the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ,Cornered by the deal former Mayor Paul Aronsohn cut with developers including resident John Saraceno, Monday night the village planning board had no legal choice but to approve Saraceno’s site application at the former Ken Smith Ford lot on Franklin. Now Saraceno will build a 66 unit, 5 story apartment complex at one of the village’s busiest, and most dangerous intersections. Taxpayers will be on the hook for the massive upgrades to traffic signals that result through the CBD, those costs could total more than $1,000,000.
Saraceno’s apartments at Maple and E. Ridgewood Ave. are up for discussion next.
The massive over-development of Ridgewood is supported by former village manager Roberta Sonnenfeld and 2015 failed council candidate Evan Weitz. Both are thought to be considering runs for village office in 2018.
The planning board showed exactly zero back bone.
I dare Roberta to run. I dare you Roberta.
I literally feel like throwing up. As usual, the developer’s lawyer threatened the board, although much more politely than Valley’s Mr. Drill did.
I just want to say, Saraceno is really bald. And his head is almost as big as that building.
1:04 I don’t like what he’s doing or his building but he was respectful and generally is. That was a stupid comment. And it’s apathy like that that allowed this to happen with zero regard. Maybe if you or anyone like you focused on the severity of all of this and participated in a valuable way we wouldn’t be here.
Let’s see your head. And it’s worse that I had to defend Saraceno. So I REALLY don’t appreciate you.
What has consistently amazed me throughout the course of this debate is the level of our ignorance folks around here seem to have for the actual legal environment.. nowhere, and I mean absolutely nowhere, in any of this discussions is there any mention of the Mt. Holly decisions and the existence of an actual commission, as well as community activist groups, that go around looking for towns like Ridgewood that have a history of discrimination and have failed to an act affirmative action/tax relief programs to Foster so-called “affordable housing”.
Don’t get me wrong, I am as upset about the prospect of massive development in this town as the next person who moved here to avoid housing projects. True, the reputation for our school system is complete mythology, but we have a safe, comfortable, fairly uncrowded town. Much of that is going to change, possibly, as these developments get built. However, failure to permit them to be built will result in massive lawsuit that, eventually, result in… Court orders are requiring the village to permit these developments to be built
Aronsohn actually understood the legal ramifications of blocking this development. While sincere, the NIMBI opposition seems to lack any clue about The reasons why permitting these developments is not merely a good idea… It is the law and has been the law for decades.
Ugh, the profanity was auto-correct . . . I dictated FOLKS, not that other word!!!!
3:13. Assume you mean Mt Laurel not Mt Holly. There are no Mt Laurel units included in this development and the developer would have know that a Mt Laurel development would not be nearly as profitable as what he got. So perhaps best to keep the claims of ignorance to yourself.
Bring on the lawsuit… and then sue Aronsohn, Saraceno and the entire crew for corruption and collusion to defraud Ridgewood and its residents.
A few calls to the NY Times… etc.
Bring it on
Worst case we drag it out so long and deplete enough excess village funds that Garagezilla becomes unaffordable (even more so than it already is). Win-Win.
6:03 is right on all fronts Too late tho we caved on the way to the beach house packup
Does this require Council approval?
Big Al the Developer’s Pal is padding his pockets today
In case anybody is wondering, this is why Aronsohn moved here. He must be partying big time. How much has Saraceno donated to his various political campaigns?
Council approval? What planet are you on?
This is a DONE DEAL.
And 603 is a complete idiot thinking that anyone in their right mind would waste village dollars fighting this …( check out Montvale Einstein ) .
Calls to the NY Times…Really? Yea, we all take the Times seriously.
The current VC is steering towards the whirlpool. Very disappointed. It seems like their preoccupation with nepotistic & real estate development riches are too much of a lure.
313 – – you are wrong and you bought into the fake arguments raised by Arohson, Pucciarli and the developers. Yes, we have requirements, but no, we did not need to line Saraceno’s and the other developer’s pockets in order to address these issues.
We were sold up the river, pure and simple, by a mean spirited and self-serving duo of public officials – – remember, they voted to make these projects the law as they were leaving office. They are carpetbaggers who have no place in our Village life.
We have now entered a new phase for life in Ridgewood thanks to the duplicitous duo. And we need to be ready for it. We are now going to much more like New Brunswick than a Ho-Ho-Kus or Glen Rock. We need to work hard to maintain the value of our properties, our schools and other public services as we deal with an influx of people that will totally drain our infrastructure.
Regrettably, it is not clear what the “new” council is doing to address and deal with the issues that lay ahead. Attention must now be focused on bringing them into focus, but as others on this thread have said, that ain’t going to happen if we all stay home and silent..
Well 1:23 you’re right I have a pretty big head, but it’s not bald. But just as most bald men will pay a fortune for a pill that will reverse their problem, the Village has no magic pill remedy for that big head and that overpowering development.
WASTE THE VILLAGE DOLLARS FIGHTING FOR WHAT IS RIGHT….
…
We will be wasting them on all other manner of useless bullshit anyway.
Besides… there is no “waste” of money… if we run short, just raise the taxes and the jackass residents will grumble a bit, but they will pay and pay and pay… which BTW is why this whole corrupt developer scandal got through in the first place.
…
Face it… this town is no longer special (it hasn’t been for the past 15-20 years, but has been doing a good job running on “tradition” and fumes) and will be even less so in 15 years hence…
…
Urgent and effective love spell to get your ex lover back contact robinson_buckler @yahoo DOT com….🙂🙂🙂