>Following a heated Public Hearing in a packed meeting room on Wednesday
evening, Village Council members voted to withdraw two draft zoning
ordinances. One would have required formal Planning Board review of any
“change of use,” the other proposed restrictions on new financial
institutions in the Central Business District.
Mayor David T. Pfund was visibly shaken by the unusually large meeting
turnout, and overwhelming negative public reaction to the proposed “change
of use” ordinance. Speaker after speaker cited specific problems with
Ridgewood’s Building Department, in particular the unresponsiveness of the
Department’s director. Everyone who spoke believed that adding an
additional layer of bureaucracy, and resultant costs. would certainly drive
small businesses away from Ridgewood.
Council members promised those in attendance that a recommendations from a
recently completed process audit of the Building Department would be
implemented swiftly, and that resultant change would be for the better.
However, Mayor Pfund hinted that he would likely try to reintroduce a
modified version of the “change of use” ordinance at a later date.
Council members provided no explantion as to why the “banking” ordinance was
pulled. However, astute observers of Council matters believe several banks
would have quickly challenged the proposed ordinance’s constitutionality in
court; i.e., huge legal bills, and furious taxpayers, in the waiting!
