Judge Orders Wendy’s/Taco Bell Development to Proceed, Despite Planning Board’s Rejection

BLOOMFIELD, NJ --In December 2022, Bloomfield’s Planning Board determined that a proposal for a Wendy’s/Taco Bell location in Brookdale didn’t do enough to ensure its safe operation in a school zone on a congested stretch of Broad Street. While the applicant, Finomus Bloomfield RE Holdings, was given the chance to amend their application to meet the Board’s feedback, residents were elated to see it denied.

Nearly 18 months later, it’s the developer who ended up with the last word.

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A Superior Court judge ruled last week that the decision of the Planning Board as “arbitrary, capricious and unreasonable,” effectively reversing their denial. The Wendy’s/Taco Bell development must now proceed in the form it was presented to the Board.

The combination fast food restaurant was the subject of intense debate both on the Planning Board and among residents throughout 2022, with many residents voicing their concerns about how increasing traffic in an area with a fire station and elementary school (Brookdale). While the developer tried to assuage fears by conducting a traffic study and offering to have a safety officer on site, the Board was largely unconvinced that the site wouldn’t negatively impact congestion.

As part of his opinion on the application, Councilman Richard Rockwell, who sits on the Planning Board, noted that he didn’t think businesses should have to hire traffic safety officers in order to win approval to build in Bloomfield.

Ultimately, that opinion – along with the opinions of the Board and residents – was moot, and the former Friendly’s location will soon welcome the wrecking ball.

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