March 24,2017
Boyd A. Loving
Ridgewood NJ, During Wednesday evening’s Village Council Work Session, Village Engineer Christopher Rutishauser was asked to ascertain the feasibility of adding approximately 40 additional parking spaces at the Ridgewood train station. Mayor Susan Knudsen suggested that additional parking spaces might be added by removing the large, grass & tree covered center island in the current parking lot.
Rutishauser was also tasked with determining the possibility of creating more parking spaces along the east side of Wilsey Square, just south of the train station’s parking lot. Grass & trees currently occupy this area as well.
No date was given as to when the results of the Village Engineer’s study would be available for Village Council review.
Although I’m not thrilled with the notion of losing green space, this plan has got to be cheaper than spending close to $40k per space in parking garage construction costs. And, it adds spaces where most needed – close to the train station.
This is an excellent idea. Someone will complain about the loss of a little grass and a few trees, but let’s face it the added spaces might save us from having to have such an incredible eyesore of a garage. And the council can commit to planting the same number of trees elsewhere in the Village.
that is where a garage should go for comuters
Leave the grass and trees,tell the lazy commuters that live close by to walk to the train station.
Any reason you decided to go with the photo with the parking lot empty James? Because most of us know that this is not the reality for when it matter – 7am on weekdays.
“Mayor Susan Knudsen suggested that additional parking spaces might be added by removing the large, grass & tree covered center island in the current parking lot.”Mayor have lost your mind ? Is the power of the office getting to you? Build the dam garage at Hudson St. The Public Referendum indicated the residents want a parking garage at Hudson St just smaller. The referendum was not about whether the residents want a parking garage it was the size. Councilman Hache you want to put retail or restaurants at ground level of Hudson St parking garage ( if it ever get built) The Village of Ridgewood cannot manage what they have ( Water Dept.) You want the Village to be landlords now or maybe you have a friend in your new job as a realtor that can help. Deputy Mayor Sedon a few months back you were talking a introducing an ordinance that that would require resident to get a permit to remove a tree from their own property and also require them to plant a replacement tree. You sir remind me of an old saying “Do as I saw not as I do” Next the Council will tell they want to buy the Elks Club.
It is my understanding that dozens of spaces in the train station parking lot were permanently lost years ago as a result of NJ Transit’s high level platform construction project.
One wonders why Village officials at the time did not think of reducing the greenery to add more spaces.
This is a great plan. And as was previously stated, could perhaps save millions of dollars in parking garage construction costs.
1000 a pop that was the real business plan in December..when the Cadillac lit was created for the wall streeters,in summer it will be a ghost lot with families at beach houses.commoners won’t be able to use the meters nor the 750 class b passes
With eyes wide open this rotation folks. The VC in December foisted a 1000 VIP pass in a classic december Hail Mary and
Segregated the commoners commuter pass at an increased 750 for less spots and no shot at all for the train slots even in summer or on holidays where the train lots has spots.last year there was one pass at one rate. Now the town wants us ALL to pay to tear up the existing median and Trees so they can sock it to more 1000 dollar VIP club level Parkers..meantime the entire town pays for the BUILDOUT OF MORE club class cosy trainside parking spots.
This is crap.try leaving the lot after 5 pm it’s a zoo as Parkers try to exit onto the square making left and right turns into head-on traffic and pedestrian mousetrap mini island set up.PS.Replace paradise..put up a parking lot….they will do whatever they want folks..VC always does what’s best for the power teams…
Sounds cost efficient and cost effective.
Too bad commuters don’t walk or get dropped off at the station. That would save the most money.
They took all the trees
And put ’em in a tree museum
And they charged the people
A dollar and a half to seem ’em
No no no
Don’t it always seem to go,
That you don’t know what you’ve got
Til its gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
They took all the trees
And put ’em in a tree museum
And they charged the people
A dollar and a half to seem ’em
No no no
Don’t it always seem to go,
That you don’t know what you’ve got
Til its gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
You know what. I couldn’t agree with 3:22 more, that little rhyme about the lovely greenery. I love walking that greenery to the Farmer’s market. And you know what. That is sooooo Josiey. Make it ugly. UGLY.
And a know whaaat. They will still make an UGLY parking garage. And Ya know what it will have to be policed , because of crime there. UGLY UGLY atmosphere. Soooo JOISEY.
And ya know what. Richard Ford’s novel, LET Me Be Frank With You, said: EVERY BIT OF GRASS, EVERY BIT OF GREENERY in NJ will be covered with CONCRETE, by 2020.
And ya know what: He is right. And ya know what: Hardly anyone except me cares. Because you are all insensitive clods. You are blind to anything but this $$$$$$$$$$$$. Charm, grace, beauty. I can find it better in a pig farm.
I will never go to Farmer’s Market again without that greenery. I will eat corporate food from super market. The farms in NJ are disappearing anyway. Why not support BIG BUSINESS. Daddy be good.
