MAHWAH — The Township Council has approved a settlement agreement with the Ramapough Mountain Indians that allows the tribe to continue using a 14-acre property off Halifax Road for religious gatherings.

Township Attorney Brian Campion said Thursday that the agreement settles six lawsuits filed by the tribe, the Ramapo Hunt & Polo Club Homeowners Association and the township.

The various groups are defending or challenging use of the so-called Split Rock Sweet Water prayer ground for religious structures and public prayer rituals. The land sits next to the Polo Club, a private community, and is reached by what the club says are its private roads and bridge.

Mayor John Roth said he was pleased they could reach a "mutually agreeable" arrangement.

"None of the parties sought damages and none were awarded," Roth said. "The settlement resolves all pending litigation in all venues and all claims associated with them. In my view, all parties to the settlement were winners. I am grateful to Chief Perry and the RMI for their willingness to work through this complex issue."

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However, residents near the site protested the settlement during the public comments section of the meeting.

Paul Scian of Halifax Road said they have 45 days to protest the agreement, and that the township was "putting the neighborhood through a costly hell." The vote in favor of the settlement was 4-2.

"The proposed agreement is illegal on many levels," said Tom Powers of Bridle Path Lane.

Powers suggested three possible solutions: Arrange a land swap, reimburse the homeowners' association, or take public possession of the bridge and road.

Tribe attorney Steven D. "Owl" Smith declined to comment further Monday, saying there are still outstanding legal actions in play.

The township has been fining the tribe daily for two years over constructions of tepees and religious structures on the site. The club association had filed suit, challenging the absence of zoning board permission for the non-confirming use, but the lawsuit was dismissed because of the pending settlement agreement. The Ramapoughs filed suit charging religious discrimination.

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The Ramapough cause was boosted in March when the U.S. Department of Justice filed a "statement of interest" in U.S. District Court in New Jersey supporting the Ramapough Mountain Indian suit. They argued that the township violated the tribe's rights under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 by "interfering with religious assembly on property the tribe owns in the township."

The property was deeded to the tribe in the mid-1990s by the Ramapo Hunt & Polo Club's developer. Located on the banks of the Ramapo River near Ramapo College, the property sits in a flood plain. It is zoned for single-family development, open space, agriculture and township facilities.

Although the site has reportedly been used for religious purposes for over 500 years, complaints arose only in fall 2016, when the Ramapoughs constructed a group of tepees on the site to protest the proposed Pilgrim Pipeline, which was to carry crude oil through Mahwah.

The tribe received summonses for failure to obtain permits for soil removal and structures erected on the site in December 2016.

The Ramapoughs applied for variances in early April 2017. The application was denied, but later that month the tribe began construction of a platform on the site.