Dear Village Officials, I understand ” the train has left the station ” on the Garage at the Hudson Street site but I would like to state a brief case as to why this is not the best scenario for Ridgewood at the present time.
We have a contaminated site at the Town Garage site and the village owned properties abutting it. Hydrolic and diesel fuel from old underground tanks is seeping into the ground and could be affecting our ground water in the area. I know that it is being monitored and that the DEP targeted this area for remediation at least 10 years ago. In 2002, a village conducted study saw the Town Garage site as a better fit for a municipal garage than Hudson Street for various reasons.
I believe the village tried to gain the property via eminent domain in 2009 but that failed. I understand that you have asked our village attorney to look into the Abandoned Property ordinance. The owners of that site are up to date on taxes but the property continues to be a threat to the environment. I believe that this property should be acquired by the village, the site cleaned up and responsible development of the property including a garage should take place.
You are voting on an ordinance this evening to bond 12.3 million dollars through the BCIA. Our first priority should be the acquisition of the Town Garage site and the remediation of that property as soon as possible. If a garage is built there, it would be used by employees, diners sand shoppers as well as commuters as it is more centrally located. The Hudson Street area could be repaved and reconfigured to maximize parking spaces and also for minimal costs made more aesthetically pleasing. I want what is best for the village and right now it is to clean up the toxic site in our downtown area.
Village Hall meeting at 8pm, during the first public statement there will be an announcement about what actions you can take if the Village Council votes in favor of bonding the proposed garage through the County. So, whether you can come out to the meeting or watch at home – stay tuned.
For those who are just getting up to speed, here’s what’s happening:
The attached new garage proposal diagram just appeared in the lobby of Village Hall. I don’t know about you, but I never imagined it would be this HUGE, let alone that, even with all the prior resident outrage, it still does not fit the municipal lot size.
Tonight our Village Council will be voting on going to the County for a $12,300,000 bond. This is going to take away our control of the process. It is going to cost us hundreds of thousands of dollars more to do this than to bond ourselves. Bonding through the County stipulates the same parking rates for everyone using it. Because of this, it will become a commuter garage for other towns to use and fill up.
Personally, I am not against a parking garage. Our town needs more parking solutions. Bonding through the County, unfortunately, isn’t the way to go.
Let’s keep in control of our wonderful town. Stay tuned for tonight’s meeting.
RIDGEWOOD, N.J. – The Pinnacle Companies announced today that it will open New Jersey’s first SerendipityLabscoworking location at 45 N. Broad Street, the iconic, totally renovated Lincoln building across from the RidgewoodNJ Transit train station. The three-story, 8,500-square foot space provides a vibrant coworking area, dedicated offices and team rooms. Members will also have access to an upscale lounge, ideation studio, work bar, event venue space and a café. The entire Lincoln building has been upgraded with a new lobby, modern elevator, new windows and HVAC systems.
“Independent professionals, entrepreneurs, remote and mobile workers working in and around Ridgewood will now have a premium workplace and meeting venue offering a level of hospitality that rivals boutique hotels,” says Brian M. Stolar, CEO of The Pinnacle Companies, an award-winning leader in urban redevelopment and the exclusive SerendipityLabs area franchisee for Northern New Jersey. “OurRidgewoodcoworking members can walk to great restaurants, fitness clubs, coffee shops and the train to Manhattan, which is just across the street. Corporate memberships will be available to provide access to the growing SerendipityLabsnetwork locations.”
SerendipityLabs has urban and suburban locations opening in nine states. It is one of the fastest growing coworking networks nationally and in the Tristate area.SerendipityLabs offers a range of membership options including day passes, monthly coworking lounge access, full-time dedicated private offices, and team rooms for companies needing project space.
“SerendipityLabs is a different kind of coworking provider. Our members come from a cross section of industries that include healthcare, finance and technology, many of whom have memberships paid for by their employers. Others are independent consultants or start-ups. Our IT infrastructure meets the highest standards. The upscale work environment is a lifestyle brand that is infused with hospitality and energy,” said John Arenas, CEO of SerendipityLabs. “As we expand across the nation, we are excited to help our new Ridgewoodcoworking members unlock their full potential and improve their lives.”
