Category: village of ridgewood

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‘Black Spring’ for Ridgewood. Pitchforks, anyone?

torches_pitchforks

March 16,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Thanks to Valley Hospital’s major donor and Ridgewood lawsuit and mediation member Councilwoman Hauck, the tsunami of inappropriate developments in Ridgewood has just intensified tenfold. This could become ‘Black Spring’ for Ridgewood. Pitchforks, anyone?

Valley Mediation – “reduced” from 995,000 square feet of building to 961,000 square feet, reducing by 34000 sq feet. They also forgot to mention there will be a 5 story 200,000 + sq feet parking garage on the corner of Van Dien and Linwood!.
Guess who represented us (Ridgewood) in this mediation? Final public hearings before this plan goes in effect on 3/30, 3/31, 4/4, 4/5 and 4/7.

Yet again another  major decision to break made before the elections!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzFkcEPIAIk

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Ridgewood Village Council Candidate Jeff Voigt’s perspective on the high density Housing Issue

Jeff Voigt Ridgewood
March 16,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, here is a video of Village Council Candidate Jeff Voigt, regarding his views on the high density issue. Jeff’s perspective is thoughtful and I believe reflective of how many of us see it.The video was filmed by resident Dana Glazer .

It’s so important that people understand what is at stake here and how important it is for all of us to be present at Ridgewood High School on the night of March 23rd for the vote on this issue.

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Reader says 2% State Spending Cap on Schools Prohibits Ridgewood Schools from Handling a Large Influx of Childern

RHS_BEST_theridgewoodblog

It doesn’t matter where new residents come from. It doesn’t matter if they are here for years or here for just one year. What is important is our town’s ability to provide a great education for each and every student, no matter how new or how old that student is to our district. With a state imposed cap on our school budget that is only allowed to increase by 2% per year, our district may not be able to handle a large influx of children without stressing already large class sizes. More kids does not lead to the hiring of more teachers and additional classrooms, the 2% cap won’t allow for this. If these new zoning approvals to build at 35 units an acre are the beginning of a new development trend in Ridgewood, then the residents deserve to know how this new trend will impact our schools and how will we pay for it? The good news, your taxes won’t go up because the state-imposed 2% cap will not allow for a tax increase. The bad news, you will pay for it with larger class sizes. 200 plus units today will look like a drop in the bucket 5 or 10 years from now when all of this expands throughout our CBD.

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Council Candidate Ramon M. Hache shares his thoughts on the Proposed High Density housing

Ramon Hache ridgewood NJ
March 16,2016
the staff of theRidgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, We asked Council Candidate Ramon M. Hache on his thoughts on the high density housing and here is what he said ,”I am a proponent of responsible development and protecting our community from the wrong development.  We need to carefully decide on projects that will make our town better without sacrificing the corevalues and character that make Ridgewood the special place we are proud to call our home.”

Ramon then gave us more specifics ,”In terms of high density housing, all the zones around our CBD are currently being considered for a density of 35 units per acre.  There are currently four areas under consideration and three zoning changes proposed. Although each area is unique and needs to be analyzed individually, I am comfortable with an average density of 20-24 UPA. This is more in line with the total average throughout the CBD. ”

As for the studies ,” Traffic and pedestrian safety are very important when analyzing the various projects. The impact to schools is a different issue and needs to be looked at collectively for all sites. Although the recent studies suggest there would be a minimal impact to the schools, we all know that Ridgewood is known for its schools and exceptional program for special needs children. Therefore, I would be cautious to solely rely on the student enrollment projections which did not take into account the fact that it could cost around $100,000 a year to educate special needs children.”

Ramon went on saying ,”Ideally, I would rather see us approve one of the proposed zoning changes first. It could provide a good ratable and we could get real-world data on the actual amount of new students attending the schools.  We need ratables to finance many of the needed improvements and for stabilizing property taxes.”

We also asked about his thoughts on the fact that the issue is being decided by council members who are leaving office ? Ramon
emphasized , “the current council needs to work together for the welfare of the entire community and make decisions as if they were not going to be replaced by a new council.”

