New Jersey Duplexes Elicit Mixed Reactions

Editor's note: The caption for this article's image has been amended to remove the term “historic.”

A wave of duplex construction is sweeping northern New Jersey, writes David Brand in Gothamist, with modernist duplexes rapidly replacing older single-family homes. “Some residents say they hate the duplexes, arguing the cookie-cutter structures are out of place and intended to appeal to out-of-town yuppies. Others say they're good for the town, and love what they see as chic, contemporary abodes close to New York City.”

The new homes usually feature a roof deck, large windows, and usually a one-car garage per unit. Brand dubs them “Cliffside Cubes,” a nod to the high concentration of the duplexes in Cliffside Park. “Current zoning rules there make it easy to replace many single-family homes with duplexes without special approval from the town — unlike some other neighboring cities — as long as the lots are 5,000 square feet.”

While some residents decry the loss of historic homes, “Housing experts, on the other hand, welcome the kind of development taking place in Cliffside Park and other towns a short bus-ride from the Port Authority. Replacing single-family homes with duplexes, or, in some cases, triplexes adds the kind of ‘gentle density’ needed to address a housing shortage, said Regional Plan Association Vice President Zoe Baldwin.”