>Concerned Residents of Ridgewood – Newsletter September 10, 2011
It’s Decision Time, “Renewal” is Wrong for Ridgewood.
By Pete McKenna
The good news is we are closer to the end of this odyssey than we’ve ever been. The bad news is you need to read this entire newsletter to know what to expect. First, on Tuesday September 13th at 7 p.m. The Village Council will begin its hearings at the Campus Center at Ridgewood High School to decide how to proceed with Valley’s massive expansion. It is very important that every member of the community who is against this expansion attends as a show of force. Second, we continue to spend money in support of our position. Please support us as much as you can so that we can continue to advocate for you. https://www.stopvalley.com/Donate.html
Valley calls those in opposition NIMBYs or a vocal minority and many in the community and even the Planning Board believe this “spin”. We need the Village Council and Valley itself to see that we are a majority of Ridgewood’s residents and deeply, genuinely concerned about this Village’s well-being and quality of life.
Valley is strongly “encouraging” its employees and auxiliaries to attend, we need to counter their efforts. The Council can accept the ordinance the Planning Board drafted, create a new ordinance, or decide an ordinance isn’t warranted. This process is unprecedented and we are not certain how the Council will manage the hearings. I ask you to show respect for the Council and the process they are embarking on.
We all recall the poor treatment we suffered at the hands of the Planning Board, but that was a different body, serving under a different Mayor and Council. It would be unfair to this Council and this process to seek revenge for past wrongs from them.
We will be represented at the hearings by our attorney and he will be watching to see that our rights are not compromised during this process. We have also retained a planner to add technical credibility to our arguments against this expansion.
The hearings will be broadcast on Cablevision ch. 77, but there may not be enough bandwidth for all to be able to view.
Here’s a reminder of what we’re fighting for and why “Renewal” is Wrong for Ridgewood.
The Master Plan Amendment the Planning Board passed permits Valley to expand over 100% on their 15 acre site to over 1.1 million square feet. This is roughly 10% larger than Paramus Park Mall.
It permits a height of 94 feet (currently 56 feet) with reduced setbacks compared to the existing Valley campus.
This expansion would reverse decades of decisions from the Village Council and Board of Adjustment including a previous requirement to remove a
40,000 square foot building to accommodate the most recent “last” Valley expansion in the 90’s.
The Valley campus is in the middle of a neighborhood of single family homes with a middle school bordering its North property line and a
grammar school 1 block away. It is serviced by 2 lane roads, very unusual for a building its current size, no less a 100% larger building.
Without a Village ordinance in support of the Master Plan Amendment or a trip to the Board of Adjustment, Valley cannot begin to build.
Valley has refused to acknowledge how they will pay for this $750mm expansion and whether they will take on debt similar to the debt that
forced Pascack Valley Hospital into bankruptcy. How will Valley get their return on investment for this massive project?
o Rate increases? When was the last time your insurer paid more for the same service?
o Volume increases? They told the Planning Board that Renewal will generate ZERO additional car trips to the site. No volume increase + no rate increase = no way this math is correct.
Other News –
Valley has been actively working the neighborhoods with a “survey”. We have heard from many of you how much Valley “spin” was directed at you when you voiced a resistance to Renewal. This was not a scientific process and if Valley tries to introduce it as anything more than part of their PR department’s output, please share your experiences with their intended audience. Through our attorney we have requested that the Superior Court of NJ to postpone a decision on our lawsuit so that any decision in court for or against us, won’t impact the council’s process. Hopefully the attorney for the Village Planning board and Valley’s attorneys will agree to this reasonable, un-biased request.
Please forward this newsletter as you see fit, many in the Village are unaware of where the issue stands at present.
If you can host a more in-depth information session on the issues for your friends and neighbors, we’d be happy to provide a speaker and content.
Email helpdesk@stopvalley.com and we’ll contact you.
Donate today @ https://www.stopvalley.com/Donate.html
SEE YOU TUESDAY 9/13 at RIDGEWOOD HIGH SCHOOL @ 7 p.m.
