Reader says DO not be fooled into thinking these properties are sitting vacant because there is nothing that can be done on them
The property owners of those so called “eyesore” sites are not going to do anything until they at least try to get their density limits raised. Right now each of those properties is worth X on the open market. Raise the densities from 12 to 50 units an acre and each of those properties is worth at least 3X. That is precisely why they sit there vacant. DO not be fooled into thinking these properties are sitting vacant because there is nothing that can be done on them. There is plenty that can be done, they are just waiting for the mother ship to arrive.
Mr Mayor its not Civility its Overdevelopment thats a threat to our Village
Civility has its place, yet I am not sure the Mayor’s call for “civility” is a proper response to what is going on the Village. And, it is just a bit difficult to be civil when you have worked hard all your life to buy and live in a nice home in Ridgewood, something you plan to retire in and serve as your nest egg once the mortgage is paid off, and you see that crumbling before you. Overdevelopment will surely destroy the quality of life along with all of our home values. And, I don’t say overdevelopment “threatens” our way of life, I say it will surely destroy our way of life.
There are some who feel the overdevelopment can be managed and controlled, but all i hear from them are pipe dreams that bear no relation to the development plans under consideration: Won’t it be nice to have housing for empty nesters and seniors who want to downsize? Won’t it be nice to have diversity? Won’t it be nice to attract more people to spend money downtown? Won’t it be nice to have a modern, up to date hospital?
Yet, I have never heard anyone explain how the present over expansion plans will achieve these purported goals. Nor do I believe these are the goals of the developers — I suspect they are in business to make money (and rightfully so.) But, perhaps the larger point is, are we not already where we want to be as a Village? We have nice range of housing stock for different income brackets. We have nice apartment complexes and more than enough, it seems, to accommodate residents who want to downsize or one would not see “for rent” signs on any of the existing complexes. Our schools are good, if overcrowded. Our population will continue to diversify and no one has explained why or how greater diversity is achieved through minimizing housing standards (and, frankly, that suggestion is a bit odious). The notion that we need more people to “save” the downtown is equally obnoxious — a downtown exists to serve the community, and a community should not be expanded in the vain attempt to keep a downtown’s status quo. Finally, face it, Valley Hospital is a gold mine for its doctors and administrators. The reality is Valley is not going anywhere if the expansion plans are denied and it will stay a top notch facility.
We are sticking our heads in the sand about some things that are obvious. The never ending hospital expansion will drag down housing prices on the East side. That in turn will drag down the West side. The downtown apartment projects will lower the value of the Heights, the Prospect street homes and the homes around Graydon. That will again affect the entire Village. And, as schools become more overcrowded, streets become overburdened with traffic and the quality of life lessens, our nest eggs will further dissipate.
So, although I hear a call for “civility” and open debate, not once have I heard our Council really dive into the concerns facing existing Villagers. The debate seems to be framed by Valley and the Developers, what they want to achieve for themselves. Valley speaks in terms of the need to stay modern so it can continue to be “the” hospital serving the Northeast. The Developers put out propaganda about the need to accommodate more people in town. Yet, are these reasons to change our existing Master Plan? Are these goals for which we should sacrifice the hard work of those who have and are paying taxes? Are the profit motives of the Expansionists and Developers more important than the financial security of our current homeowners?
Yes, Mayor, we should all be civil. But we shouldn’t allow what we have achieved to be taken away. If you really want to prove your mettle, stand up now for Ridgewood’s taxpayers. Use your pulpit to put an end to the overdevelopment. Be bold enough to take a stand against the destruction of the Village. Express the frustrations that are boiling over into civil unrest. Here’s an idea: Let’s bring the current meetings to an end with a “no” vote. Make your vote the first, and the others will follow. Then, we can move on to more pressing civil matters.
Camille Paglia: A Feminist Defense of Masculine Virtues
The cultural critic on why ignoring the biological differences between men and women risks undermining Western civilization itself.
By Bari Weiss
connect
Dec. 27, 2013 6:55 p.m. ET
‘What you’re seeing is how a civilization commits suicide,” says Camille Paglia. This self-described “notorious Amazon feminist” isn’t telling anyone to Lean In or asking Why Women Still Can’t Have It All. No, her indictment may be as surprising as it is wide-ranging: The military is out of fashion, Americans undervalue manual labor, schools neuter male students, opinion makers deny the biological differences between men and women, and sexiness is dead. And that’s just 20 minutes of our three-hour conversation.
When Ms. Paglia, now 66, burst onto the national stage in 1990 with the publishing of “Sexual Personae,” she immediately established herself as a feminist who was the scourge of the movement’s establishment, a heretic to its orthodoxy. Pick up the 700-page tome, subtitled “Art and Decadence From Nefertiti to Emily Dickinson, ” and it’s easy to see why. “If civilization had been left in female hands,” she wrote, “we would still be living in grass huts.”