@2:23
1) Are you somehow planning to reduce my daily two and a half hour commute, so that I can spend an extra half an hour walking to and from the train station? Alternatively,
2) Are you offering to babysit my kids at 7 in the morning so that my wife can drop me off at the train station, and then against at 6 in the evening so that she can pick me up?
Let me guess. You are also the same person berating other in a different thread about spending time sipping lattes and driving SUVs?
This town is in deep trouble. It appears that the voices of the jobless and childless are taking priority of those gainfully employed and raising kids.
Hey Mayor why don’t you cut the trees and remove the grass an Van Neste park and make it parking as 2:23 said “Sounds cost efficient and cost effective.” Will your tell the BOED if they have a parking problem around their school no problem just cut the size of the athletic field and put in parking or drop of lane . “Sounds cost efficient and cost effective.”
Remember the Mayor suggestions on election day.
2.23 how’s that retirement or home office working out…clearly you are not paying the high tariffs..
Dozens of parking spaces were lost while construction was taking place, but they were reclaimed after construction was completed.
Let’s not get emotional about these few scrawny trees. Put the parking spaces in to serve the commuters. Plant a few trees somewhere else. Great idea Mayor Knudsen. Go for it.
Well Mayor maybe you should also suggest that we rip the grass out of veterans field or demolish the bandshell because the library needs more parking. This way not only will you get the commuter vote but the library vote also. Let’s not get emotional about grass or the bandshell. Put the parking spaces in to serve the library. Plant grass somewhere else. Great idea Mayor Knudsen. Go for it.
Cry me a river 4:53.
We dont need 40 spots on the West Side. We need 150 spots on the East side. We need to replace an ugly lot with a beautiful brick building not rip trees out of a fairly attractive area. We need spots near the church and the Knights because they use a ton of spots on Saturday nights now. We need spots near restaurants and the center of town. The Hudson garage makes so much sense to everyone except our mayor. It will never ever happen because she despises the idea.
Lately, I have found myself not agreeing with the mayor on a few issues, but the parking garage is not a self sustaining project. In order for our taxes not to be raised to pay for it, parking rates all over the cbd have to be raised. Parking meter hours have to be extended. And if many stop coming to town because of the higher meter prices at extended hours, us taxpayers are left paying the bill for it.
10:52. Noted but majority of town voters saw through this neighborhood
Quality of life buster..built for PEAK Periods..weighed the facts,it’s design options and voted no in a landslide effort.We don’t want to be Englewood nor Montclair nor Ramsey transit villages , so don’t que iPad the developers salivating over the saturation of the VOR WITH MORE APARTMENT CONDO HOUSING.WE SAID NO TO OVERDEVELOPMENT AND A GRIMY GARAGE Near a transit facility.
Visit Iselin,New Haven or other Garage cities and see the blight after the
Bloom is off the ribbon cutting,,drugs ,mug gongs,assaults ,litter and light and noise traffic pollution.The developers will be long gone after the trashing of the village center aside an Historic Church and school zone.Have a nice day.
The center walkway is an island of safety for both pedestrians and Car occupants as they navigate to and from their cars or walking in to the station house or ticket pick up area.What about families or those who are
Traveling with Strollers and young children in hand.Elders need a safe place to transit.The comment about the
Sunday Farmers Market is spot on.Cant we even keep a flower urn and some young and old trees in place
before we bulldoze away what hiidden value there is to preventing these mistakes .For What? 18 more spots at 1000 plus for the VIP club..? Current parking lot is dangerous enough.leave it be…..
Here we go, folks….that patch of grass and trees will be the new Schedule property. “Friends of the Green Oval” will organize and fight the mayor tooth and nail. Do it, Mayor Knudsen, if only to smoke out the true environmental extremists in Ridgewood.
Schedule=Schedler. Darned autocorrect!
Commuting sucks as it is, so is the idea here to make it even more difficult and expensive for commuters to park because the Mayor’s supporters dislike commuters and “coffee drinking, SUV drivers”, i.e. people with kids? Why so much anti-commuter and anti-families with young kids sentiment on this blog? Just because we’re not vocal and don’t vote in municipal elections doesn’t mean we’re not tax paying residents. And we can quickly become the silent majority with the right message to encourage us to vote next municipal election. Trump tapped in to the pulse of this silent majority, it can happen here.
Ha ha! Vote in the next municipal election…yea, right. You said that in 1983. Get back in you Esclade with your Starbucks and leave the running and milking of this town to the professionals. I not going to be able to get the rest of my family and friends on the payroll and screw you silly if you keep asking questions. Move along. Nothing to see here.
12:57 how exactly does adding more parking to the train station for commuters translate into the mayor not liking commuters? Read as the mayor helping add spaces to the train station area and still keeping the island with trees as a win for everyone. Commuters want to park at the train station? I do.
in the business we call it agenda driven comments