Category: village of ridgewood

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Unfortunately our process was hi-jacked by self-interests who used Ordinance 3066 to turn what should have been zoning issues into a planning issue

Jeff Voigt Ridgewood

March 23,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

 

Ridgewood Nj, Candidate Jeff Voigt offered his view of tonight’s events, “While we may not be able to stop the vote for the high density housing – we need people to attend to demonstrate via a large turnout that the few should not benefit to the detriment of the many.

Unfortunately our process was hi-jacked by self-interests who used Ordinance 3066 to turn what should have been zoning issues into a planning issue.  The planning board could have denied any of these applications but chose not to – resulting in a deviation from the original Master plan and a change in it.  Each of these high density housing developments should have been decided individually and separately by the zoning board.  Initially they were (i.e. the Enclave).  However when the Enclave developers realized that there were too many variances that they were seeking and; that they were going to have major issues with the zoning board, they did an end around the zoning board and went to the planning board.    The makeup of the planning board needs to be closely scrutinized by the new council to ensure it is non-partisan and holds Village interests of highest importance.

There is a case, decided by the 2008 NJ State Supreme Ct. – Riya v Township South Brunswick 2008 which ruled that if areas of a township/municipality are rezoned, they need to be consistent with the surrounding zones.  It is my concern that what has occurred in Ridgewood goes against this ruling – as an example: commercial zones between the train tracks/Chestnut/Franklin Ave have been rezoned for residential use – which is inconsistent with these existing zones.  Why the Council would expose us to potential lawsuits I believe is reckless on their part and smacks of favoritism for the few (e.g. developers) to the detriment of the Village.”

cleardot
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Tonight Ridgewood Council Faces Most Important Vote in Village History

clock_cbd_theridgewoodblog

March 23,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Readers say , “The only way to stop this is to fill up the room and let our Village Council know how we feel about this vote. It is important that everybody in town come out tonight. It is probably the most important vote in Ridgewood history because it is a question as to whether we want to continue living in a village or make it into a city. If the Village Council votes in favor of this high density master plan amendment, nothing will ever be the same again in our town.”

As Dave Slomin from CBR pointed out, “Ridgewood’s future held by the current powerholders in our Village Council and Planning Board, and that of a large majority of Residents. These powerholders see downtown Ridgewood as bigger scale, taller, denser, and much more bustling. They are planning a town center with a more urban look and feel, not a small town character. I don’t really know what is influencing them, as virtually every Resident CBR has spoken with – 1,000s of them over the past 4 years – wants Ridgewood to maintain its small town feel. Residents want to give their children and grandchildren the same wonderful town we enjoy.

Slomin went on , ‘Oddly, all three of the Council Members who support this over-scaled development are not running again. Why? We can only guess. But what we do know, is that in approving such unprecedented development as a Council Majority, but a Ridgewood Minority, they leave the mess to the next Council and to every Resident of this town… and to our children. Again, bad and unfair planning.”

Most readers find the idea that there will be No material impact? Really? These studies were hastily arranged at best and are not at all credible. If 70 units is so immaterial, why can’t you and your developer friends and family live without them?

The reality is that most residents for or against the planned development have no confidence in the Village Council majority aka the 3 amigos and do not think they are the people who should be making this decision .  The current council majority has no overall vision of the future , and no plan just funding from special interests ,turning the Village into an urban environment .
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Readers say Strong Finanaces Make Valley Hospital in Ridgewood a Perfect Candidate for PILOT program

Valley_Hospital_theridgewoodblog
March 23,3016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, A reader says that , “Valley has utilized deplorable tactics in its fight against Ridgewood to expand – and those tactics have failed miserably. Their “all or nothing” expansion plan hasn’t even broken ground yet and Hackensack has already beaten them. Valley spent all of this time fighting a rag-tag bunch of community activists and still haven’t prevailed despite having millions of dollars to spend on the fight and 2 insiders on the Village Council. They may ultimately get their way with Ridgewood but it will be far too little and way too late. A Hackensack takeover would be better for Ridgewood if it meant getting rid of the current Valley leadership team.”

But some praised the Hospitals financial IQ , “On an executive level, Valley is well run and very strong financially. A lot of that is due to Ms Meyers. The way they celebrated victory before the dust settled implied that there was an inside track to get this done. That was evident when she showed up at one meeting at the 11th hour in a panic. Fortunately they also fell under the svengali like influence of PR hacks who figured the village for a bunch of sheeple who would roll over. Remember the ads and the “poll” results? That tone-deafness is a characteristic of many successful executives in all fields of operations. Arrogant and tone deaf? absolutely. But that does not take away from the hospital’s successful track record.”

