Towns facing these dilemmas have turned to professional planning groups and we need to do the same. One was outlined in the auditions at BF for the multi-family studies the village did. The professional planners from BFJ Planning https://www.bfjplanning.com/ came and talked about how they worked with places like Bedford, NY as they talk about here:https://youtu.be/FEfkeQQJn4I?t=2h5m20s
Our planner is outgunned for the jump, he’s part time, has limited experience and has not seen the scale of assault that this village is under. We need to redirect our spend in planning to real pros who do this work at scale, have far broader experiences and deeper expertise. The answer to the questions is not the same old pap that Al and Paul and others use when they site the 1967 study. The future is coming, our village is lacking the expertise in planning and far too influenced by the local developer and the big CBD landowners to get it right with out outside expertise.
Ridgewood NJ, as far back as October 2011 in an article ,”Understanding the Shift to Online Shopping” Marcia Kaplan wrote, “Defying the general economic gloom, ecommerce sales have registered seven consecutive quarters of year-over-year revenue gains since Q4 2009, with some in double digits. The last three quarters (Q4 2010 through Q2 2011) showed gains of 11, 12, and 14 percent respectively, the best performances since Q2 of 2008, according to research firm comScore.
Figures calculated by the U.S. Department of Commerce are more generous, showing an increase of 17.2 percent for Q2 2011 over Q2 2010. In contrast, total retail sales — stores and online — for Q2 2011 increased only 8.4 percent over the same quarter in 2010. Ecommerce accounted for 4.2 percent of total retail sales in Q2 of 2011, according to the Department of Commerce.” https://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/3087-Understanding-the-Shift-to-Online-Shopping
The WSJ in August 2015 said , “U.S. retailers are facing a steep and persistent drop in store traffic, which is weighing on sales and prompting chains to slow store openings as shoppers make more of their purchases online.”
Now it seems the day of reckoning is upon us , despite calls for more parking to save retails in the CBD in Ridgewood ,the nationwide trend of shoppers moving online has continued to accelerate.
May 2016 headlines read like a retail obituary :
Scoop Succumbs to Market Forces; All Stores Closing
Sports Authority to Sell Off Assets, May Be Closing All 450 Stores
Hugo Boss Considers Closing Some Stores as Earnings Plummet
The Gap Is Closing a Bunch of Old Navy Stores
Aeropostale Store Closings 2016: Retailer Files For Chapter 11
The reality is its going to take far more than parking to fully revitalize the CBD in Ridgewood .
I wish people would take photos of parking spaces all over town on different days of the week, ordinary and holiday, and at different times to show in aggregate that parking IS AVAILABLE. A large number of photos documented at various times and days of the week would tell the story. Walking a couple of blocks is good for your health! And unless you’re going to a Hudson St. or S. Broad Street venue, you’ll walk a couple of blocks (or much more) from the garage anyway. Please VOTE NO on June 21 and get an absentee ballot if you can’t.
Well our town desperately needs a Master Plan of what it wants to be in the next 10, 20 years and how we will get there. Where will the open space be? how does multi-family housing intersect with garage parking and maintaining a safe “walking village”? What streets could have more parking quickly and cheaply (tree streets) and why don’t we try it first? More parking at a garage is one solution but until you lay out where everything will be it is foolish to throw in one monster garage and think problem solved.
The stores in Ridgewood that have a compelling business proposition do great and even expand: Rita’s, Hot Jewelry Box, Fox’s, Alex and Ani, Learning Express are a few examples. If you are a me too store, a la the GAP or Gymboree I can find you in the mall. There are a few business I will go to if I can find a spot out front (Dunkin, nail salons etc) but if there is not a close spot, I will visit Midland Park as it is just as close to my house. I will not park in the garage for those businesses. On a special Saturday night out in town, I can park by NY sports on the street for free or drive farther from the restaurants and always parking. I am of the opinion that the garage will not be that impactful for businesses, more so for commuters. If the businesses really had a push NOW for their employees to park elsewhere (graydon in winter, school in summer) and did some sort of COC busing for them that might help the store front parking.
Now a business such as Roots failing because of parking is NOT OUR PROBLEM. While it is a beautiful space, it is way too large and the owners were mistaken to think the client base in Ridgewood is the same as Summit. And I really hope the new council gets rid of that gift of a zillion spots to valet outside…Why doesn’t every business – regardless of what type of business – get the same valet treatment? Would be much more fair to have the small commuter lot set up as a valet depot for all businesses…could even add a second level on Hudson or Cottage for that purpose and be done with it. Again, if we had proper planning not patchwork planning.