SerendipityLabs in Ridgewood will produce a full schedule of daytime and evening seminars and networking events designed for entrepreneurs, mobile workers and corporate members.
Ridgewood NJ, while most couples are planning a romantic night for Valentine’s Day, others are hoping to cut ties before Sunday and go into the weekend single and ready to mingle. For those looking for a compassionate way to end things with a significant other, video messaging company Vift has launched a Break-Up Kit to help.
Vift is an online “video gift” platform that allows people to send recorded or uploaded video messages that arrive in sync with your package delivery. With Vift’s new Break-Up Kit, you can send your soon-to-be ex a gift to help them transition back into single life, along with a personal video that they receive via text/email when your gift arrives at the door. Gifts range from tissues and Netflix subscriptions to a Single’s cruise in three different gift options:
The “I’m Not Ready To Be In A Profile Picture With You” package;
Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood Police report that on Thursday, February 4, patrol responded to an alarm at the Water’s Edge Café at Graydon pool. Upon investigating the alarm it was determined that someone had broken the lock off the building. Several items inside were damaged and thrown around. The matter is under investigation by the Detective Bureau.
FEBRUARY 9, 2016, 6:37 PM LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2016, 6:38 PM
BY JOHN C. ENSSLIN AND LINDY WASHBURN
STAFF WRITERS |
THE RECORD
Talks are under way to avert a potentially protracted tax battle between non-profit hospitals and the communities that host them, said the prime sponsor of a bill that tried unsuccessfully last month to work out a solution.
Assemblyman John Burzichelli said Tuesday that talks are underway between the New Jersey Hospital Association and the New Jersey League of Municipalities with the aim of helping redraft legislation in the wake of a landmark Tax Court ruling that called into question the property tax exemption of non-profit hospitals.
He said there have been no talks thus far with the administration on the issue, nor does he expect any while Christie is pursuing his bid for the Republican presidential nomination. Christie vetoed the earlier bill in January at the end of the last legislative session.
Burzichelli, D-Gloucester, the chair of the Assembly’s appropriations committee, said he and three other co-sponsors recently resubmitted the bill, but added that the document likely will serve as a “place holder” until a revised bill can be worked out.
“Everybody’s regrouped coming out of the hectic last session,” Burzicelli said of the informal talks.
But he warned if no agreement can be reached, “it’ll be a field day for the tax attorneys.”
The bill stemmed from a state Tax Court decision last summer in which a judge invalidated the non-profit Morristown Medical Center’s property tax exemption. The hospital’s parent company agreed to pay $15.5 million to satisfy back taxes and interest plus make annual payment of about $1 million as tax on the for-profit component of its operations.
Fmr. Giant Lawrence Taylor r with Gary and Barbara at The Tobacco Shop of Ridgewood. & Davidoff Lounge
February 10,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, We call them “Destination Stores ” if you have a special spot with a unique product people will find parking . The Tobacco Shop of Ridgewood. & Davidoff Lounge is an example .Its called common sense! I know, it’s an old fashioned idea but something that is severely lacking nowadays.
Stores that have a commodity or service that is backed by good business have continued to prosper here in Ridgewood. Hillman, Country Curtains, Jekyl & Hyde, The Art Spot and Panico are examples of a few. Been in business a long time and continue to attract new customers. Mango use to be a good option but the last few years it’s grown stale, not a decline in business because of lack of parking but because the goods are pretty much the same stuff as 5 years ago. A place like Pazzazzed is stealing Mango’s thunder, better, more interesting goods.
If you offer a strong commodity or service, people will find parking, it’s worth the effort to walk a block or two. If it’s mediocre or lost its appeal, you won’t last.
Some business owners think because it’s Ridgewood, they are guaranteed to make money. As many have learned, that’s not the case. The owners of Novo tried the salad place, it didn’t work, now they have a restaurant that is currently successful. Did the salad place not work because there was no parking garage? No, because status quo with parking and now its success.
