“Limiting demand”?
Really?
ENOUGH of the posturing bullshit.
ENOUGH of the “planning”
ENOUGH of the “studies”
Build the garage and ignore the social gadfly ilk that screwed the pooch the first time around. The CBD needs the garage, it’s not just for the restaurants but it sure as hell is for the commuters. That’s what we all do here…commute. Except for the no life to much time on their hands ambulance chasing news photographers…they have WAY to much time on their hands.
Lots of anger. Not much of an argument.
AMEN.
NO!
Lighten up Francis. Complain to your all or nothing, my way or the highway developer friends. They gave us an all or nothing choice and people chose nothing.
If you want the garage that bad, figure out a way to pay for it that doesn’t include shifting the cost to taxpayers or shifting the cost by increasing meter rates. Maybe all the Wall Street sharpies can figure out a way during the commute to NYC.
After that, figure out a way to beat index funds, because those low cost funds you continue to disparage kicked your collective asses last year.
The poster does have a decent point about commuters getting screwed by the vocal, anti-development, municipal-election voting majority in Ridgewood who control the Council agenda. Commuters are too busy to care much despite the fact the Council screws them at every turn, i.e. $250 annual increase to $1000 for a commuter parking space which was moved further away from Ridgewood station after the pass was paid for last Dec. Thanks VoR!
are you thinking the garage was for free ?
Moved to Ridgewood over 20 years ago due to the schools and easy commute to NYC. Also liked that we had a local hospital, active programs for the kids, and a vibrant town. In those years the property taxes have soared to approach $50K on a mostly empty house, destroying much of the property value. Additionally many of the things we came to RW for are evaporating
I can’t park after 6:30am at the train station (no spots left, nor can i get picked up as their is no accommodation for drop-off pickup)
The schools rating have consistently eroded, teachers hold the students hostage when they dont get their way
We elect a mayor and counsel members who push their family onto the town payroll, and some dont even own property in town
I can’t water my lawn and plants in the summer, really enjoyed that part of suburban living.
The hospital has been forced out of town and will most likely be replaced with apartment houses.
We don’t have enough fields for the kids to run around for varied reasons
If I run into a store in town and am over for 1 minute we get instant parking ticket
Traffic is so bad in town that cars cut through side streets at excessive speed, call and letters to town and police go nowhere
We cater to small groups with agendas at the expense of the greater town good (they do take the money) Schindler, Habernackel)
When we moved here RW was a go to location for NYC families looking to move to a nice town. It no longer gets mentioned. Town like Summit, with direct train service (no switch) and parking, and Westchester county are very much preferred (Check their property value increases). Many homes in town have had limited value appreciation due to high tax, weaker schools, tough commute, and reducing services.
Really hard to see how RW recovers
Agree 100% with you 9:55. Ridgewood was special in the 19080s and 1990s. It’s now spiraling down in decline. It’s the vocal, anti-development majority who vote in municipal elections that are running the Village agenda and getting their kids Village Hall and police jobs. They claim they’re “protecting” all of our interests, when really all that they’re ensuring is that Ridgewood is stuck in time. They block any attempt to adapt this Village to the greater changes in the world and economy around us. The result is Valiey leaving, declining schools, and a CBD pockmarked with industrial waste like the old Town Garage and its underground toxic plume, Ken Smith Chevrolet and Brogan Cadillac. And worst still, commuters are treated with outright disdain.
they block special interests from turning Ridgewood into Union city
What proposals does the new Counxil have James? Rebuild Schedler (no conflicts of interest there, right?). Raise taxes to pay the police even more (again no conflicts, wink, wink)? Are we still studying traffic flow? Where’s the Valley PILOT? What’s the plan to renew the CBD? Commuter parking? How do we replace the potential tax revenues from Valley? Do we need such big, expensive police & fire depts if Valley is leaving in 3 years? Even you know the Village is in decline James, while Summit, Tenafly, Scarsdale and Greenwich all see the increase in their property values outpace ours. Why is that?
instead of posting bogus comments on this blog you should go to a Council meeting and find out what is going on in town ,its clear you dont read the blog and you been posting the same non-sense since killion , you can sit in the loser section with all paul aronsohn’s hudson county no bodies
Ridgewood is fast becoming a union town, you’re right James. Retired public sector workers and people with Village jobs are the only ones who can afford it. Must be nice to get your kids in to the RPD.
Union city, New Jersey
once again you show you do not live in or even near Ridgewood and no nothing about new jersey
Not everyone commutes by train. It is not all about you.
Park in Hohokus or Waldwick..
Get a new job
Ha ha, Smug non-commuting Luddites rule Ridgewood. Must be nice to live on daddy’s money and not have to work.