Yes, the opening of Serendipity highlights the fallacy of the current council’s views on our downtown. Albert and Paul in particular kept talking about the parking surveys from 30 to 80 years ago. The “progress” and “2020” movements (which produced the 3 failed candidates) were similarly myopic. The leaders of these groups are all talking about and looking to solve Ridgewood’s problems from the 60’s and 70’s. Developers, land speculators, the owners of Fish and Greek to Me push for housing developments and parking garages solely for their own narrow minded view of increasing their profits over the next few years.
We live in the new millennium and we should plan for our century not the past century. Who and what is going to make use of our downtown. What brings in the most tax dollars with the least amount of expenditures? Is our future developing our downtown as the regions “restaurant row,” or should we be looking to bring more corporate dollars? Are massive parking garages and massive housing developments really the way forward or are they product of staid minds that don’t see or are afraid to look into the future?
This discussion has never been had because our current council “leaders” never asked themselves or challenged the public to debate what is good for Ridgewood as a whole and the future of Ridgewood as a whole. Instead, the “debate,” if one can call it that, has been over how many families should we squeeze into a downtown lot or should a garage be 4 or 5 or 6 stories tall. Let’s depart from this outdated way of thinking and move ourselves beyond the mire of the past. Let’s embrace our future. And to do that, let’s start by having a real discussion on what our future might be.
I can’t help but think a lot of the pro parking garage noise came from certain restaurateurs. I imagine diners having dinner at their “regular” restaurants and the owner does his meet-and-greet walk-through. He see his regular customer and say,”Hi. Where have you two been? I haven’t seen for for some time”.
Now the diners are sort of regular, and instead of admitting that their lack of attendance is mostly about cutting back on dining expenses, they save face by saying, “We have tried to get in here every week but we can never find a parking place. We had to head over to Ho-Ho-Kus.”
The restaurant bosses hear this so often that they not only believe it, but it’s in their interests to believe it. Most of them don’t live in Ridgewood, so costs of a garage are irrelevant.
The aforementioned absence of parking demand serves to validate how much the downtown has declined and businesses are struggling to survive. Lack of cars = lack of customers.
While many residents do not seem concerned over the possible demise of the CBD the fact is it WILL have a negative impact the value of their homes. Houses in Ridgewood have traditionally garnered a premium over comparable houses in other towns. The question is why. The answer is quite simple. Ridgewood has a wide variety of homes at varying price points in different neighborhoods all of which share a legendary school system and offer a convenient commute to NYC.
While there are other affluent towns in Bergen County which offer similar attractions Ridgewood is unique in that has all of the foregoing PLUS it has traditionally been home to a lively and walkable downtown with a wide variety of shops and restaurants This “trilogy” has proven to be highly successful in attracting newcomers to the Village who are willing and able to pay a premium for their homes.
The question is what happens if this highly successful formula were to disappear ? It is the opinion of the writer that the premium assigned by the market to houses in Ridgewood would gradually diminish and ultimately disappear. We would be just another affluent town in Bergen County that has nice neighborhoods and good schools. I say let’s keep what makes Ridgewood special. Let’s undertake to revitalize our downtown by building a garage …..albeit one that may be a little smaller. Let’s then work together to figure out a long term strategy that builds on our strengths and augments them so as to maintain our premier status as the town that “has it all”. Just my thoughts.
I wish people would take photos of parking spaces all over town on different days of the week, ordinary and holiday, and at different times to show in aggregate that parking IS AVAILABLE. A large number of photos documented at various times and days of the week would tell the story. Walking a couple of blocks is good for your health! And unless you’re going to a Hudson St. or S. Broad Street venue, you’ll walk a couple of blocks (or much more) from the garage anyway. Please VOTE NO on June 21 and get an absentee ballot if you can’t.
Ridgewood leaders hold ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate premium workspace’s first New Jersey location
May 18,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
RIDGEWOOD, N.J., Local leaders cut the ribbon on New Jersey’s first Serendipity Labs coworking location at 45 North Broad Street in Ridgewood. The three-story, 8,500-square-foot premium workspace – with vibrant, upscale lounges, ideation studios, work bars, event venue space and a café – is located in the iconic, totally renovated Lincoln building.
“Independent professionals, entrepreneurs, remote and mobile workers in the Ridgewood area 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 Serendipity Labs area franchisee for Northern New Jersey.
Serendipity Labs offers workplace memberships that include part-time and full-time coworking, as well as day passes to its network of worklounges. Corporate memberships are also available for companies that want to access multiple Serendipity Labs locations.
