Owner of Garfield bat cave says town 'turned their backs on us' as redevelopment planned

The Wildlife Conservation and Education Center in Garfield known as the New Jersey "bat cave" is at risk of permanently shutting down as property owners Snowball Developments want to create an industrial-commercial complex.

A zoning board meeting will be held on April 29 that will determine the fate of the wildlife center as the developers are set to finalize their plan to the zoning council.

Owner of the beloved bat cave Joseph D'Angeli said he feels betrayed by the his old landlord, Irwin Gasner, Snowball Developments and the local leaders of Garfield.

"The people of Garfield have been amazing to us, but the mayor and council have turned their backs on us," said D'Angeli who is devastated that his animal sanctuary may be gone forever.

D'Angeli feared this day would come when Snowball Developments bought the property in 2021. D'Angeli wanted a "forever home" for his bat cave that occupies over 100 exotic animals and endangered species. He was sent a lease extension in late 2020 by his old landlords, and D'Angeli wanted his lawyer to look it over and make revisions, but when he brought it back to his landlord he learned the property was sold to Snowball Developments. He was then only offered a one-year extension that concluded in March of 2022.

The manager of the wildlife center felt slighted when the original landlords sold the property after he poured tens of thousands of dollars into the lower level of the building as they planned to expand the center's space and occupancy. According to D'Angeli, his old landlords had knowledge and approved on the building improvements.

In September of 2021, D'Angeli appeared in front of the mayor of Garfield Richard Rigoglioso and the city council where he pleaded for the elected officials "to persuade Snowball Developments to leave our building alone and let us stay."

Months later, D'Angeli met with the Snowball Development Founder and President Brian Ker in December of 2021 when D'Angeli said he was told the development's future plans did not include the wildlife center.

When asked about the development between the tenet and landlord, the mayor said city intervention can only go so far adding "it's important to understand there are limitations of what any municipality can do in such matters. As long as Snowball's plans comply with zoning regulations and other applicable laws, the city cannot arbitrarily block their development efforts."

Rigoglioso said he did everything he could in attempting to keep the center in Garfield. Rigoglioso also said he has only spoken with Snowball Developments once for the first time around last week. The mayor said he spoke with the company confirming to see if their paperwork was in order for their next zoning board meeting on April 29, but did not mention or ask if the landlords were interested in keeping the wildlife center as a tenet.

Ker said he plans to keep the main building that wraps around the parking site which includes the warehousing and manufacturing buildings along with the cheerleading studio. He wanted to "improve the property" by adding multiple tenets with multiple storefronts and re-position where the loading and shipping will take place, so that it is all centralized in the middle of the site. The expanded driving space will result in the demolishment of the wildlife center and other abandoned residential properties.

Ker explained the plan to move the loading and shipping station will create a safer conditions for everyone from pedestrians and other vehicles. He said he thinks this adjustment and additions will benefit the community.

Landlord-tenet battles

Besides the possibility of eviction looming, the tenet and landlord have been battling over property responsibilities in the last few years. D'Angeli said he has had many problems in the past regarding the heating units as he claims they would break down every season, and his previous property owner only put a "band-aid on it" instead of replacing the systems. When repairing the units, D'Angeli said his contract with the landlord said it was property owner's responsibility to fix these issues.

In October and December of 2023, both heating systems went down, were beyond repair and needed to be replaced, according to D'Angeli. He said the heating unit that broke down in the bat room in October was letting out harmful carbon monoxide into the building.

D'Angeli said Ker refused to replace the unit. Although D'Angeli currently is operating the wildlife center without a lease, he said that's because he is still paying rent and the old lease rules still apply in which originally said the landlord was responsible, according to D'Angeli.

The owner of the bat cave said he fronted about $10,000 for replacing both heating systems. He told Snowball Developments that he would be taking the money out of the rent to cover the costs. D'Angeli said Ker threatened to evict him, returning his last two rent checks. D'Angeli said Ker wrote to him saying "we had the right to evict for non-payment of rent." The bat cave owner also said that he paid rent even when the facility was shut down during the pandemic.

Ker said D'Angeli agreed to move out in the summer of 2022. Ker said that D'Angeli has "no real right to be at the property. Without a lease, I have no obligation to maintain a building for him." Even though D'Angeli still pays rent, Ker said he feels he is accommodating him by letting the wildlife center operate without a lease.

Ker said he had nothing in the portfolio of Snowball Developments for the building to be relocated. D'Angeli said all the locations offered by the property manager were either too expensive for his budget or did not have enough space for the animals. He also said it is difficult to be able to relocate because of the protected and endangered species that reside at the center,

Since D'Angeli found out his bat cave was now on the verge of extinction, he has gathered an incredible amount of community support. The owner currently has a petition titled "Save the NJ Batcave" that has accumulated over 7,000 signatures.

The infamous bat cave

The Wildlife and Education Center in Garfield is home to an array of different exotic animals such as kinkajou, a coatimundi, sloths, a dwarf caiman alligator, pythons, lizards, tortoises, toads, tarantulas, giant millipedes and, of course, bats.

People can buy a ticket on its website to see the assorted unique animals in their habitat and you can even schedule a birthday party.

The Midland Avenue property is not just a museum of speculator creatures, but also a shelter, advocacy organization, education center and a non-profit. D'Angeli has been featured in multiple news stories across the country as he also been to schools to educate students on wildlife.

D'Angeli said he feels the best-case scenario for his wildlife center is for the property to be sold and a new owner allows them to stay. D'Angeli said he will be at the zoning board meeting on April 29 and plans to speak in hopes to save his bat cave.

"The little guy has a little chance of winning," he said, "but I don't think they came across a little guy like me."

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Fate of Garfield bat cave hangs in balance at zoning board meeting