Overview

O&R is planning to invest over $8.8 million to build a new electric substation on Oak Tree Road in Tappan that will improve electric service reliability to the Tappan/Palisades, NY and Northvale, NJ communities.

This new substation would tap an existing 69 kV transmission line that runs past the proposed site. It would then feed that power directly to those communities through distribution circuits that run along the streets.

The purpose of the substation is to convert the electricity from the transmission line voltage of 69 kV to a distribution voltage of 13.2 kV (see how our electric delivery system works). This would be accomplished with two 50 MVA transformer banks and a 13.2 kV switchgear building.

Need for the Project

Delivery of electric service to these communities is presently provided by three O&R substations — the Harings Corner Substation in Old Tappan, NJ, the Closter Substation in Closter, NJ and the Sparkill Substation in Sparkill, NY (see areas served by substations). Due to ever-increasing electric demand, these substations are already strained to capacity. O&R predicts electric usage in the vicinity to continue to grow 3% in New York, compared to 1.8% in New Jersey. The current situation places O&R and its Orangetown customers in the vulnerable position of having minimal electric system backup should equipment be taken out of service or experience damage from a severe storm or other weather-related event. Fifty percent of the proposed substation will serve Tappan and Palisades electric demand and 50% will serve New Jersey electric demand.

Location

The site chosen for the substation is presently a vacant, heavily wooded parcel that is located in a Light Industrial/Office (LIO) Zone according to the Town of Orangetown's zoning map. That location is far from any historic zone and is 200 feet from the nearest house (see aerial view of site with zoning map overlay).

The substation would occupy less than an acre on a 14.54-acre parcel of land. The substation equipment would be installed on an elevated plateau that is about 75 feet south of Oak Tree Road. The plateau is outside both a 100-year flood plain (see aerial view of site with floodplain overlay) and a designated wetlands area (see aerial view of site with wetland overlay).

The footprint of the station – its fence would measure 134 feet by 159 feet – is the minimum needed to accommodate the equipment required to supply the load and minimize the environmental impact (see Site Plan).

O&R's criteria for siting its electrical substations requires that the location be near its high voltage transmission lines, as equidistant as possible from its existing substations and near the center of the load area to be served. The boundaries of our search area for Tappan Substation extended from Paris Avenue in Northvale, NJ north to Oak Tree Road in Tappan, NY along the 69 kV tranmission line, which runs next to the railroad right of way.

Before deciding on the Oak Tree Road site, O&R and its real estate consultant investigated 14 potential sites within a specified targeted area in both New York and New Jersey. Thirteen of these sites were found to be either unsuitable or unavailable:

Borough of Northvale, NJ

• 230 Pegasus Avenue — The property owner would not sell the existing industrial building.
• 267 Union Street — The property owner did not respond to inquiries (by phone and in writing). Further investigation revealed the property is prone to flooding. FEMA flood maps show property is in 100-year flood zone.
• 258-262 Union Street (now known as 260 Union Street) — The property owner would not sell. Approvals were already in place to build an industrial building on the site, which has been constructed.
• 199 Paris Avenue — The property was sold. Owner is building townhouses on the property.
• South side of Paris Avenue (Bergen County Park Commission – Golf Course) — Municipal property. Not for sale. FEMA flood maps show entire property is in 100-year flood zone.
• 273 Livingston Street — The property owner would not sell. Shopping center has been constructed.
• 277 Livingston Street — Owner not willing to sell because he was redeveloping industrial building on site into retail/commercial space. Redevelopment has been completed.
• 206 Pegasus Avenue ("Ace Hardware" property) — The available undeveloped land at the northern end of this property is too small for a substation. The parking areas to the south of the undeveloped land are leased to a building tenant and therefore is unavailable.

Borough of Rockleigh, NJ

• 15 Paris Avenue — No access to transmission lines. This site also would require subdivision and sale of county property. Undeveloped portion of property along Sparkill Creek is located within FEMA floodplain zone.
• 24 Link Drive — No response from property owner to inquiries. Further investigation revealed the property is prone to flooding. FEMA maps show that possible portion of site for substation is located within 100-year flood zone.
• 22 Link Drive — No response from property owner to inquiries. Further investigation revealed that the property is prone to flooding. Site has been developed with industrial building.

Town of Orangetown, NY

• 70 Rockland Park Road, Tappan/Palisades — Further investigation revealed the property is prone to flooding. FEMA maps show that almost all of site is situated within 100-year flood zone.
• 265 Oak Tree Road, Palisades — Further investigation revealed the property is prone to flooding. FEMA maps show that almost all of site is situated within 100-year flood zone.
• 215-245 Oak Tree Road, Tappan — This is the property that is the subject of the site plan for O&R's substation.