“We are very excited that Serendipity Labs has set up shop in Ridgewood. It’s smart, innovative and aligned with many of our residents’ preference to work remotely,” says Paul Aronsohn, Mayor of Ridgewood.
Serendipity Labs in Ridgewood will produce a full schedule of daytime and evening seminars and networking events designed for entrepreneurs, mobile workers and corporate members. The Lincoln building, located across from Ridgewood’s New Jersey Transit train station stop, has been upgraded with a new lobby, modern elevator, new windows and HVAC systems.
“Serendipity Labs supports the way people want to work today. The option to reduce commute time or move out of a home office allows our members to improve worklife balance,” says John Arenas, CEO of Serendipity Labs Coworking. “Established companies are beginning to realize that the right kind of coworking environment can meet their need for remote offices and team meetings, while increasing employee satisfaction. We are thrilled the Pinnacle Companies are bringing Serendipity Labs to Ridgewood.”
Part of a rapid national expansion of more than 80 locations, Serendipity Labs is the only coworking network serving the New York tristate area in Ridgewood, NJ, Westchester, NY and and Fairfield County, CT.
Department stores and specialty retailers have faced declining sales recently, with brands from Macy’s to Gap closing stores.
Many people are pinning the apparel industry’s recent struggles on unseasonably warm weather, which could discourage the purchase of winter clothing.
But there might be another problem that few people are addressing: consumer boredom.
“Today’s retailers face a tsunami of problems but none, in my opinion is more deadly than the pandemic of sheer consumer boredom that shoppers are being subjected to,” retail expert Doug Stephens writes on his blog, The Retail Prophet. “Most retail is just painfully boring. In fact, the majority of store chains, malls and shopping centers have become beacons of boredom, monuments to mediocrity and havens of ho hum.”
Stephens gives an example of a category buyer at Macy’s who is guided by the obvious: sales. If a product won’t sell in droves, then it’s not worth putting it on the shelves, he says.
“And it is for that one single reason — anticipated square foot sales volume — that a plethora of unique, fun, fashionable and fascinating products will likely never see the light of day on the sales floor,” he writes. “Now, repeat the Macy’s buyer mandate across the thousands and thousands of retail buyers, each of whom follow the same essential rule, and soon every store in the mall begins to look the same. Every mall looks vaguely like the next. And voila…mass boredom!”
Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood Mayor Paul Aronsohn will be joined by Brian M. Stolar, President and CEO, of The Pinnacle Companies and John Arenas, CEO, of Serendipity Labs on Tuesday, May 17, 5:00-6:00 p.m. to host a ribbon cutting ceremony to showcase newly renovated Lincoln Building’s premium workspace, vibrant lounges and event space in Ridgewood.
This will be a ribbon cutting ceremony for New Jersey’s first Serendipity Labs coworking location in Ridgewood. The three-story, 8,500-square-foot premium workspace with vibrant, upscale lounges, ideation studios, work bars, event venue space and a café are all located in the iconic, newly renovated Lincoln building right across the street from the Ridgewood train station at 45 North Broad Street.
“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, the exclusive Serendipity Labs area franchisee for Northern New Jersey.
Ridgewood NJ, beautiful weather and great sales drew big crowds for the opening of the Ridgewood Spring Sidewalk Sale .
The sale goes from Thursday May 12th to Saturday, May 14, 2016 ,from 10am to 6pm .
Participating stores:
Savvy chic Consignment – Cottage Ave.
Shopettes – Chestnut St.
Suite 201 – S. Walnut St.
Just Our Shoes/Mepisto – N. Walnut
S. Broad St.
B. Witching & Bath
Alba
E. Ridgewood Ave.
Shoe – Inn
Shelly Glam
Oasis
Ridgewood Eyewear
California Closet
Just our Shoes
Hot Jewelry Box
Beauty Plus
Duxiana
Studio 201
Gardnier & Co.