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Ridgewood News, Patch, and Daily Voice missing when Ridgewood Residents need them most

3 amigos in action Ridgewood NJ

file photo by Boyd Loving

March 16,2016

by Saurabh Dani

Ridgewood NJ, The Village Council has planned a public hearing and possibly a vote on March 23rd on High Density Housing Issue. It’s widely expected the three outgoing council members are going to vote to increase the residential density in some downtown lots from the current 12 units per acre to 36 units per acre, while the residents have asked them to consider 20-24 units per acre.

 
This is a big change for Ridgewood, which will probably alter our village  forever. The local newspapers have so far reported from the press releases issued by the village administration or from the commentary of what happened at the meetings. Proactive journalism on this issue has been missing so far.
 
Residents have asked the reporters:
 
1. When are they going to cover the conflict of interest on the garage vote by Tony and Jim at HPC?
2. When will they be talking to taxpayers ahead of the 3/23 vote to measure opinions?
3.  When will they be asking the candidates for VC office to state their positions on the 3/23 vote?
4. When will they talk to the superintendent about class sizes at the middle schools and high school which were not covered by the studies?
5. When will they ask Orchard and Ridge School principals if they can accept the increased class sized?
6. When will they ask the consultants (Ross Haber Associates) on how did he reach to a conclusion of 63 new kids from 4 new developments, while similar sized apartments in the village and the number of school aged children from those apartments suggest that it can be close to 225 new children in the Ridgewood schools?
7. When will they ask and report on the question of ‘what happens to all the 1 acre or more lots that are available in Ridgewood downtown and are waiting for these first four to be approved”?
8. What are the financial impacts to the taxpayer (police coverage, etc.?)?

If you would like our local reporting to question our village government on these very important questions, before next Wednesday’s March 23rd VOTE, see below for contact information.

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Hit and Run Shuts Down 17 north in Paramus

Paramus Route 17 hit and Run

photos courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook

Hit and Run Shuts Down 17 north in  Paramus

March 16,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Paramus NJ, A pedestrian was struck and seriously injured by a hit and run vehicle on Route 17 northbound in Paramus near the Toys ‘R Us store just after 8 PM on Tuesday, 03/15. The victim was transported by ambulance to a hospital. Route 17 northbound between A&S Drive and Ridgewood Avenue was closed to facilitate a police investigation of the incident. Police are said to be looking for a black colored Toyota SUV with heavy front end damage. Numerous vehicle parts were observed strewn about the accident scene. Paramus EMS and Rescue Squad and a paramedic unit from The Valley Hospital were also at the scene.

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WHEN SCHOOL IS OUT, CAMP IS IN AT THE RIDGEWOOD Y!

ridgewood_summer_camp_theridgewoodblog

RIDGEWOOD YMCA OFFERS SCHOOL VACATION CAMP APRIL 11-15

March 15,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, The Ridgewood YMCA will be offering School Vacation Camp from Monday, April 11 through Friday, April 15 from 9:00am to 5:00pm with extended hours of 8:00-9:00am and 5:00-6:00pm also available. The camp is open to all children grades K-8 and no YMCA membership is required.

School Vacation Camp at the Ridgewood Y offers kids the opportunity to enjoy daily recreational and educational activities including swimming, arts and crafts, and special theme days. For parents, the camp offers an affordable daycare alternative during the April school holiday.

The cost for camp is $65 per day for Ridgewood YMCA members, $80 per day for non-members and $60.00 per day for those registered for Ridgewood YMCA 2016 Summer Camp.

For further information, please contact Mike Rainere at 201 444 5600, ext 339 or [email protected]

The Ridgewood YMCA is located at 112 Oak Street in Ridgewood.

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Pfunds Folly : Will everyone tear down their house and build high density housing in Ridgewood ?

Projects_theridgewoodblog

Reader says, “Too big. Just like everything else being proposed. I don’t mind if Mr. Saraceno improves his property – just do it within the rules set forth in the existing Mater Plan. Same rules for everyone right? I could make a ton of money by tearing my house down and putting up high density housing too. Thanks to Mr. Pfund’s ordinance I could petition the town to change the Master Plan because it would be good for me financially. I could conduct a study that would conclude that there would be no adverse impact on traffic or infrastructure. I could conduct another study that would conclude that there would be no additional children in the school system because I’ll only rent to “empty nesters”.