Vision for Ridgewood street will get second look by planning board
Thursday November 21, 2013, 3:05 PM
BY DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER
The Ridgewood News
Economic and real estate climates have changed drastically since Ridgewood established a redevelopment plan specific to the North Walnut Street area, and municipal officials now believe they might require a new or revised vision for one of the most underdeveloped sections of town.
Planning Board members have been tasked with reviewing the land use standards for the zone’s existing redevelopment plan, which was adopted by the village’s governing body in 2007. The assignment, bestowed upon the board by a Ridgewood Council resolution that passed last week, comes in light of a developer’s pitch made earlier this year to bring an assisted living facility to downtown.
In June, representatives of Kensington Senior Development outlined a preliminary draft of a plan to construct a mixed-use, assisted living and retail complex at the municipal parking lot along North Walnut Street and Franklin Avenue. The company, headquartered in White Plains, N.Y., also offered to shoulder all costs of constructing a public parking garage at the site.
Kensington has not appeared before the Village Council or the Planning Board since its presentation this spring, but municipal officials have confirmed the company’s continued interest in the site. Additionally, The Ridgewood News has observed Kensington officers, including co-founder Harley Cook, at the location in recent weeks.
Reader: with development comes more parking issues
I am typically pro development as long as it’s well thought out. So let’s think about a parking garage.
Parking rates will need to economically sustain the cost of building the garage, so they will be higher than the meter rates around town. That will create an imbalance, and people will park in the garage only as a last resort. People who live in Ridgewood (and pay for all this) will also face the squeeze (unless Ridgewood pulls a Hoboken and blocks out street parking areas for residents only).
Fast forward: some bright bulb with a newly minted MBA interns in Village Hall, and realizes that the Village could capitalize on the imbalance between street parking prices and garage parking prices. They commission a “study”, a red herring really, but someone’s friend could use the money so why not. The “study” will reveal the obvious: The Village can raise the price of on-street parking to be more in line with the garage prices because, you guessed it, fuck you, that’s why.
If that’s what you want, then stick your head back in the sand.
Yes, horrible isn’t it that someone wants to improve the parking situation in Ridgewood. Parking has been problematic in town for 100 years and is one of the largest difficulties for businesses in the CBD (coupled with the parking Nazis.)
I recently moved to Summit NJ, and this town is THRIVING. One of the main differences? Parking. Everywhere. Find a spot, park for hours or all day, pay via your Parkmobile app on your smartphone. But we would prefer to have constant parking problems in town so we can still view the beauty of the old garage on Franklin Avenue. Ridgewood is dying. Summit knows how to run a town.
Reader says Valley Expansion staring to sound like a “reality” TV show
A project that any fool can see is off the chart, others being considered that are at best questionable, “experts” testifying who do not reside here and could care less about the town, a councilwoman who may get to vote on something she should be recusing herself from, her next door neighbor who writes a letter doing her more harm than good, and a parking garage that after thirty plus years still is not built ! Is this made for TV or what !?
Wake up Ridgewood before this little gem of a town turns into a lot more than anyone could have ever imagined.
Readers feel planning board may have lost all credibility
It still irks me that the PB will make their decision based upon the testimony of Valley’s Hired experts—-People, who like the project manager, really want the job! Testimony? It was a job interview—–a sales pitch.
Can you really believe this enormous project will have no effect on Ridgewood?
Years of construction with no impact on residents or neighboring schools.
1000 extra parking spaces and no extra traffic.
Double size of the building with no need for additional taxpayer paid infrastructure or services.
Drain millions of gallons of ground water with no impact on aquifer.
Any urban planner would tell you that a project of this size will have a significant impact on the Village.
Is the PB asking the right questions? There all hard working volunteers, but are they even qualified to do so? The Village needs to bring in some experts who are not paid by Valley to look at this project.
Accidental Release of Pepper Spray at Benjamin Franklin evacuates 2nd floor
June 20 ,2013
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ , According to Daniel Fishbein, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools at approximately 11:15 a.m. Thursday , on the second floor of Benjamin Franklin Middle School, there was an accidental discharge of a pocket-sized canister of pepper spray owned by a staff member. The staff member’s name has not been released .
As a precaution, the Ridgewood police and Ridgewood fire departments were called and the entire second floor of the school building was evacuated.
Both Police and fire officials cleaned and tested the air, and then gave clearance for re-entry by 11:45 a.m. Students in the classroom in which the discharge occurred were also checked by EMS staff and the school nurse. No injuries or ill effects have been reported.
NJ bans trash-talking at high school sporting events
June 20, 2013, 12:46 PM
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood, N.J. , Just when you though you were safe from further stupidity and big government meddling and further impingement on free speech.
The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association and the state Attorney General’s Office have announced the new policy on Wednesday that would bar New Jersey high school athletes who engage in “talk trash” and could find their teams penalized and themselves under investigation by the state Civil Rights Division.