Still overs say it time to pay taxes , “Challenge Valley’s not for profit status in the courts based on the Morristiwn precedent – if they have cash to buy properties and pay huge CEO salaries, they have cash to pay municipal taxes in Ridgewood given all of the municipal services they consume. Would add at least $4.0mn in property tax revenues a year or 10% of the current Village budget. Where the heck are the four “non-beholden to Valley” Council members on this? Maybe we can get three new Council members who aren’t afraid to challenge Valley in the courts on their not for profit status?”
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The Village Council Meeting to Determine the Future Direction of Ridgewood

cillage council meeting Ridgewood

file photo by Boyd  Loving

The Village Council Meeting of  March 23rd will be held at the Campus Center of the Ridgewood High School, located at 627 East Ridgewood Avenue.

Match 23,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ , The March 23rd Work Session meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m.   During the Work Session there will be a Special Public Meeting for the Public Hearings and vote on the multi-family housing ordinances as well as a public hearing and vote on the bond ordinance to appropriate money for the Hudson Street parking deck.

The meeting will be streamed live using UTube.  This location is not equiped to  broadcast the meetings live on the cable stations.  The meetings will be filmed and available both on UTube and the Village Public Access Channel (Cablevision 77; Fios 37) the following day.

For the Work Sesion Agenda Click Here

For the Special Public Meeing Agenda Click Here

The Final Downtown Zoning Impacts Analysis that address  the four multifamily housing study areas is now available. For the complete document Click Here

Click Here for the Reexamination of the Master Plan and Development Regulations adopted by the Planning Board February 2, 2016.

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Jeff Voigt, Ridgewood Village Council candidate Urges all to Attend The Village Council Meeting of March 23

Jeff Voigt Ridgewood

March 22,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Please watch this brief message from Jeff Voigt, Ridgewood Village Council candidate. Wednesday night’s meeting is at 7:30pm, Ridgewood High School – Student Campus Center. Hope to see you there!  https://youtu.be/poBneHlVqtg

The Village Council Meeting of  March 23rd will be held at the Campus Center of the Ridgewood High School, located at 627 East Ridgewood Avenue.

The March 23rd Work Session meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m.   During the Work Session there will be a Special Public Meeting for the Public Hearings and vote on the multi-family housing ordinances as well as a public hearing and vote on the bond ordinance to appropriate money for the Hudson Street parking deck.

The meeting will be streamed live using UTube.  This location is not equiped to  broadcast the meetings live on the cable stations.  The meetings will be filmed and available both on UTube and the Village Public Access Channel (Cablevision 77; Fios 37) the following day.

For the Work Sesion Agenda Click Here

For the Special Public Meeing Agenda Click Here

 

 

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Atlantic City Mayor Pushed PILOT to “monetize” city Assets

Valleywood_theridgewoodblog

Guardian Asks for Assembly Support for PILOT Bill

Atlantic City Mayor Don Guardian spoke at Monday’s meeting of the Assembly Budget Committee in Trenton to voice his opposition to the state takeover effort. The Assembly will be the determining factor now that the takeover package from Senate President Steve Sweeney (D-3) has cleared the Senate. Assembly Speaker Vince Prieto (D-32) has said that he objects to allowing the state broad powers in altering collective bargaining agreements and may not put the bill to a vote. JT Aregood, PolitickerNJ Read more

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“overwhelming majority of Ridgewood Residents” favored parking but far less support the over sized Ridgewood Garagezilla

godzilla
March 22,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Pro City residents continue to harp on the refrain:  Didn’t an Didn’t an overwhelming majority of Ridgewood Residents vote in favor of a garage? To say the council only cares about builders, restaurant owners and party bosses is a lie – they are listening to the majority of us who are in favor or a garage. vote in favor of a garage?

Ridgewood Council members have even expressed concern over the “overwhelming majority of Ridgewood Residents”. The staff of the Ridgewood blog turned up some interesting foresight with a recent OPRA request of the Mayor Paul Aronsohns emails .