Why is Mr. Saraceno any different from the rest of us? Why should he be entitled to change the laws to suit his own financial interests? Not a single person has made any credible argument that Mr. Saraceno’s apartments will be good for anyone other than Mr. Saraceno.”

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Council Candidate Jeff Voigt Voices Concerns over the High Density Housing Proposals in Ridgewood

Jeff Voigt Ridgewood
March 15,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood asked for some feed back from the candidates on the March 9th “informational ” meeting with the Village Council on the high density housing projects for the central business district .

Council Candidate Jeff Voigt said ,  “I am concerned there is a tremendous amount of uncertainty around the school children projections.  The analysis done by BFJ planning makes the assumption that the mix of units in the new buildings will be the same as existing apartment inventory and then uses this assumption on what the number of students will be moving forward.   Since the builders can build whatever they want, this assumption should not be made.  As I had suggested at the meeting a sensitivity analysis should be done on the best and worst cases.  it is a relatively straight forward process and would provide us with the risk and costs of various scenarios and the likelihoods of these happening. ”

Jeff brought to mind another issue , “Another concern is that once these ordinances are approved, my guess is that the developers will start ASAP on building, considering their concern about the potential make-up of a new council.   This will make downtown a mess – with 4 potential large developments going up at once – the parking garage plus 3 multifamily developments.  In particular, the S. Broad St area is going to be impassible.   It would be nice to see the developers understand this and do their best to ensure the downtown is not disrupted. ”

Jeff went on to say that , the real estate agent (who stood up) expressing his concern about 55 students coming out of 70+ apartments.  This type of relationship also holds in the Ridge Apt’s where 37 children come out of 40 (2 bedroom) apartments. Since Ridgewood is a magnet town for education I can see many families moving into these apt just for the education – even in the one bedrooms.  If either of these scenarios plays out with the new developments – we could have 100+ children in our school system.   Not good.

He also added that , “The planning board needs to scrutinize the site plans for each of these developments very carefully considering each site plan should have a plan for how daily life/traffic is going to function while they put up their rather large edifices.   Stipulations made by the planning in their approval is going to be extremely important.”

Jeff also echoed the sentiment of many residents when he said the meeting ,”Overall, very disappointing”

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Overturned Truck leads to Massive Delays on Route 17 South in Paramus on Monday

17 south paramus nj
photo courtesy of Boyd Loving
Overturned Truck leads to Massive Delays on Route 17 South in Paramus on Monday
March 15,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Paramus NJ, A truck tractor rolled over on Route 17 southbound in Paramus shortly after 12 noon on Monday, 03/14 causing massive delays northbound and southbound near A&S Drive.
12823438 491207441065294 7280820617888096290 o
Bergen County Executive James Tedesco, a member of Paramus OEM and a former Paramus Fire Chief, was one of the first emergency services personnel on the scene. The tractor’s driver sustained minor injuries. Paramus OEM, FD, EMS, PD, Bergen County HAZMAT, and NJDOT all responded to the incident.
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Ridgewood YWCA to Host FREE Taekwondo Demonstration Class

Ridgewood_YMCA_theridgewoodblog
March 14,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Observe and try out YWCA Bergen County’s new youth taekwondo program at their free demonstration classes on Tuesday, March 15, 2016. Demo classes will be held at 112 Oak Street, Ridgewood from 5:15 pm to 6:00 pm for children age 6 to 9 years and 6:00 pm to 6:45 pm for ages 10 to 14 years. Participants will learn patterns, sparring, and self-defense in addition to improving physical fitness and mental discipline. Open to all families. Parent waiver and onsite supervision required for participation in this demonstration class.

