It is horrible what is about to happen to Ridgewood. Yes, it is happening all over Bergen county with 800 more units approved for mahwah. People/leaders of Ridgewood must not just throw up our hands and say it is too late. We musyALL come together and undo what Aronson and others have embraced for Ridgewood. Please, we must all rally and stop this now. Is there not any council person, that will lead the charge and lead to preserve Ridgewood?
March 27,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood location will be closing it’s doors in 2-3 months. We are having a store wide sale, adding new items and further discounts throughout our closing sale. “We have so many fond memories and dear customers since opening in 2010. Thank you all for your continued support! “Xoxo Patrice
The Montclair location will remain open. Please follow us on Instagram for updates on sale. @pinkbungalow
Pink Bungalow Ridgewood
185 E. Ridgewood Avenue
Ridgewood NJ 07450
201-444-2918
Pink Bungalow Upper Montclair
617 Valley Road
Upper Montclair NJ 07043
973-337-5371
March 16,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Trey Gowdy & Tim Scott will be appearing at Bookends in Ridgewood Monday, April 2nd @ 7:00pm.
South Carolina, Congressman Trey Gowdy and Senator Tim Scott, will sign their new book: Unified
In a divided country desperate for unity, two sons of South Carolina show how different races, life experiences, and pathways can lead to a deep friendship–even in a state that was rocked to its core by the 2015 Charleston church shooting.Tim Scott, an African-American US senator, and Trey Gowdy, a white US congressman, won’t allow racial lines to divide them. They work together, eat meals together, campaign together, and make decisions together. Yet in the fall of 2010–as two brand-new members of the US House of Representatives–they did not even know each other. Their story as politicians and friends began the moment they met and is a model for others seeking true reconciliation. In Indivisible, Senator Scott and Congressman Gowdy, through honesty and vulnerability, inspire others to evaluate their own stories, clean the slate, and extend a hand of friendship that can change your churches, communities, and the world.
Appearing authors will only autograph books purchased at Bookends and must have valid Bookends Receipt.
Availability & pricing for all autographed books subject to change.
First In Line Certificate use is the the discretion of Bookends. Blackout dates may apply.
Bookends cannot guarantee that the books that are Autographed will always be First Printings.
Autographed books purchased at Bookends are non-returnable.
While we try to ensure that all customers coming to Bookends’ signings will meet authors and get their books signed, we cannot guarantee that all attendees will meet the author or that all books will be signed. We cannot control inclement weather, author travel schedules or authors who leave prematurely.
Bookends, 211 E. Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ 07450 201-445-0726
Taken from the internet:
Montclair, 8-7 M-Sat, 1.00 per hour street, .75 per hour off street
Millburn, ?-6 M-Sat, .50 per hour
Summit, 8-6 M-Sat, .50 per hour
Westfield, 10-6 M-Sat, .50 per hour
Red Bank, 9-6 M-Sat, 1.00 per hour street, .50 per hour off street
Princeton, 8-7 M-Sat, 1.25 per hour
Morristown, complex plan – depends upon where in City
Ramon Hache last campaign flier
March 13,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood
Ridgewood NJ, recently we have had a spat of emails and comments voicing concern over councilmen Ramon Hache changing his positions on key issues affecting the Village of Ridgewood . So the Ridgewood blog investigated if the criticism was valid or not and came to the conclusion is was not .
Ramon was against the oversized garage that was proposed by the “3 Amigos” . That garage over flowed the property line into the street a fact well hidden by the former administration.
March 10 2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Councilmen Ramon Hache gets us up to date on the Hudson garage. Hache says that , ” In addition to the interviews with developers for the Hudson Street Parking Garage on February 21, the Village Council reviewed and discussed the results of the Walker Feasibility Study at the Public Work Session on Wednesday, February 28.”
Walker Consultants were hired to perform a feasibility study which includes both the financial analysis and the parking allocation plan for the Hudson Street Garage. The study provides a planning-level analysis of net operating income potential for the parking system when the new garage is complete, including rate adjustments that will help maintain a parking utility that is self-supporting.
According to the councilmen , “Walker makes several assumptions, including a cost of $12 million and financing at 3%. At this time, even before negotiating, we are already seeing several viable options in the range of approximately $9.5 million to $11 million. Also, given our AAA credit rating, we should be able to finance at a rate lower than 3%.”
These are the highlights of Walker’s recommendations to pay for the garage:
Increase hourly meter rates from currently $0.50 to $0.75 in the second half of 2018; increase to $1.25 in 2020; increase to $1.50 in 2025.
Extend meter hours from currently 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Allocate 60% of the garage spaces to commuters and employees (monthly) and 40% to shoppers and diners (hourly).
Then the councilmen went on to discuss financing options, “I think we should explore short-term (3 years) interest-only financing in order to allow us to build a substantial cushion before bonding for 25 years. It would also help us smooth out future parking meter rate increases. I also suggest we allocate 75% (top three floors) to monthly passes and 25% (the first floor) to shoppers and diners. This will ensure that by early January each year, we would have locked in at least 75% of the projected garage revenue.”
