The 6-4 vote during a joint meeting with the Borough Council clears the way for developer Landmark Dumont LLC to build 124 units on the seven-acre tract.
An estimated 250 picketers took to the heart of Dumont, marching down Washington Avenue toward the high school, for Thursday night's meeting.
Among the messages on signs and banners were "Save Our Schools, Save Our Town" and "Stop Overdevelopment of Dumont."
"You can't stuff all those apartments on that one little plot of land," protester Tom Fisichella, who's lived in town 43 years, told Daily Voice.
"We are against this because it is unnecessary over-development that could bankrupt the town," added fellow picketer Tom Gorman.
Last month, the borough settled a lawsuit with Landmark that NorthJersey.com said obligated officials to work with the developer.
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