People like coming to the Village because it’s charming and for many their own towns don’t have a CBD. The worst thing this village could do would be to jam 4 or 5 massive high density building and an ugly, doesn’t fit on the lot garage. If they build that crap, I hope the 3 amigos have a huge plaque with their names and faces on it so all the people who see it and think “what the hell happened to Ridgewood” they can point to those plaques and go “right there, a very dark period in the Village’s history when the door was opened and a no good politician and his cohorts hijacked the place”.
Ridgewood NJ , back in December the Ridgewood Police department investigated an alleged kidnapping and carjacking that was reported early Saturday morning.
At the time the Ridgewood Police said that the “vehicle in question” has been located near the Thruway in Bergen County, N.J, and an investigation is ongoing. .The victim has also been recovered suffering only minor injuries.At the time the Ridgewood Police withheld further information about the incident .And we were told New York State Police are also working with police in Ridgewood, N.J.
Today it is being reported that two men wanted in connection with this carjacking, kidnapping and robbery were arrested by members of a task force comprised of federal, state, county and local authorities. Including FBI and ICE, investigators from the New Jersey State Police, New York State Police and Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, and members of the Ridgewood, Mahwah, Hawthorne and Waldwick Police departments .
Jostin Vidal Reyes of Waldwick and Wilbur J. Barhona of Ridgewood, both 20, were taken into custody Monday following more than a month and a half of intensive work.
Authorities and other sources said Reyes and Barhona got into a cab in Paterson around in the early a.m. hours of Dec. 26 for a ride to Waldwick. Sources say the two decided to rob the cabby and kidnap him once they reached Ridgewood and as previously reported ditched him on the New York Thruway.
The pair now face various counts of robbery, aggravated assault, cajacking, kidnapping ,weapons offenses and are being held pending $400,000 bail each in the Bergen County Jail.
RIDGEWOOD, NJ, The Pro Arte Chorale under the direction of NYC based music director, Steven Fox, presents “The Golden Age of Broadway”. The distinguished Newark Arts High School Chorus will join Pro Arte in songs from South Pacific, Porgy and Bess, Carousel and West Side Story. Sunday, March 13 at 3:00 pm at Benjamin Franklin Middle School, 335 N. Van Dien Ave.. $25/$20 and $10 for students. 201-497-8400. proartechorale.org.
Ridgewood NJ, On Thursday, February 4, Ridgewood Police officer Lt. Glenn Ender was screening individuals prior to entering municipal court. Mr. Labeat Cefa placed his personal belonging in a tray prior to passing through a metal detector. Among the personal items placed in the tray was a marijuana cigarette.
Mr. Labeat Cefa, is a 37-year-old Albanian immigrant and graduate from Ridgewood High School., was placed under arrest and issued a summons for possession of marijuana. He was released pending a future court date.
Police Records indicate Labeat has previous arrests, including for marijuana, in Florida, and was awaiting trial on grand larceny charges from this past October out of New York City. Unsure if he was contacted by the Alumni Association.
Ridgewood Nj, We continue to hear this argument time and time again from the Mayors friends , “Those who are opposed to the garage should make a fact filled and compelling financial study of the project on their own to support the notion that it should not be built. No one has done this so far and hence a level of confusion exists that the people who are against it have not presented any concrete data to support their position that it will be bad for the village and will not sustain itself. Show me that data so all can make a rational and informed decision, My hunch is the data does not exist. In all likelihood the garage will loose some money during the first and possibly the second year of operation and then it will get up to full capacity and from there on will earn far above its projected break-even point. The demand clearly exists, there is not a lot you can do to screw it up so it should make a lot of money for the Village. Clearly if we adopted some of the earlier proposals the garages proposed would now be all paid off and we would be swimming in profits of a huge magnitude. Remember when the cost / space was calculated to be $1500/space. for a 580 car garage over Ken Smith. if only that were build we would be swimming in money today…..and all of our taxes would be far lower due to the huge cash flow thrown off from that project. Do not defame the garage project. It could turn out to be a real winner.!!.”
Nice dream….