Hache says, “The Hudson Garage would be part of the Parking Utility, which means it would be funded directly by revenues received through meter rates. That is why the Walker Feasibility Study only contemplates rate adjustments and extended meter hours, and not special assessments or tax increases.”
Hache concludes , “The Village Council will now begin negotiations with the garage developers with the goal of selecting a final proposal that balances the best fit, value, functionality, and design. Designating the existing Hudson Street lot as an area in need of redevelopment in 2017, has allowed us the opportunity to negotiate directly with the construction companies, instead of simply accepting or rejecting the bids. One company already reduced their original bid by over $1.37 million.”
If the the ultimate goal of those looking to build the garage is to revitalize the CBD..how does one not first realize that you need the stores/products that will actually draw customers to come shopping in this town. I don’t know about what everyone else thinks but Mango Jam and others aren’t really a big draw in the retail world. If we’re looking towards the future, larger brands with name recognition (similar to Tices Corner) is what will draw shoppers to the CBD. Building a garage in the hopes that it will miraculously cure the shopping malaise that retailers in town seem to be going through and somehow make the trinket shops in town the next new thing is a total pipe dream. Building this garage is similar to pushing for an increase in public pay phones in the early 1990s when cell phones were just picking up. If the council wants to revitalize this village, we don’t need to build this garage, simply change the retail landscape that suits 2018 not 1980, a parking garage will go empty if we continue to rely on mom and pop stores to draw shoppers in. Oh, and if anyone on the council is reading this, YOU DON’T HAVE THE MONEY TO SPEND ON THIS HORRENDOUS IDEA.
Enough of this economics logic stuff. Yes, the economics of this mega garage are nonsense, but no amount of logical argument is going to stop it. This is local politics at work and this is how local politics works. A small minority of people stand to gain from the project. This includes a few business owners and everyone who is involved in the project (lawyers, architects, contractors, construction workers, etc). The taxpayers are the OPM (other peoples money) who foot the bill for it all. However, these taxpayers are mostly oblivious to this whole thing, mostly focused on their kids, their jobs, their social lives, their vacations, etc. This is how it works. It’s not a Ridgewood thing, it goes on everywhere. However, what makes this work well is that towns like Ridgewood are affluent, and therefore, this kind of thing is a good place to do it. It also helps that Ridgewood is a transient town, where people move in raise kids, then move on. Ridgewood is the perfect set of circumstances for these opportunists.
file photo by Boyd Loving
The key questions for garage or no garage need clear answers.
1. What is the real situation with supply and demand of parking in downtown Ridgewood? There has been an abundance of sound and fury about how there is no shortage of parking and just as much about how often there are no parking spaces for consumers. We seem to have nothing more than anecdotal “evidence”. How about actual analysis?
2. How is parking used right now? How much of the parking is used by patrons of Rwood businesses, how much by commuters (resident and non resident), how much by employees of Rwood businesses?
3. How are the current parking spots allocated? Does the current allocation of dedicated employee parking work or is much of that parking going unused, putting a squeeze on available parking for consumers?
4. Which businesses could reasonably be expected to succeed or even grow in downtown Rwood? Will the trend toward restaurants and away from shopping continue?
5. Would a garage end up serving non-residents more than residents? If a garage were built, how could/should the parking fees and rules assure that the main benefit of the parking would go to Rwood taxpayers?
6. Bottom line – Is a garage needed or should the village reconfigure the existing parking?
7. What are the costs and benefits of running the current parking fee system? How much, if any, money is generated? Would Rwood be better off with free downtown parking (a system used by many surrounding towns)?
In my 24 years in Rwood, the village has spent huge sums studying the parking garage situation, without ever fixing anything. The money spent on studies over that time probably exceed the cost of building a parking structure. What a waste.
Here’s some other “simple economics”
Parking deck can’t possibly pay for itself.
Will require subsidy from taxpayers for years and years.
Meter rates will rise and infuriate shoppers and store owners.
Meter times will expand and infuriate shoppers and store owners.
None of that seems to matter. The garage is going to be built.
If there are empty spots in the deck, which will almost certainly be the case, they should be rented to commuters for the highest amount the market will bear. Then if parking in the deck becomes a problem, cut back on the out-of-towners permits.
Until then, out-of-towners permits will mitigate the pending financial disaster..
March 3,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Former New York Yankees Pitcher, Bob Tewksbury, will sign his new book: Ninety Percent Mental , at Bookends in Ridgewood Monday, April 9 at 7 PM – 8 PM
Books available: March 20th at Bookends in Ridgewood .