“I voted for the parking deck like many other before realizing how big the plan was to be . It will never be self supporting inless it is filled with commuters who will clog the narrow streets . There of coarse will need to be stop lights put at the intersection of East Ridgewood and Broad . The parking lot as it now stands is a disgrace and dangerous .certainly build something but not the huge facility that is envisioned now. Floral Park Nassau County ,Long Island also built a parking lot near the LIRR and it was said it was going to be filled and self supporting .It never was and the tax payers make up the difference .”
The OPRA requests turned up many such emails , with the conclusion being that many voted for a garage but not the over sized monstrosity proposed . More did not believe the Mayor and sugested a lack of confidence in the Village decision making process
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VILLAGE COUNCIL FINAL VOTE ON HIGH DENSITY HOUSING THIS WEDNESDAY, 3/23. 7:30pm

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VILLAGE COUNCIL FINAL VOTE ON HIGH DENSITY HOUSING
THIS WEDNESDAY, 3/23. 7:30pm at RHS CAMPUS CENTER
RIDGEWOOD NEEDS YOU… ONE LAST TIME!

Dear Neighbors,

This Wednesday night, 3/23, our Village Council, is set to vote on High Density Housing that is TOO BIG, TOO DENSE, TOO OUT OF SCALE and TOO OUT OF CHARACTER with the Village we love. Check out this video to see what the “new density” looks like: YouTube High Density Video.

All politicking, threats of lawsuits, and municipal studies and impacts aside… this comes down to a matter of “Vision” for Ridgewood. And right now, there is a huge disconnect between the vision for Ridgewood’s future held by the current powerholders in our Village Council and Planning Board, and that of a large majority of Residents. These powerholders see downtown Ridgewood as bigger scale, taller, denser, and much more bustling. They are planning a town center with a more urban look and feel, not a small town character. I don’t really know what is influencing them, as virtually every Resident CBR has spoken with – 1,000s of them over the past 4 years – wants Ridgewood to maintain its small town feel. Residents want to give their children and grandchildren the same wonderful town we enjoy. When we want more city, we know that Manhattan is a short drive away. Why doesn’t our Council majority feel the same?

Citizens for a Better Ridgewood (CBR) is for fitting and positive development. We are only naysayers to bad representation and bad planning. CBR believes that we can promote fitting development in Ridgewood by lowering the density of the current ordinances from 35 to 25 units per acre, which is already a 100% increase over current zoning, yet has solid precedent in our Village. Additionally, our planners must also limit Floor Area Ratio (e.g. building size), and enforce proper street setbacks and parking to make new buildings work. We feel it is our Council and Planning Board’s job to increase the quality of life value of our entire town, not just the property values of some developers.

Wednesday night is our last chance to try and stop this. Oddly, all three of the Council Members who support this over-scaled development are not running again. Why? We can only guess. But what we do know, is that in approving such unprecedented development as a Council Majority, but a Ridgewood Minority, they leave the mess to the next Council and to every Resident of this town… and to our children. Again, bad and unfair planning.

I know it’s a huge pain, and not a whole lot of fun… But Ridgewood needs you one more time. Please come, show your support for fitting development in OUR downtown. Tell the Council to VOTE NO to the current High Density Ordinances and let the new Council, coming in this summer help get it right.

RIDGEWOOD NEEDS YOU THIS WEDNESDAY NIGHT… 7:30 at RHS! A failure to plan, is a plan to fail.

Thanks for your support over these four long years.

Dave Slomin
CBR Supporter
Ridgewood Resident (and father of 4th Generation Ridgewood Kids)

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Valley Hospital Management Missteps lead to Poor Public Image and lack of Progress toward Future

Meyers-Audrey-2012
March 21,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Audrey Meyers President and CEO, Valley Hospital remains one of the highest paid executives in New Jersey , yet
many residents are far from convinced she has done a good job.

Lets face it the Valley expansion like it or not has wasted a huge amount of time for the hospital while its competitors have better positioned themselves through strategic acquisitions . Valley has floundered in self indulgent arrogance and still has not been able to expand in Ridgewood . Audrey Meyers strategy of “my way or no way” has so far failed to make head way in the Village . While other major project like NJ Transit’s massive renovation on the Ridgewood Train station , trestle and elevated tracks is just a distant memory Audrey has made little to no head way despite devastation public relations reversals .

Readers for or against the expansion question why she still has the support of the trustees and wonder if she had shown even and once of flexibility the hospital expansion like the train station would have already been a thing of the past .
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High Density Construction the doom of Ridgewood’s Central Business District?

Brake o rama Ridgewood
photo by Boyd Loving
March 21,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, with the March 23, meeting just around the corner and the almost certain approval by the Village Council of 4 major developments in Ridgewood’s central business district and a new parking garage on Hudson Street , the only question that remains to be asked is will any Ridgewood merchants actually survive construction?

