The Village Manager is correct. There currently is a parking surplus on several days during the week and on weekends. This information conflicts with data compiled over the years by trained parrking professionals who performed studies of the parking situation in Ridgewood.
So what has happened ?? Ridgewood did have a severe parking problem as outlined in study after study conducted by professionals over the past 89 years. More recently observations have been made by residents and others that the parking problem is not nearly as severe as heretofore thought. The question then is what has changed ? It is this writers belief there has been a fundamental and dramatic shift the way people shop…..and to a lesser extent how they dine. The web has deciminated retail stores both large and small and this is not going to change.More and more people prefer to shop online and this trend shall remain.
Downtown shopping may become obsolete as virtually anything you desire is only a few clicks away ….and can be delivered. right to your doorstep. The problem we are facing is the death of the traditional “downtown” as we know it. Businesses and restaurants will leave, empty buildings will profilerate and what was once described as a vibrant but “quaint” downtown comprised of older buildings containing a wide mix of tenants will suddenly be preceived as seedy and tired when vacancies rise and business flee town.
What will the new Council do to turn this toxic situation around and restore the vitality of the downtown. Some aergue that a garage would provide the majic cure. While it may help it will not provide the elixir that will get the CBD back on its feet again. It will take a garage AND a lot of work to re-build a downtown that can effectively compete with web providers and mega -stores. We can do it but it will cost money ….lots of it and it will take a comprehensive plan….whcih unfortunately no one seems interested in undertaking and.nor do we even have the skills to create such a plan. At present Ridgewood is in the worst possible position
Ridgewood NJ, Before you vote today, please take a moment to watch this video of Councilmen elect Ramon Hache. It will give you a clearer idea of what the New Village Council plans to do regarding a comprehensive parking solution. Ramon discuses parking, signage , and much much more.
Ridgewood NJ, Who is behind PROGRESS RIDGEWOOD and the massive Hudson Street Garage “VOTE YES” campaign? Here is the answer.
Progress Ridgewood ad placed in the Ridgewood News, April 29. The number listed for Progress Ridgewood belongs to Onyx Equities LLC, whose co-founder and managing principal is John Saraceno. The exact same developer looking to build high density housing in downtown Ridgewood. You might recognize him as the guy always seen with Mayor Aronsohn, around town, lobbying for the parking garage.
What the ballot doesn’t reveal and what residents face, if the referendum passes, is an open gateway to massive housing and overdevelopment. Don’t be fooled it’s not about parking.
This is a reminder that tomorrow is a Ridgewood-only election to vote yes or no on a binding referendum for the financing of a parking deck at Hudson Street.
The referendum question on the ballot tomorrow is:
Shall ordinance No. 3521 submitted by referendum petition providing for the Council of the Village of Ridgewood to issue $11,5000,000 bonds or notes to finance the cost of constructing the Hudson Street parking deck, be adopted? Yes or No
Please note that polls are open from 6 A.M. to 8 P.M.
You may also refer to the Village website at www.ridgewoodnj.net for more information.
All information courtesy of The Preserve Graydon Coalition
Events since our June 8 newsletter describing tomorrow’s special election reinforce the importance of voting NO.
The two continuing and three incoming council members do not support the current iteration of the garage, believing that anything built at the corner of Hudson and South Broad Streets should be smaller and not stick out into the street.
The same concern to preserve the Village’s historic character that led the Preserve Graydon Coalition to oppose ill-advised ideas about replacing Graydon with a concrete pool now drives us to join a number of grassroots groups and individuals to oppose the $11.5 million parking garage bond in tomorrow’s binding referendum.
More than a radical alteration in our skyline
Even now, at the 11th hour, many, perhaps even most, residents do not comprehend what’s at stake. And it’s more than a big garage.
Although the official word is that the $11.5 million bond that is the sole item on tomorrow’s ballot would not inevitably fund any particular garage design, it is generally understood that the contract, already prepared and ready to go, would force the new council’s hand, giving them little leeway in determining what, if anything, should be built on the parking lot at Hudson and Broad, and taxpayers would be stuck with the bill.
The garage construction contract that has been readied in hopes of a “yes” vote is said to incorporate a 6% penalty on either side for making changes even though it’s impossible to predict everything that will happen. If the referendum passed and the contract were quickly signed before the outgoing council’s final day, June 30, the new council’s hands would be tied. Apparently that is precisely what the outgoing council members desire, although they deny it. Tomorrow’s special election could have been scheduled for next month, weeks after the new council had taken office—but the “council majority” set it on the first possible day.
