>On Wednesday, June 6, Village Council members will again discuss a proposal to lease a portion of The Pease Memorial Library to a commercial tenant. Council members will meet behind closed doors immediately following their scheduled Work Session.
Most recently, Ridgewood Land and Development LLC proposed leasing a portion of the historic library building on Garber Square as headquarters for their firm’s operations. Lease terms were zero rent for a multi-year period in lieu of the tenant making substantial building improvements.
The proposed zero rent arrangement irked many taxpayers, most notably several League of Women Voters members. Councilman Patrick A. Mancuso was successful in demanding unspecified financial guarantees from the proposed tenant in return for Council members continuing to give the draft lease their due consideration.
No information has been released by Village officials as to whether Ridgewood Land and Development LLC has met Mr. Mancuso’s demands. However, rumors are that several key players severed their relationships with Ridgewood Land and Development LLC following receipt of information relative to Councilman Mancuso’s demands.
Jeff Wells, the principal of Oradell based architectural firm Wells Associates, is reported to be a key player in Ridgewood Land and Development LLC. Mr. Wells is also rumored to be a stakeholder in Ridgewood 120 LLC, owners of 120 Franklin Avenue, the former Town Garage property upon which Village officials hope to someday erect a 50 foot high parking garage.
>The relationship between Mr. Wells and Village officials is getting much to cozy for my tastes. Hopefully, the AG will be looking at this all in the very near future.
>You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.
It works best when there are no political parties vying for power, like in our wondefully structured Faulknarian governement.
It is the price we pay so we can “all get along.”
>This is the fanciest eminent domain/area in need of redevelopement that I’ve ever seen!Author! Author!
>to the sweeper guy that is all ways crying up at the train st, in the am.I am sick of you. shut up.you are like an old laddy.do us all a big faver stop comeing over. go some place else to get your cup of joe.I,am sick of you and your crying please stop it,and move on.I not need to hear off you at that time.I need to get on the train,we all thank you big mounth.
r.yea stop dreaming sweeper boy.I am sick of hearing you talk and cry about things in town if you dont like it
>If I were a betting man I would bet Jeff Wells uses 120 Franklin Ave. to gain control of the library and the garage redevelopment site. Wells holds the one card the town needs for the redevelopment project, 120 Frnklin. He can pretty much name his price and the town will either have to pay or reach another arrangement i.e. a free lease on the library. The library could become his rent-free headquarters, from which he could oversee the redevelopment project he could presure the town to give him. Good business decisions by Wells or are we witnessing yet another case of municipal coruption in New Jersey. Time will tell.
>yea,yea,
>Way to go Wells…don’t worry about all the cheap shots on this site about you, the fly is just jealous