Readers predict massive traffic jams and a central business district that will remain nearly inaccessible during  construction phase.
While the Mayor and rest of the council majority continues to assure us the the 5  simultaneous developments will have no impact on life in  the Village . That’s no impact on traffic, schools, water ,and sewage the experts tell us.

Many merchants already claim with out more parking they are done , so how the Ridgewood blog asks can a small business stay afloat  with virtually no traffic for two years??
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Is Valley Hospital of Ridgewood Using the so called ‘Pac-Man Defense “to fend off Hostile bids?

valley_hospital_theridgewoodblog

March 21,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood Nj, Sources speculate that Valley’s Hospitals recent buying binge of property in or around the Ridgewood area is nothing more than creating what was often called by investment bankers the 1980’s as the “Pac-Man Defense “.

What is the ‘Pac-Man Defense’ ;The Pac-Man defense is a defensive tactic used by a targeted firm in a hostile takeover situation. In a Pac-Man defense, the target firm turns around and tries to acquire the other company that has made the hostile takeover attempt. This term has been accredited to Bruce Wasserstein, chairman of Wasserstein & Co.Read more: Pac-Man Defense Definition | Investopedia https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/pac-man-defense.asp#ixzz43TAEGdAC

As The Valley Hospital has struggled for years to expand its campus in Ridgewood, it has been quietly buying real estate in Bergen County, assembling a portfolio that includes a string of properties on North Maple Avenue in Ridgewood and the building that houses the New Jersey Children’s Museum in Paramus.

Over the past two years, the hospital, in some cases through holding companies, has spent at least $54 million to acquire roughly a half-dozen sites in the village and neighboring Paramus as potential future locations for doctors’ offices, along with outpatient and other services that would be moved from its main campus. Some of these newly acquired properties are already operating as off-site hospital facilities.

But the hospital’s plans for some of its other new properties remain unclear, and Valley’s real estate shopping doesn’t appear to be over. Recently, it has been in talks to purchase buildings that the global parcel deliverer UPS will be vacating on Winters Avenue in Paramus, as reported by The Record. If that deal closes, it would add another property to a medical-services cluster that the hospital has been creating in Paramus, near the Fashion Center mall.

Valley’s push to expand comes on the heels of a bitter, losing battle in which it joined with Englewood Hospital and Medical Center to keep Hackensack University Medical Center from opening the former Pascack Valley Hospital in Westwood. Now, Valley, Englewood and Hackensack are fiercely competing for the aging and affluent Bergen County population, offering hotel-like amenities combined with top-notch expertise and technology in a rapidly changing health care terrain influenced by Obamacare.

The Valley Hospital, which has not commented on the UPS negotiations beyond saying it has not purchased the property, describes its recent real estate buys as “strategic property acquisitions to ensure its ability to develop outpatient and ambulatory programs and services needed by the community.”

Megan Fraser, the hospital’s vice president for communications and marketing, said in an email that the hospital will share its plans for properties it has acquired “as they are finalized.” She said plans may include a health and wellness center and new facilities for Valley Medical Group, a group of family and urgent-care centers with seven sites in North Jersey.

Among properties already being used by the hospital is Parkview Plaza, a three-story office building at 1200 E. Ridgewood Ave. — near the hospital’s main campus — where it is expanding its cardiac center. The building was purchased last November for $28 million

In 2012, the hospital paid $4.8 million for a building at 970 Linwood Ave. in Paramus that in one section currently houses a regional blood center that will be moving out in March. Valley has established a research program there, in what is now the Bolger Medical Arts Building.

Moving outpatient services off campus to reduce traffic to and from the hospital was among the promises Valley made to village residents during contentious expansion hearings that date back to 2002. Valley has been trying nearly to double the square footage on its main campus, nestled on North Van Dien Avenue in the middle of a residential neighborhood. Its first proposal was rejected by the Ridgewood Village Council and a slightly scaled-back project totaling 995,000 square feet has been before the Village Planning Board almost a year. https://www.northjersey.com/news/valley-hospital-buying-up-string-of-properties-near-its-ridgewood-site-1.671045

Valley is looking to bulk up on assents making any unsolicited take over bid of the hospital by local competitors too expensive.

Rumors have been floated in the past of a imminent take over attempt by Hackensack University Medical Center but so far have never materialized.