Several members of our Village Council have put their concerns in writing. Excerpts, with full text available through the links that follow:
Councilman Mike Sedon:
“I will be voting no in Tuesday’s special election.
In order for the new council to move forward with a comprehensive parking plan for the Central Business District, which includes a reasonable parking structure, it is imperative that we can do so without having our hands tied by the outgoing council majority.
A no vote will not defeat a parking structure. It will allow us, the new council, to incorporate such a structure into the fabric of our CBD along with other solutions that have been mentioned in the past by some of my other colleagues and myself.
A true parking committee should be formed that includes residents, property and business owners along with Village officials to further explore any other ideas that could improve our situation.
The mayor’s previous parking committee did not include residents, and in my opinion resulted in information that appeared filtered and then potentially misrepresented when it reached the wider public.
This outgoing council majority has proven over and over that they cannot be trusted, and I for one will not give them any more trust by supporting what has become a monument to deceit and manipulation.”
Councilman-Elect Ramon Hache:
“Ultimately we have a parking distribution problem in our CBD, not a parking deck problem. We have already begun planning for more cost-effective solutions that will require minimal expenditures. . . . The notion that a single parking deck will solve our parking problem is in itself an outdated 90 year old idea.”
Letter to the Editor, The Ridgewood News, June 10, 2016:
“. . .the Hudson St garage addresses a symptom but not the disease. . . . I am voting no (to not adopt ordinance No. 3521) on June 21st. As a Village, let’s put together something that makes sense, is clear as to what our monies are to be used for, and makes our central business district more user friendly.”
Residents are shocked by the lengths to which Paul Aronsohn and his yes-persons on the Council have gone, along with the Village Manager and others, to make their garage happen.
Dave Slomin, representing Ridgewood Citizens for Reasonable Development (RCRD, formerly Citizens for a Better Ridgewood), notes that the garage would set new guidelines for size and scale that developers would use to obtain permission to construct bigger and more dense buildings here. High-density developers could seek garage-related “parking variances,” giving them the opportunity to build as big as they wanted under new high-density ordinances passed by the outgoing mayor’s voting bloc.
A new lawsuit and a new ethics complaint
A lawsuit has been filed in Superior Court claiming misuse of Village funds and employees’ time to create a video posted on the village website that urges residents to vote for the referendum:
In addition, a complaint has been filed with the Local Finance Board in Hackensack—the agency that enforces the Local Government Ethics Law—by the Open Government Advocacy Project of the New Jersey Libertarian Party. The letter names Mayor Paul Aronsohn and Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld as having violated “N.J.S.A. 40A:9-22.5(c), which prohibits a local government officer from ‘using’ or attempting to use his official position to secure unwarranted privileges or advantages for himself or others.”
The video was watched several times by Rev. Msgr. Ronald J. Rozniak (Father Ron), Pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, who wrote in his weekly bulletin yesterday (pages 2-3) that it “lists a number of entities that were consulted. You will not hear the name of Our Lady of Mount Carmel mentioned . . . . Incredibly, the single largest reality, neighbor, directly across the street from the deck, not four or six blocks away was ignored. This is despite the fact that Mount Carmel hired its own traffic consultant from an equally reputable traffic consulting firm.”
If reducing Hudson St. to two lanes would “eliminate the on-street parking on the church side of Hudson,” he wrote, it would “unquestionably have a negative impact on the operations of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.”
More quarters in the meter for longer hours
To repay the bond—a loan, after all, not a gift—we would face extended street parking meter hours and fees, including at the Route 17 Park & Ride, rising incrementally over time. This would add insult to injury for taxpaying residents while driving shoppers and diners to the many surrounding towns that provide parking for free. Only a few years ago, when meter hours were extended to 8 pm, downtown business owners objected to the council and the end time for feeding meters reverted to 6 pm. Why would 9 pm fare better than 8 pm did?
For these reasons, we consider it essential to reject the proposed bond and to vote NO onTuesday, June 21.
If tomorrow’s referendum passes, the three outgoing council members, while stating repeatedly that the new council will be in control, are prepared to rush-approve a contract for an enormous garage via a special council meeting a week before leaving office. That would leave the new council in a “bind.”
Bonding…binding…bind.