9:55. If I felt the way you do I would move. There are too many things wrong. Free yourself from the burden of living here.
I lived here 30 years. It is fine. If it were not for the taxes I would stay.
Get a new job or park in Waldwick is your advice? Many express trains to Hoboken or Seacacus from Waldwick? Must be a Council member posting above.
“It is fine” is your answer? It used to be great. And have you asked why your taxes have gone up so much in the past 20 years? The people who do ask just get ridiculed on this blog and in public forums. Facts don’t matter.
sorry you fake attempts at fiscal sincerity are nothing more than aronsohn promos
The most strident anti commuter sentiments come from a few non-commuters who are milking the system for all it is worth. I have zero kids in the school system and have already paid more in property taxes over the last 5 years than these moochers will pay over the entire time that they put 4 kids through school.
Unfortunately, the irony of what happens when NYC commuters stop considering this town, property values fall and eventually taxes fall is lost on these moochers. They think the free ride is guaranteed from here unto forever.
not so sure it’s as much anti-commuter sentiment as the merchants and restaurants have a bigger more organized voice in town, commuters need a commuter union or something
James – are you saying that the new council is just as beholden to downtown interests as the old council? I do not remember that as being highlighted as much pre-election.
I STILL have not heard the official rationale for raising the permit fees, cutting parking spots and denying permit use in non-specified areas.
no I am saying the CBD folks have a built in lobby promoting the “not enough parking mantra ” while commuters have yet to mobilize
I thought the new council had sentient rationale beings. If they are so hopelessly susceptible to organized lobbying by commercial interests (that they ran against) and oblivious about the needs of their actual constituents, then the fact that they may not be doing what they are for kickbacks is of cold comfort to us commuters.
James, you’re on the wrong side of this debate; and the facts will set you free. This Council is punishing commuters ($250 increase in parking permit fees to $1000, cutting spots closer to the station, and denying permit use in other areas) to help commercial interests in the CBD. These are facts. Posting pictures of empty spaces on Cottage Place at 1pm on a Tuesday have no relevance to commuters working in NYC at that time. And getting a job in Waldwick is not the answer. So go on blaming Aronsohn for the continued inability of this Council to come up with a viable solution for the commuters who pay the bulk of property taxes in Ridgewood. As 12:43 noted, if Ridgewood is no longer attractive to commuters as a place to raise their families (due to high property taxes versus declining schools despite a $100mn annual BOE budget, etc) then property values fall. As potential revenue sources like Valley leave, those who remain will have to just pay more to cover for the excessively expensive contracts the Village and BOE have agreed to with the public sector unions we contract with. Commuters and taxpayers getting screwed, a declining CBD, and a school system that no longer ranks highly in the nation are all facts.
the only issues you raised that has anything to do with this council with this council is the increase in parking rates, btw the same would have happened if garagezilla would have been built.Nothing new with any of this ask the BOE about the school budget.
btw Empty spaces show there is plenty of parking just miss allocated, case closed.
btw NJ taxpayers continually vote for tax increases so taxes go up, ie the residents voted for full day kindergarten and taxes went up , blaming this council for all the irresponsible behavior for the last 30 years will not fix your problem
James – as I said, I am still waiting to hear to official explanation for why already high permit prices were raised even more, while simultaneously slashing slots and limiting access.
You counter by saying that the same would have happened had the garage been built. But at least in that case the justification would have been clear – higher $$ collected —> Garage.
What is the justification now? What is being built? Where is this money going? Who decided to collect this extra amount? Where will this be spent? Why were fees not cut in further out parking spots to attract people?
The Council has chosen to not answer, hoping that eventually people will give up. You seem to be a very vocal and aggressive defender of all Council moves. Looks like you are on the inside. So may be you can answer these questions?
Would love an answer on why the Council isn’t pursuing Valley for payments in lieu of taxes as well? Why are they leaving millions of potential revenues on the table and instead punishing commuters?
They need to roll back the 1000 VIP pass on principle to 750. Give those who were screwed by the anti Hail Mary Christmas screw job,in form of a credit for next years passes.let the use them use the train lot for balance of 2017
Then do a reset.reallocate the employee perking..was a red herring for the merchants bitching..
3.29 is Right. The commuters are generally the largest class of taxpayers with little voice as prooven by the rushed misinformed december hail mary screw job just in time for the january to march slow season store wise.There needs to be accountability here to the homeowners commuters.we got screwed and the merchants did not deliver any actual volume employee pass wise.just parked this morning aside the town garage one employee parked car vs commuters slamed into the bank customers only aisle closer in Theres no accountability as usual. The 1000 dlr vip pass should resign.cover up studies underway rope a dope..what a disgrace to taxpayers…