Tewksbury was drafted by them out of Saint Leo University in the 19th round of the 1981 Major League Baseball draft. He played for the Yankees for two years, before being sent to the Chicago Cubs. As a free agent in 1988, he signed with the St. Louis Cardinals, where he would stay until 1994. Again a free agent, he went to the Texas Rangers for a year. In 1996, he signed with the San Diego Padres for one more year. In December 1996, he signed with the Minnesota Twins and played for two years with the team,[3] but shoulder problems effectively ended his baseball career after that.
Due to the shoulder and arm problems he faced over the course of his playing career, Tewksbury became known as an excellent control pitcher. His best year was 1992, in which he went 16-5 on the season and had a 2.16 ERA in 233 innings pitched. He appeared in the All-Star game[5] and was third in the Cy Young Award voting that year.[6] His injury problems marred his success from that point forward, with his best post-Cardinals year being in San Diego, where he helped the Padres capture the NL West division title.
In 1992 Tewksbury walked only 20 batters in 233 innings, the best ratio in the major leagues in over half a century. The next season Tewksbury came very close to ending the season with more wins than bases on balls allowed, an elusive feat only accomplished 4 times by 3 different starting pitchers in MLB history. He had 17 wins with only 18 walks allowed late in the season but gave up a walk apiece in his last two starts and did not achieve a win in either game, ending the season with 17 wins on 20 walks.
In 1997, the ever-crafty Tewksbury threw an Eephus pitch, joining an elite few who have thrown the “junkiest pitch in baseball.” He threw it to power-hitter Mark McGwire in an interleague play game at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome and McGwire grounded out on the pitch – twice.Tewksbury’s son has been quoted as calling this pitch “The Dominator.”
During and after his baseball career, he became well known for his philanthropy. He has done a lot of work for the Boys and Girls Club of America,[10] as well as hospital visits for sick children.
Appearing authors will only autograph books purchased at Bookends and must have valid Bookends Receipt.
Availability & pricing for all autographed books subject to change.
First In Line Certificate use is the the discretion of Bookends. Blackout dates may apply.
Bookends cannot guarantee that the books that are Autographed will always be First Printings.
Autographed books purchased at Bookends are non-returnable.
While we try to ensure that all customers coming to Bookends’ signings will meet authors and get their books signed, we cannot guarantee that all attendees will meet the author or that all books will be signed. We cannot control inclement weather, author travel schedules or authors who leave prematurely.
Bookends, 211 E. Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ 07450 201-445-0726
A decision to go with resident only parking is not elitist. It is based in simple economics. If Ridgewood taxpayer funds are used for the parking structures and for the lots and on-street parking, why shouldn’t the people who pay those taxes have preferential access to that parking? They have already contributed to the costs. I commuted by train for a while. Parking in Ridgewood anywhere near the station was almost impossible, but it was very easy to park in the HHK lot (not so easy now). Why would we give preference to non-residents? If they pay the same parking fee but do not pay Ridgewood taxes that support the parking, then they pay less for the same usage. That would be unfair to residents.
Make the citizens of Ridgewood Great again.Stop this bullshit boondoggle..it’s not too late..the carpetbaggers housing and politicos will be long gone with the cash and moving onto their next victim communities..clear case of others peoples (OUR) money and future higher taxes to pay for the bonding which will have to be paid as a priority obligation to the banks and funding sources..they love town infrastructure debt..they know the taxpayers have to be assessed to Pay them Back,Stop this huge mistake..we are not talking about the health bond or turf fields here..this is a forever damaging proposal.Pave ,insert concrete curbing ,storm sewers lighting and lines for car stalls and get back to work VC
VC, listen up. Lease the Hudson lot to a developer for 99 years. Let the developer pay for it completely. Let them charge what they want to make it a profitable. Let them pay the cost of maintenance. Let them cut deals with local merchants, banks and restaurants for validated parking, and take nothing from them except the usual property taxes. Then, see how many developers step up. If the number is ZERO, then you have an indication that the idea is a LOSER. The Village already collects taxes from the CBD property owners, so why LOSE money by going into the garage business?
A land lease is a type of financial arrangement in which the ground under a structure is leased, rather than sold to the builder, meaning that the land and the structure are owned independently.
The Village should enter into a long term land lease with parking garage company who will pay to construct and operate the parking facility.. Since they are an independent business they should be able to charge whatever rates they wish.. Ultimately the market will determine how much people are willing to pay.
March 2,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, at the Wednesday evening meeting resident Bill McCandless called the Walker analysis deeply flawed , he went on ” the facts are very clear the Walker report is a reference point we all use , page 15 shows multiply lots weekday day time under 85% , page 16 weekday evenings shows open parking throughout the entire Village , page 19 weekend nights we have an empty parking lots , Walker shows large surplus parking exist in the Village .”
“Weekday existing conditions 57% parking occupied , and weekends 194 spaces go empty .There is no parking deficit , we paid for it twice . to hear this from Walker the fact is the parking Garage unnecessary and unneeded in Ridgewood.”