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Ridgewood Developer Garden Homes has Checkered Past featuring partnership lawsuits and EPA violations

dayton_102811_rn_tif_

March 21,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood Nj, Garden Homes the developer of the proposed South Broad Street complex at the old Brogan Cadillac site known as the Dayton  .”Garden Homes Development’s principal Scott Loventhal said his 1,000- to 1,800-square-foot units, proposed for a South Broad Street complex that could feature high-end appliances, WiFi café common areas and a doorman, would go for $3 per square foot, plus utilities. Proposing a more-than-100-unit development at the old Brogan site (The Dayton) that could incorporate affordable housing”, https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-developers-detail-housing-proposals-1.1196105?page=all

Garden Homes is one of the New Jersey’s largest real-estate developers recently,” agreed to pay $225,000 in federal fines and to preserve more than 100 acres of land to compensate for its alleged failure to prevent storm water from flowing off 10 construction sites, including residential developments in Elmwood Park, River Vale and Allendale. https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-developers-detail-housing-proposals-1.1196105?page=all”

This is not the first time , “When the EPA announced Garden Homes would be preserving 108 acres in the Highlands area of northwestern New Jersey, it pointed to the deal as a win for an environmentally sensitive region that supplies much of the state’s drinking water.

But the announcement also shed more light on an allegation that the company — owned by the Wilf family, including Zygmunt “Zygi” Wilf, the principal owner of the NFL’s Minnesota Viking — had paid loose attention to construction site rules, polluting or potentially polluting water resources all over the northern half of the state.

Inspections turned up violations at three sites — mostly dealing with fencing or basins that are meant to keep stormwater from reaching nearby waterways. At another seven sites, the EPA alleges, Garden Homes failed to conduct weekly inspections meant to guarantee compliance with storm water rules. “https://www.nj.com/morris/index.ssf/2015/06/where_did_vikings_owners_company_allegedly_pollute.html

Further investigation pointed to a New Jersey Supreme Court Ruling ,The judge, after a two-year trial, declared emphatically: “They robbed their partners!” The Wilfs now have to pay those partners at least $84.5 million. , ” Aug. 5, 2013 New Jersey Superior Court Judge Deanne M. Wilson found that the Wilfs cheated their partners in a Montville apartment complex. The judge excoriated the trio in uncommonly harsh language, finding they acted with “bad faith and evil motive.”https://observer.com/2013/10/big-bad-wilf-did-zygis-stardust-take-it-all-too-far/

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Registration for Ridgewood YWCA Session 5 Classes Starts April 4

Ridgewood YMCA theridgewoodblog.net
March 20,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Registration for the next session of YWCA Bergen County programs starts Monday, April 4th at 7:00 a.m. online and 8:30 a.m in-person. Classes run from April 24 through June 18, 2016 at the YWCA’s 112 Oak Street, Ridgewood location, and members can register atwww.ywcabergencounty.org, by phone, or in person.

New for Kids & Teens: Special Needs Yoga for ages 10 to 15 years is designed for girls and boys with intellectual and development delays, including autism, with self-help skills to independently participate within a 1:6 staffing ratio. Beneficial for body and mind, children develop balance, strength, flexibility, and focus through this special yoga-fit class. Taekwondo for ages 6 to 14 years teaches martial arts patterns, sparring, and self-defense in addition to improving physical fitness and mental discipline.

For Adults: Co-ed Soccer keeps your cardiovascular fitness up; refining soccer skills for a great workout. 360 Movement Fitness Classes cross-train the body with a wide variety of challenging and motivating group fitness classes. Active Older Adult Fitness Classes provide a friendly and supportive environment to help improve member’s health and well-being.
Plus: WEN: Women’s Empowerment Network, Children’s Dance, dozens of other fitness, wellness, and enrichment programs, as well as American Red Cross certified Swim Classes for swimmers at every age and level. Drop-in child care is also available at the 112 Oak Street, Ridgewood facility. Visit www.ywcabergencounty.org or call 201-444-5600 for more information.
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Bethlehem Lutheran to Host “The Spirit Gives Life” Concert

Bethlehem_Lutheran_Church_theridgewoodblog

March 20,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 155 Linwood Avenue, Ridgewood invites the community to join us for Gospel and Praise Songs, Friendship, with Jesus on Sunday, April 3 at 4:00 P.M. Christ Assembly Lutheran Church Choir from Staten Island, NY began as a group of 15 Christians in 1995 who came to America during the 14 years of civil war which began in 1989. Christ Assembly is a congregation of about 200 Lutherans who came to America to escape the violence of the civil war in their country in the 1990s.

Sun, April 03, 2016
Time: 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Bethlehem Lutheran church, 155 Linwood Ave., Ridgewood, NJ 07450