Only by voting down the referendum can residents prevent GarageZilla from rising above all it surveys at the corner of Hudson and Broad.
Where to vote: wherever you usually do. Polls will be open from 6 am to 8 pm.
To share this message (please do), click on “Forward this message to a friend” below the pail photo below.
Swimmingly,
Marcia Ringel and Alan Seiden
Co-Chairs, The Preserve Graydon Coalition, Inc., a nonprofit corporation
Don’t Be Fooled – Special Garage Election Video Don’t Be Fooled – Special Garage Election Video
June 20,2016
Dana Glazer
Ridgewood NJ, if there is any doubt in your mind what the incoming Village Council thinks about tomorrow’s special election, look no further than this short video.
Ridgewood NJ, The Ridgewood Fourth of July is looking for volunteers for the Parade and Fireworks. Please volunteer as a parade marshal or for the evening program. All volunteers receive a signature Ridgewood Fourth of July t-shirt and a free ticket to the evening entertainment and fireworks. As we are a non-profit we can also offer community service hours to students.
Parade Marshal – Be the eyes and ears of the committee. Sit wherever you normally sit to enjoy the parade. We will give you a clip board with a copy of the parade regulations and a committee t shirt. If you see anything that doesn’t look right, such as a gap between groups or things being thrown or distributed by any groups, you step forward and correct the situation. If the participant does not comply, you have the cell phone numbers of the committee to call for help.
Parade Judges – Sit wherever you normally sit to enjoy the parade. We will give you a clip board with the necessary judge’s forms. Judges are needed for the following categories:
Parade Groups
Floats
Music Groups
Fireworks Ticket Takers – There are four gates onto Veteran’s Field for the fireworks. Each gate needs 5 people to take tickets, sell tickets, hand out programs, etc. For this position, you will receive a shirt and a boxed dinner.
Pre-Show Gate Security – Due to added security, we will need 2 people at each of our four gates between 4 and 6 pm. Once the Police have done their security sweep of the field at 4pm, no one will be allowed on the field until the gates open at 6pm. For this position, you will receive a shirt and a boxed dinner.
We will have our volunteer meeting Thursday, July 1st at 7:00 p.m. at the Firehouse located at 201 Glen Avenue in Ridgewood. The Ridgewood Fourth of July Celebration is an all-volunteer organization supported entirely by private donations. Support the Tradition.
If you’re interested – please message us or contact us at [email protected]
Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood train station was buzzing with activity this morning as Council Person Mike Sedon payed a visit to encouraging people to vote in tomorrows special election . The June 21 referendum is asking residents if they want to repeal an ordinance to bond $11.5 million to construct the Hudson Street parking deck.
The Village Council approved the resolution certifying a petition put forth by a committee of five dedicated residents. The petition calls for a repeal of an ordinance the council approved in March bonding $11.5 million for the project.
A “NO” vote is by no means and end to the parking garage but it does give the incoming council , that won election in a historic landslide more input in to the process.
The outgoing threesome were completely unelectable. That is why they did not run again. They will tell you that they CHOSE not to run, but get a reality check. They did not run because they did not want the public humiliation of losing big time. The three they supported so heavily lost in an epic landslide, a tidal wave of a statement against the HAUCK-ARONSOHN-PUCCIARELLI machine.
Now they have the audacity to be openly critical of the newly elected, and not yet sworn in, council members. Letters, videos, facebook postings, etc, they are finding ways to slam Ramon and Jeff and Bernie every chance they get. How the hell dare they criticize Ramon, Jeff, and Bernie. Give them a chance for heaven’s sake. Aronsohn, Hauck, and Pucciarelli are so low class it is disgusting. They have left the biggest mess in their wake, and we look like fools thanks to their antics. And oh, yes, what was it that blondie stated the other day? I HAVE NEVER DISRESPECTED ANYONE. More accurate would have been for her to state that I HAVE NEVER DISPRESPECTED ANYONE IN THE LAST THIRTY SECONDS. Gwenn has been the nastiest most uncivil elected officer imaginable, well, so has Albert and so has Paul. Good riddance to them. For awhile they were like herpes, always lurking and causing outbreaks. Thankfully the voters found a cure for this disease, and we are almost rid of them.
Vote NO on Tuesday. Let the new council make the wise decisions regarding parking solutions. Thank you
I hope everyone realizes the Progress Ridgewood postcard in the mail is the same old group of liars, and their propaganda….like, do I even need to point out that the quotes were taken out of context and distorted to make the point look like it was agreed upon??? I hope not.