Loft 41
Hocus Pocus
Pink Bungalow
P. Smith
Femmebot
Kate Spade
Ridgewood Bootery
Gigi’s
Anik Ridgewood
Racefaster
Red Velvet Lux
Eat your Spinach
Alex And ANi
Victor’s
Learning Express
Running Company
GAP
Fox’s
Bookends
Double Take Consignment
Gypsy Warrior
The Green Olive Branch
Pangea
Lucky Brand
Panico Salon
ConnectOne Bank
SALES SALES SALES SALES SALES SALES SALES
Ridgewood NJ, As per Village Code 190-122 H 6: Election signs. Temporary signs for elective office shall be permitted in nonresidential zones. Such signs shall be removed no later than 10 days after the date of the election to which they pertain. In the case of a primary election, the signs of all candidates who fail to remain as candidates in the ensuing general election shall be removed no later than 10 days after the date of the primary election. Such signs may be freestanding or attached to a building wall
Ridgewood NJ , picked this up off of the It takes a Village Facebook page in a post by Marty Smith, In a post to Ann Loving today, Gwenn Hauck wrote “$50,000 of Independent Studies approved by all five council members confirmed (confidently) that the multi-family housing will significantly augment our tax base and will help our schools decreasing enrollment. Class sizes are diminishing so much that teachers are actually being laid off causing (ironically) higher class sizes!”
I thought the proponents of higher density housing were saying don’t worry, the apartments won’t be attracting a lot of new students. Now it seems they will be, and that the additional enrollments are what we need. Did I miss something? Dare we say vote of Hache, Walsh and Voigt .Poles are open till 8pm!
In the name of promoting PROGRESS for Ridgewood, a huge amount of very slanted public relations has been spread about the Hudson Street garage project.Much of it has been in the form of “facts” that are not relevant.They are used only to obscure the real issues.
Here are 10 simple, TRUTHFUL facts that you should consider in forming your opinion.
1. 3236 voters who voted “yes” on the non-binding referendum never saw a drawing that placed the original design in context prior to the vote. We were told to “vote now for funding, and we can work together for a design later”. But plans had already been drawn up in October AND were withheld from the public until December.
2. BEFORE A FINAL DESIGN WAS PICKED, Our Village Manager said $295,000.00 was spent for “full site civil, landscape, utility, structural, plumbing, mechanical, electrical & fire” documents. They then had to issue a change order for $120,000.00 for the redesign because of this.
3. When the original design was finally illustrated in context, and released to the public, throngs of people came to a Village Council meeting and spoke out against the design, which jutted out into Hudson St. by 12 feet.
4. Per our Village Manager, “That garage could have ZERO CARS IN IT and it (the parking utility) can cover it.” She also recently confirmed we have plenty of empty parking spaces in the Cottage Place and Walnut St parking lots. According to her, we don’t even need to consider leasing the Zabriskie lot behind the movie theatre, and that would add 80 spaces immediately.
5. The Archdiocese of Newark, on behalf of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, has been consistent in asking that the garage be reduced one level. They were told the redesign would fit on the footprint and be taken down a level. It has only been lowered 30 inches, and does not fit on the footprint.
6. None of the buildings cited as references by “Progress Ridgewood” are 271 feet long. The three tallest buildings nearby all have front or side set backs of over 50 feet. Unlike all of the other “comparable buildings” in town, none of them jut out into the street by 5 feet.
7. The claim that the Village will spend $10 million to acquire 21 incremental spots if Design D is lowered one level, isn’t just bad math-it is an outright lie. The Village doesn’t own the Brogan or the Ken Smith sites, and the suggested garage will net the Village 187 parking spots.The truth about the garage size is that it needs to be a monstrosity in order to accommodate the parking needed for the high-density housing projects.
8. Resolution No. 16-110 is the resolution that was passed by the Village Council on April 27th after the petition was certified. It clearly states at bottom of page 2 that “the Village desires to submit the Ordinance(#3521) to the electorate at a special election to be held on June 21,2016 pursuant to the provisions of the Faulkner Act or, in the alternative, pursuant to the provisions of N.J.S.A. 40:49-27.” THAT IS THE HOME RULE ACT STATUTE. That language was included, according to Bond Counsel, “to protect the village from any litigation” – which means they know petitioners are correct.
9. $40-45,000.00 of municipal funds will be spent for a special election.The Village Council has every right call for one, under both Faulkner and Home Rule. That is a choice that the Council alone made, and for which the Council alone will be held accountable. Their inclusion of the Home Rule Act statute in Resolution 16-110 makes this abundantly clear.THEY ARE CHOOSING TO SPEND THE MONEY. NO ONE IS MAKING THEM.
10. JEFF VOIGT, BERNADETTE COGHLAN-WALSH AND RAMON HACHE refused to sign the pledge the other three candidates signed,which was created and put forth to the candidates by overzealous developers, landlords, business owners & investors.Bernadette Coghlan-Walsh, Jeffrey Voigt, Ramon Hache
HONESTY – INTEGRITY – TRUST A PLEDGE TO WORK FOR THE RESIDENTS OF RIDGEWOOD
