Newark steps up pressure to delay Seton Hall's expansion plans over flooding concerns

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka asked the South Orange Planning Board this week to delay approving Seton Hall’s plans to expand its sports complex — as Newark neighbors raise concerns about flooding they blame on the school’s past development.

The university currently has a pending application before the South Orange Planning Board to build a new basketball facility on its 58-acre campus, which has prompted pushback from residents who want flooding issues addressed before any new construction begins.

“We’ve been coming to these meetings and trying to reach out to Seton Hall because evidently we are getting an unusual amount of water since they started development,” Newark homeowner Libre Jones said during a planning board meeting on Monday.

Baraka sent a letter to the planning board before Monday’s meeting. But planning board officials said they couldn’t delay hearing the application unless Seton Hall agreed to it.