One of only two martial arts represented as an Olympic Sport, Taekwondo was founded in Korea and has gained huge popularity in recent years in the US. Translated, Taekwondo means “the art of kicking and punching” or “the art of unarmed combat”.
Instructor Dave Howell is a lifetime student of Taekwondo, attaining the Taekwondo 4th Dan rank in accordance with the Kukkiwon rules and regulations. He has been instructing children for over 14 years and has administered the promotion of more than 100 students to the level of Black Belt. In 2012, Howell coached a student to Gold place finish in their first International forms competition in Seoul, Korea.
YWCA Taekwondo classes run in 8-week sessions and are held at the YWCA’s 112 Oak Street, Ridgewood facility. Classes for children and youth ages 6 to 14 years are held Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:15 to 6:00 pm for ages 6 to 9 and 6:00 to 6:45 pm for ages 10 to 14. Register online (www.ywcabergencounty.org) or call Membership Department at 201-444-5600 ext. 400 for details
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Bookends in Ridgewood Book Signings in March; Harlan Coben, Bill Walton, Lauren Conrad

Harlan Coben Ridgewood

Harlan Coben
Monday, March 21st @ 7:00pm
New York Times Bestselling author, Harlan Coben, will sign his new book:
Fool Me Once

Bill Walton
Wednesday, March 23rd@ 7:00pm
NBA Legend Bill Walton, will and sign his new book:
Back from the Dead

Lauren Conrad
Tuesday, March 29th @ 7:000pm
#1 New York Times Bestselling Author, Lifestyle & Fashion Icon,
Lauren Conrad
will sign her new book:
Celebrate

*Each person attending MUST purchase a copy of the book.
*Books MUST be purchased from Bookends

Appearing authors will only autograph books purchased at Bookends and must have valid Bookends Receipt.

Availability & pricing for all autographed books subject to change.
First In Line Certificate use is the the discretion of Bookends. Blackout dates may apply.
Bookends cannot guarantee that the books that are Autographed will always be First Printings.
Autographed books purchased at Bookends are non-returnable.

While we try to ensure that all customers coming to Bookends’ signings will meet authors and get their books signed, we cannot guarantee that all attendees will meet the author or that all books will be signed.  We cannot control inclement weather, author travel schedules or authors who leave prematurely.

Bookends, 211 E. Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ   07450   201-445-0726

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March 23rd Ridgewood Council Meeting ,Village of Ridgewood to become City of Ridgewood ?

3 amigos in action Ridgewood NJ
file photo by Boyd Loving
March 14,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood high density housing issue is upon us again. The Village Council will be meeting at the Campus Center of the Ridgewood High School.

The Village Council Meetings of 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 meetings will be filmed and available both on YouTube and the Village Public Access Channel (Cablevision 77; Fios 37) the following day. According to a March 10th update “streaming on YouTube from this location on March 9th proved successful and will be again be done for the March 23rd meeting.

According to the previous meeting the high density housing will have “No impact” on traffic, schools, water ,sewers in the Village .
The current council majority know on this blog as the three amigos , have all declined to run for reelection for various reasons , so the fate of the Village of Ridgewood will be settled by parties who are no longer vested in the Village.
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Ridgewood Taxpayers Still fighting for basic Information on Hudson Street Garage Design

Hudson_Street garage ridgewood
photo courtesy of Saurabh Dani
March 14,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood Nj  Many Ridgewood residents went to the council meetings and asked exactly “How Much” does the garage encroach into the street. We had tried to look at some smaller images of the plan in the traffic report’s appendices and tried to figure it out, as the information was not available anywhere on the village web site and we were not getting an answer in the council meetings.

The village manager recently responded to a post on Facebook saying the previous design was 18 feet more than plan D. So plan A was encroaching 23 FEET, not 12 feet which we had assumed. 23 feet encroachment in plan A?? Was that a sincere starting point where we claim a ‘compromise’.

23 feet is 23 feet , however you measure it . The point is the only way anyone found out this dimension was when another option became more attractive then a previous one. Why do the taxpayers, who are going to guarantee this bond, have to go through hoops to find out this basic information?

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Ridgewood holding public info sessions on proposed multifamily housing zones downtown

CBD high density housing

BY STEVE JANOSKI
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

RIDGEWOOD — It’s a proposal that’s raised hackles in this prominent community for several years: the possible rezoning of portions of the village’s quaint downtown to accommodate high-density, multifamily housing developments.

Proponents, including village Mayor Paul Aronsohn, say five introduced zoning ordinances that would increase allowed housing units per acre from 12 to 30 or 35 in three zones in the central business district would help create housing for young professionals and empty-nesters looking to stay in town minus the sizable house and accompanying tax bill.

 

https://www.northjersey.com/community-news/town-government/ridgewood-to-discuss-multifamily-rezone-plan-1.1527370