In reality , “love an optimist! But, we have gone through the numbers and questioned the council numerous times. Read the Walker Report, which can be found on the Village Website. It says, perhaps on page 2, that the garage will not be self-funding. It will, as has always been the plan, be funded by increased meter rates all throughout downtown. That exact scheme has been asked for by Mr. Sedon and others, but nothing concrete has been said. Walker mentions eventually raising rates to !.00, increased hours until 9pm, increasing enforcement, not allowing meters to carry over, etc The council will be taking away some of their tools by saying they won’t raise rates saturday night (so as not to punish 5:30 Mass at Mt. Carmel) and now with BCIA you can’t charge commuters more than Ridgewood residents.”
“Furthermore, the actual bonding through BCIA is more expensive than Ridgewood bonding ourselves, and many in municipal finance question the assumptions used. Also, the building will go over budget as Albert promised himself. Lastly, there is demand for parking but currently you can always – always- find parking on street in that area of town. (in front of NY SPorts, up prospect etc.). The garage is not that much closer and it is a shame businesses were never able to convince their employees to park over there as that is what really takes street parking.”
Of coarse there is also the county politics and perhaps the real story;
“The answer is simple if we step back and look from a higher level. The garage will be built near the old Cadillac dealership to provide parking for the apartments that will be built there. The village mayor needs the support of those developers to fund his political aspirations and to do so needs to get the garage built as big as possible in that location to show his compliance and ensure donations for his next office run.
The apartments will be built as soon as the lawsuits begin, COHA judgements line up, and the remaining council fall in place. Makes some sense”
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FEBRUARY CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Join us at these upcoming events & activities for Kidville families and new friends!
FREE Trial Class Week
week of February 8th
Enjoy a complimentary trial class (new members) and a surprise after class to show how much we love our Kidville family!
RSVP via Eventbrite – CLICK HERE.
Valentine’s Day Party
Save the Date: Friday February 12th
Join us for our annual Valentine’s Day celebration. Your family will enjoy Mini Photo Sessions, Take-Home Art Project, Open Gym and Yummy Snacks.
RSVP via Eventbrite – CLICK HERE.
President’s Day: Kidville is OPEN for Classes
+
Special Open Play from 9:00 am – 3:30 pm
Monday, February 15th
Children are invited to join us for a special all-day open play*!
Please call 201-493-1234 to be put on the open play list.
Playspace is limited to 30 children at a time for safety. Admission is on a first-come/first serve basis.
Kidville Ridgewood | 38 Oak Street | Ridgewood | NJ | 07450
Ridgewood NJ, DUE has left its old location for a new, much bigger, more comfortable location just four doors down the street at the former “Natalie’s” location!
They hope to open next week, so stay tuned for information about the grand re-opening of DUE!
This garage is going to be a money loser and the town will be left on the hook for it.
I was in town on Saturday and the main streets had people circling for spots as usual on Chestnut, Oak, etc. But, if you drove a couple of blocks away to near Mt. Carmel (and where the new garage would be), there were TONS of metered spots open.
I don’t think the parking problem is that there aren’t enough spots in the downtown area. The problem is that people don’t want to walk a couple of blocks for a parking spot. Building the garage right near Mt. Carmel is NOT going to solve this problem. Maybe, if the new garage was at the old garage next to Ben and Jerry’s or somewhere more central and visible would it be more utilized. I just don’t see the draw to have to park in a multi-level garage when there is street level parking available at most times across the street.
There is no way Ridgewood should be spending $10m plus on this.
Former NJ Parking Facility Manager Gets Prison Term For Theft
February 6, 2016 12:42 PM
TOMS RIVER, N.J. (AP) — The former manager of southern New Jersey park-and-ride facility is headed to prison for stealing nearly $150,000 over three years.
Ocean County prosecutors say Robert Pentz received a four-year sentence on Friday. The 41-year-old Toms River man had pleaded guilty to official misconduct last July.
Prosecutors say Pentz stole money from automatic teller machines he was supposed to be filling as part of his duties at the Toms River Parking Authority’s park-and-ride facility. The thefts were discovered during an audit in 2013, and investigators determined that Pentz took more than $146,640 overall.