They say it brings athletic events into line with the state’s anti-bullying law for schools. The new sports policy goes into place this fall.
Participants art sporting events could be in trouble if they make harassing statements related to gender, race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation or religion. Referees would also be required to report incidents for possible further investigation.
Catalytic converter thefts on the rise
Posted: Jun 11, 2013 11:40 AM EST Updated: Jun 11, 2013 11:40 AM EST
By LUKE FUNK, Senior Web Producer –
Police in one New Jersey city are warning about a rise in catalytic converter thefts in vehicles at train stations, schools and other areas.
In the past week, there were two daylight thefts of catalytic converters from vehicles, one which was parked at the Linden train station and one which was parked at a private company on the 1900 block of Lower Road.
Linden police say this was in addition to 16 converters, taken from trucks parked at the Linden U-Haul, 1440 E. Edgar Rd. and two, which were taken from vehicles in the parking lots of McManus Middle School and Linden High School.
The thieves are targeting larger vehicles, especially SUVs like the Jeep Cherokee. Police say that’s because the converters are larger and contain more platinum, which is currently valued on the open market at approximately $1,500 per ounce. They are also easier to crawl under to get to the converters.
The crooks are using small battery-powered saws and can cut the converter off in a matter of minutes.
Letter: Valley expansion will negatively impact village life
Friday June 7, 2013, 11:19 AM
The Ridgewood News
Valley expansion will negatively impact village life
To the editor:
For the last several weeks, Valley Hospital’s hired experts have been presenting their sales pitches before the Planning Board. Unfortunately, little has changed since the Village Council unanimously voted down Valley’s expansion plans in 2011.
Indeed, the hospital still aims to build a regional medical center of unprecedented size, nearly doubling its current bulk, in a neighborhood of three schools, single-family homes and playing fields. Buildings will tower 94 feet above us, dump trucks will make thousands of trips, and 300,000 gallons of groundwater per day will be pumped, likely into the flood-prone Ho-Ho-Kus Brook, near Graydon. This project will take many years to complete. Yes, it is dejà-vu all over again.
Traffic and safety are major concerns. While there are many dangerous intersections in Ridgewood, only one is traversed by hundreds of children every single day, and that is the intersection of Linwood and N. Van Dien, precisely where Valley hopes to build a multi-level parking garage. Hospital officials would like us to believe that trucks and heavy machinery will have no effect on our children or the neighborhood, as plans to add a lane to Linwood Avenue, with a bus turnout, have been discussed. And just in case your child doesn’t quite make it across the street, a traffic “refuge” island will be built to accommodate her.
Few of us are comforted by the image of a child stuck in the middle of Linwood Avenue as trucks and impatient drivers whiz by. Anyone who believes that traffic lights will always be obeyed doesn’t understand the culture of children. Our crossing guards are reliable, but their hours are limited (they are not present during sports activities), and they work alone.
Readers express skepticism over the proposed senior housing structure
The proposed structure would be 6 stories tall.
According to the developer’s representative, 44 parking spaces would be required to support the facility (86 rooms, the number of full time and/or part time employees was not revealed). Net gain in parking could be 60 or could be less depending upon the number of employees at the facility.
A 6 story building would cast quite a shadow in that neighborhood, and also set somewhat of a precedent for those wishing to enlarge or build new structures in the CBD.
Senior housing plan pitched in Ridgewood
Thursday June 6, 2013, 2:04 PM
BY DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER
The Ridgewood News
A developer’s proposal presented at Wednesday’s Ridgewood Council meeting could bring an assisted living community to the Central Business District as well as a public parking facility that will add at least 100 new spaces to the downtown.
Partners at Kensington Senior Development, based in White Plains, N.Y., outlined a preliminary draft of their plan to redevelop the municipal parking lot area at the Franklin Avenue and North Walnut Street intersection. At that spot, the development team hopes to build three floors to accommodate 88 assisted living units and approximately 3,000 square feet of street-level retail space.
The third component of the idea is one of the biggest eye catchers: Kensington has offered to fully fund the construction of a two-level, 180-space parking garage adjacent to the assisted living building. According to Harley Cook, one of the firm’s founders, the cost to build the garage amounts to $4.5 million.
Developers to present proposal for assisted living facility in Ridgewood
Wednesday June 5, 2013, 11:43 AM
BY DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER
The Ridgewood News
A Virginia-based development team is eyeing a portion of Ridgewood’s North Walnut Street parking lot as the future site of an assisted living housing facility.
The developers, who all have prior experience managing other assisted living homes, will pitch their concept for The Kensington of Ridgewood at Wednesday night’s Village Council work session.
Mayor Paul Aronsohn did not know full details of the plan, but he confirmed Wednesday morning that the proposal involves the parking lot at the corner of Franklin Avenue and Walnut Street as well as a portion of the municipal lot facing the rear of the PNC Bank building. In addition to the assisted living facility, the idea also includes the construction of a parking garage at the site.
