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North Jersey empty-nesters move downtown

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North Jersey empty-nesters move downtown

JULY 27, 2014    LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, JULY 27, 2014, 1:21 AM
BY KATHLEEN LYNN
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD

Since she moved from a single-family home to an apartment in downtown Englewood, Linda Kourakos has been able to spend less time in the car and more time on foot.

“You walk out the door, you have shops and restaurants, you have the Bergen Performing Arts Center,” said Kourakos, 62, a retired interior designer who moved from East Brunswick to be closer to her daughters in Bergen County. “I felt if I was downsizing, it would be nice not to have to get into a car all the time.”

Her neighbor, Andrea Diamond, also moved from a single-family house to the Towne Centre apartments in Englewood.

“You can walk to everything, the supermarket, the post office, the library, restaurants,” said Diamond, 65, who has children and grandchildren nearby.

As Diamond and Kourakos found, a pedestrian-friendly lifestyle can be a good fit for people who want to drive less (or not at all) as they age. And North Jersey was highlighted in a recent report by New Jersey Future for having towns that can work for seniors because they offer walkable neighborhoods, downtown shopping areas and good access to public transportation.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/empty-nesters-move-downtown-1.1057914#sthash.fRPrD96c.dpuf

11 thoughts on “North Jersey empty-nesters move downtown

  1. I suppose Ridgewood residents are supposed to read this and decide that Ridgewood should have lots of apartments in town. If keeping empty nesters in around were the only factor at work in Ridgewood, I’d be all for building lots of apartments.

    Towns like Ridgewood have to weigh other factors however. Most important is the impact on schools. Is there a study out that would show for example what percentage of families with school age children rent versus own?

    As far as I know there is only anecdotal data for Ridgewood. It would be interesting to see how this percentage has changed for Ridgewood in recent years. Ridgewood taxes make it prohibitive for many to live here but renters can avoid some of the tax burden and still get access to the Ridgewood Public School system. Building more apartments in town can provide a financial incentive to families to move to Ridgewood solely for the school system.

    I’ve not seen or heard any discussion of the tax structure of the proposed apartment complexes in town. One can assume that if the developers thought that their projects would bring measurable economic benefit to Ridgewood, they would have presented some sort of forecast by now. Their silence to this point is somewhat deafening.

    It’s also time to have a more realistic discussion about what percentage of the proposed new apartments will be occupied by families with school aged children so that the town can make its own assessment of the economic impact.

  2. excellent…please feel free to move to downtown englewood

  3. How about apartments for seniors only after all there are plenty of places fpr 55 and over?

  4. The article was like an advertisement for the Ridgewood Downtown Development.

    And a Ridgewood Realtor moved to less than optimal digs in Wyckoff. Even realtors can’t find suitable housing.

  5. Nobody in the proposed apts would have children or cars. That’s what the developers’ highly paid “experts” will continue to say brazenly. Guess they don’t believe lying is a sin.

    Why are we wasting all this time fighting overdevelopment? We can thank our municipal judge, Mr. Pfund, for the ordinance that allowed this travesty. Instead of being driven out of town on a rail, he was anointed with the judgeship.

  6. My husband warned me that this argument may be construed to suggest a feeling about whether or not I was pro or con for the development. I have been approached by many people asking me how I feel about it and I am undecided. I empathize with Ridgewood residents who object to overcrowding in our schools. If anything you can restrict the prospective Tenants to being 19 or over. Ridgewood definitely needs housing for Senior citizens I agree. In all fairness our new home is not “less than optimal.” We love our new home. We moved because out taxes are now half of what they were and we are free of outside maintenance. We waited till our son was 24 and settled on his own. If Ridgewood had a newer development like where we bought we would have definitely stayed in town. We most likely would have been willing to pay higher taxes too for the convenience of being close to work,train and all that we love about Ridgewood. That said there is nothing that exists in Ridgewood at the same price point and the same attributes that we desired.

  7. Marilyn, where did you move to?

  8. It is not walkable to town. In Ridgewood and Englewood you would be able to walk.

  9. Can you define ” walkable” Is 10, 100, 300, 500, 1000 ft.?

  10. A mile would be walkable. It I walk to town to buy things I don’t want to carry my purchases more than a mile. Unless it is a pack of gum.

  11. According to all the people who whine about parking, “walkable” means two feet. If they cannot find a parking space in front of their destination restaurant, then there is no parking,

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