
June 24,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Monday, June 26th may be residents last chance to weigh in on the five story, 66 unit, multi-retail store complex coming to Franklin and Broad from local developer John Saraceno. The village planning board will meet at 7pm Monday night to hear both of Saraceno’s high-density applications. One at the corner of East Ridgewood and Maple the other at the NJT underpass on Franklin and Broad.
This high-density housing project sets off a chain reaction of public safety problems in Ridgewood. Between Saraceno’s 60+ families plus new stores on Franklin and the 40+ families moving in yards away at the new Chestnut street high-density development, the Franklin Ave corridor will likely be overwhelmed with hundreds upon hundreds of more cars and pedestrians creating an even bigger threat to public safety on an already dangerous road. The Franklin ave corridor has a long history of accidents and pedestrians struck by cars and busses. New traffic signals could cost millions that would be paid for by Ridgewood property tax hikes.
High-density development downtown is allowed thanks to controversial laws championed by Ridgewood resident Saraceno and then-mayor Paul Aronsohn in the face of overwhelming public opposition.
Shoot it down. Let them sue. Bring it on.
“Shoot it down. Let them sue. Bring it on.”
Agreed.
Too bad we have a spineless, useless Village Council.
Ramon seems to have changed his tune. Follow the $$$
10:37 the planning board votes on this. Not the council. This council didn’t approve these Ordinances. So where’s your argument.
Follow the money….
Yes at 4:08. And people seem to forget the use is already approved and current law. 35 upa is approved there. This is just site plan approval,very little pb can do and certainly nothing for council to do. Thanks again to arohnson.
10.37 .planning board .towns watching for some bad smelling deal here ..
Why can’t the developer be forced to include the new traffic signals into their cost of the project.
They are the reason those changes are needed. Why do we get saddled once again with higher taxes?
I’m sorry for making sense of this!
@9:18, they are paying a portion for some new signals.
WHY CANT WE UNDO THE CHANGES THAT ARONSOHN PUT IN???
How many times do I have to say this?????
Folks have tried to change the Aronson laws that were passed to allow these projects to go forward. The basic enabling law was repealed by the new council. Other attempts were made. But, frankly, due to a lack of backbone on the Council, the Aronson Apartment projects are going forward.
This council and planning board could have done a whole lot more, but they chose not to for reasons only they can explain – – ask them. let them know how you feel. And, don’t forget to let Aronson know how you feel as well about the changes he made to our community in his pathetic pursuit of his personal goals.
Bottom line, however, is that if people don’t speak up, nothing is going to be done to stop the next round of over-development.
9:28 and 9:03
Get informed. Yelling in the anonymous comment section on the blog makes you a whiner not an outraged citizen.
These answers have been covered time and again.
WHY CANT WE UNDO THE MASTER PLAN CHANGES THAT ARONSOHN PUT IN???
How many times do I have to say this?????
10:28… why dont you say it at a council meeting? The horse left the barn.
@10:28 The planning board and VC have said they will alter the master plan to avoid this situation in the future. This was set off by a former mayor, Pfund, who is now a municipal judge, paid with your tax dollars. The law was then rammed thru by Aronsohn and a planning board he stacked for just this purpose. Once in place the law allowed for applications to be submitted. As long as those applications met the law, a law the developers all but wrote themselves, nothing can stop the process.