeal, as there are not many towns out there with a great commute to NYC and good schools (and new construction to boot) within this price range.
Anyone have any insight as to how the Pulte development (Crossings at Radburn) on the old Daly Field are selling? We showed up to the pre-sale event and it was PACKED (>150 folks attending). We were in the market for a townhome in the area, and thought of putting down a deposit, but ultimately were turned off by a few factors:
-Selling price is relatively high for the town - optioned out townhome would be around 650k, which is around the higher tier of pricing in the town (never good to own the most expensive house on the block...so I hear)
- The construction manager did not really address the environmental cleanup factors taken when asked, and only diverted to the emergency protocols that would kick into place in the event that they would detect soil contamination in the future
-There was a palpable tension between some existing Radburn residents and the developers re: Radburn amenity and school overcrowding. There seems to be no plans in place to expand amenities despite the large cash flow and population coming in from this development.
-Ultimately did not want to pay the Radburn fees. Most people on this board seem to like the amenities for kids, but it would have been steep given that it is calculated as a % of assessed value...which would have been quite high for this development.
Don't want to talk badly about the development or those who are considering it. Just wanted to get some updates on how it was selling and our thought process when evaluating it.
Don’t know how this exact community is selling, but I’m sure it will sell quickly. Fair Lawn is very hot right now. Everyone getting priced out of Ridgewood, Glen Rock, and Paramus is now looking... you know where.
I lived in Bergen County 42 years, and in Fair Lawn for 34 non-consecutive years. I attended Fair Lawn Schools from Nursery School (ain’t wasn’t no Pre-K in the 70s) through 12th grade. I know the whole town like the back of my hand.
I wanted to stay in Bergen County, and thought about trying to wait and see if buying a home in this new Pulte community could be a possibility for me, but I came to the realization that the area was no longer affordable for me. 650K optioned out? Boy, I got that one right for sure. The location and the “poison” field were also concerns.
I recently purchased a new construction townhouse in Mount Arlington. Before I purchased my home, I looked at the Pulte Kensington Square townhouse community in Randolph, which seems to have similar designs to the Fair Lawn houses. They’re about $100,000 less for comparable houses. No, it’s not Bergen County, but the town is affluent, beautiful, and has great schools. The community is nearing sell out, and prices have risen a lot there. The community, while more affordable than anything in any decent town in Bergen County, was still a little too $$$ for my blood, which is why I bought my house nearby in Mount Arlington...
where the community is nearing sellout. And prices are rising rapidly. (The base asking price for my home is up $40,000 from what I paid, in just over a year. KA-CHING!) It’s very different here from Fair Lawn or all of Bergen County, for that matter, but it is beautiful. I do miss Fair Lawn bagels and kosher delis, but love waking up to seeing deer in my backyard occasionally. And we got Cracker Barrel!
People are getting priced out of Bergen County quickly. Guess where they’re heading next...
I would stay away from Fair Lawn if your kid will be attending the elementary school. The good schools (Radburn, Milnes) are overcrowded and they are implementing a soft border policy from July 2017 where the child may be sent to another (lower rated) school at the discretion of the superindent.
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