The Upper Montclair Business Association shared a flyer on Facebook titled “Save Upper Montclair,” urging residents to attend upcoming public meetings and raise concerns about traffic, parking and safety issues tied to the proposed SwimQuest swim school at 580 Valley Rd.
Architectural plans filed for the project show a modern swim facility with a 7,740-square-foot first floor and an 805-square-foot basement, according to documents prepared by Jarmel Kizel Architects and Engineers. Floor plans show a large indoor swimming pool surrounded by changing rooms, lockers, cubbies, dry changing areas and lobby seating.
The proposed facility would also include a coffee bar, koi pond, fish tank, water fountain, staff break room and rooftop mechanical equipment, plans show. Renderings depict a glass-heavy modern building with dark bronze storefront windows, aluminum canopy features and wave-style exterior cladding facing Valley Road.
Plans also call for 11 on-site parking spaces, new sidewalks, retaining walls and exterior signage facing both the front and rear of the property. The project site sits near St. James’ Episcopal Church, the Montclair fire department and nearby commercial buildings along the busy Upper Montclair corridor.
“The application includes a request for a 28-space parking variance, as well as a variance for impervious coverage exceeding the permitted allowance,” the flyer says. The notice also states the project seeks “a variance for a driveway gradient of approximately 15%, which exceeds the 10% maximum permitted under Montclair code.”
Residents behind the flyer said increased traffic entering and exiting the Upper Montclair Plaza parking lot “may present safety concerns due to increased vehicle activity and could negatively impact traffic flow along Bellevue Avenue and Valley Road.”
The Upper Montclair Business Association expanded on those concerns in its Facebook post.
“Did you know that going to town council meetings is extremely important to get your voice heard to make a change,” the association wrote. “It must be on public record for it to be considered.”
The association described what it called a “stacking effect” tied to overlapping swim classes and parent drop-offs.
“What you’re seeing is called a temporal overlap failure in parking/traffic planning,” the post says.
“The issue is the 10–15 minute overlap where two full classes and circulating vehicles are present at the same time, creating 50+ vehicle movements through a single exit into the Upper Montclair Plaza Parking Lot and then into Bellevue Ave.”
The association argued the overlap between departing and arriving swim families could create congestion beyond what traffic studies anticipate: “That’s the part that hasn’t been modeled and that’s why the situation feels unworkable,” the post says.
The next Planning Board meeting is scheduled for Monday, June 1 at 7 p.m. at the Municipal Building at 205 Claremont Ave.
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