Don’t be fooled by the flyer/mailer from Progress Ridgewood which claims that the new council elect wants you to vote yes. That’s simply not true.
Bernies quote was from 2011 or so when a CONCEPT was being discussed.
This new council is in support of parking solutions. Including a garage that fits the lot, and is appropriate to the neighborhood.
Let THEM decide the funding and look at all of the facts. Ridgewood voters came out in RECORD numbers in May to elect them. Now let them be responsible for what happens next. And do NOT be fooled, the outgoing lot of fibbers and thieves will do anything at all that they can to stick it to the village and to have their way.
Vote NO on Tuesday and let the new council decide. We can have the problems fixed by honest people with the villages best interest at heart. Not greedy developers and sneaky politicians. VOTE NO JUNE 21!!!! .
Ridgewood NJ, Public Hearing on Housing Element of the Village Master Plan, and the World Mission Society, Church of God will be the focus of the June 21st ,Ridgewood Planning Board meeting.
PLANNING BOARD PUBLIC MEETING NOTICE/AGENDA
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
Village Hall Court Room– 7:30 P.M.
(all timeframes and the order of agenda items below are approximate and subject to change)
7:30 p.m. – Call to Order, Statement of Compliance, Flag Salute, Roll Call – In accordance with the provisions of Section 10:4-8d of the Open Public Meetings Act, the date, location, and time of the commencement of this meeting is reflected in a meeting notice, a copy of which schedule has been filed with the Village Manager and the Village Clerk, The Ridgewood News and The Record newspapers, and posted on the bulletin board in the entry lobby of the Village municipal offices at 131 North Maple Avenue, and on the Village website, all in accordance with the provisions of the Open Public Meetings Act.
7:35 p.m. – 7:45 p.m. – Public Comments on Topics not Pending Before the Board
7:45 p.m. – 7:55 p.m. – Committee/Commission/Professional Updates for Non Agenda Topics, Correspondence Received by the Board
7:55 p.m. – 8:15 p.m. – World Mission Society, Church of God
8:15 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. – Public Hearing on Housing Element of the Village Master Plan
10:30 p.m. – 10:40 p.m. – Adoption of Minutes: July 7, 2015
10:40 p.m. – Executive Session (if needed)
Adjournment
In accordance with the Open Public Meetings Act, all meetings of the Ridgewood Planning Board (i.e., official public meetings, work sessions, pre-meeting assemblies and special meetings) are public meetings, which are always open to members of the general public.
Members: Mayor Paul Aronsohn, Nancy Bigos, Councilwoman Susan Knudsen, Charles Nalbantian, Richard Joel, Kevin Reilly, Wendy Dockray, David Thurston, Isabella Altano, Khidir Abdalla, Debbie Patire
Professional Staff: Blais L. Brancheau, Planner; Gail L. Price, Esq., Board Attorney; Christopher J. Rutishauser, Village Engineer; Michael Cafarelli, Board Secretary
Ridgewood Nj, In this VoR clip from April 6, 2016, at the 1:14:00 mark, you see the village manager admit we have a parking surplus, not crisis: https://www.tubechop.com/watch/8113003 .
THIS TUESDAY – June 21st – Special Election In Ridgewood. Please Vote NO.
Don’t be fooled by the flyer/mailer from Progress Ridgewood which claims that the new council elect wants you to vote yes. That’s simply not true.
Ridgewood NJ, Two (2) adult females were transported by ambulance to The Valley Hospital following a Saturday afternoon, 06/16, crash at the intersection of East Glen Avenue and Paramus Road in Ridgewood. Ridgewood PD Patrol Officer Salvatore D’Amico issued three (3) summonses in connection with the crash, at least one (1) of which was to the driver of a large landscaping vehicle who was driving with a suspended drivers license. Both vehicles involved in the collision were removed by tow trucks. Injuries to both victims were reported as non life threatening.
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood PD, FD, and EMS personnel rushed to save the life of an adult male who was found unresponsive and not breathing on a bench at the Ridgewood train station early Saturday afternoon, 06/18. A paramedic team from The Valley Hospital arrived on the scene as the man was being loaded onto a stretcher for removal from the train platform. The victim was transported by ambulance to The Valley Hospital in grave condition.
