The Ridgewood Blog Brings a Free Market Laissez-faire Point of View to Local, New Jersey State and National Issues.
Continue reading Twp. of Washington Debates Buying Swim Club Property
Englewood Cliffs NJ, Councilwoman Deborah Tsabari resigned from her Borough Council seat Thursday afternoon, attributing her departure to personal attacks and bullying by the mayor.
Tsabari, a Democrat, had served two controversial years on the governing body, including pleading guilty to a felony. Her resignation was effective immediately.
Continue reading Englewood Cliffs Controversial Councilwoman Resigns
file photo
“Courts forcing development on communities that are built out and on environmentally sensitive lands full of threatened and endangered species is really developers owning certain politicians and courts. When re development is used to pave over perfectly good farm ground rather than re build the cities that these laws were suppose to address , you know corruption for profit is a lot of what this game is about. Affordable housing is a noble thing to do but force feeding it into places it does not belong shows the graft and favors being passed out.”
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Trenton NJ. The Murphy Administration today announced a roadmap for spending $60 million in Affordable Housing Trust Fund (AHTF) funding to advance affordable housing across the state. The funding, which was diverted in previous years, was restored as part of Governor Murphy’s FY2020 budget and is now available for pre-applications. The Department of Community Affairs (DCA) will administer the funds to create stronger, fairer communities in which people can afford to live.
“The question is how come Michael Kasparian, Chairman, Northwest Bergen County Utilities Authority (NBCUA) is a developer on this project. I am sure Saddle River attorney Russell Huntington from Huntington Bailey LLP in Westwood checked all the legalities of this “arrangement” but did he check possible ethics violation? Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi, also an attorney was representing the town of Saddle River in the past as its of counsel but she doesn’t represent Saddle River anymore. Perhaps as an Assemblywoman representing District 5 she could look into those possible ethics violations…”
“This is just another liberal “land grab” with redistribution of wealth. The constitution doesn’t grant anyone anything ,but liberals like rewarding underachieving and punishing those hardworking people. All this will do is create micro ghettos with shit all over the state”
photo courtesy of Steve Kim
“Im a long time resident NOT in favor of these various apartments. Unfortunately in the state of NEW JERKEY a developer can pull a ‘mt laurel’ deal and get many more apartments than we are currently seeing built. Thank the NJ state supreme court. if we didn’t roll over somewhat…we would have had to bend over and grab our ankles. lets hope they are taxed appropriately so if they attract residents with school age kids… they pay.”
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Cranford NJ, A northern New Jersey lawmaker told local residents that leaving the fate of Mount Laurel, or “affordable,” housing in the hands of the court system could “crash the entire real estate market of the state of New Jersey.”
State Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi, a Republican who represents the 39th Legislative District, including parts of Bergen and Passaic counties, spoke at a town hall meeting March 5 about the need to halt any further affordable housing development before a statewide inventory of projects could be studied.
Continue reading Mount Laurel could “crash the entire real estate market of the state of New Jersey.”
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Mayor Hache fills us in on the court mandated forced over development know as Affordable Housing . According to the mayor ,this litigation started in 2015, as a result of the failure of the executive and legislative branches of state government to properly address the development of affordable housing in the state. The Village was mandated by the New Jersey Supreme Court to file a Declaratory Judgement complaint in Superior Court, seeking approval of its adopted housing plan and immunity from builders remedy lawsuits while the decision by the Court was pending.
Continue reading Mayor Releases Details of Ridgewood’s Affordable Housing Settlement
Scotch Plains NJ, Scotch Plains Mayor Al Smith, a leading advocate for reforming the current court-driven affordable housing process, will speak at the February 20, 2019 Union County Young Republicans Meeting at 7:00pm at the Stage House Tavern in Scotch Plains.
Since 2015, Court-mandated affordable housing obligations have imposed high density developments on many towns in Union County causing overdevelopment and creating challenges in the areas of infrastructure, public transportation, schools, traffic, open space, and services that are not adequately addressed in the current process.
Continue reading Scotch Plains Mayor Al Smith to join Union County Young Republicans at Event on Stopping Court-Mandated Overdevelopment
Here’s the playbook:
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1. Protest about high cost and government waste.
2. Vigerously declare that raising taxes is not the answer – become the “anti-tax guy”
3. Declare that all options were exhausted and you reluctanly must raise taxes – there is no other way and you know how mush i abhor raising taxes
4. Raise taxes according to my original plan and intent.
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Rinse.
Repeat.
I wouldn’t put anything past the politicians. This is not about grandstanding douche bags, this is about dirty politics I don’t give two shits what that paper says. If Valley Hospital decide to sell that property they can and no one can stop them up selling that land that they own all you people that’s stupid. Yes they are plans for the next few years is to run that has a few different medical items that’s in that article. Don’t tell me 10 years down the road if they decide to sell that land to a developer hello wake up stupid.
“Valley is not going to build affordable housing there. That “plan” is only if they decide not to have medical facilities there. The article in the paper indicated they are never going to build housing. So all this worrying is for nothing. And all of Councilman Douchebag’s grandstanding is just that – grandstanding.”
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Part of that affordable housing plan involves an alternative approach to The Valley Hospital campus on Van Dien Avenue. Valley is moving its main hospital to a 372-bed facility on Route 17, expected to be completed by 2023. Its Ridgewood campus will then become a medical services hub.
“It is our intent to maintain a vibrant campus that will include a walk-in care center and a range of outpatient services,” Megan Fraser, vice president of marketing and public relations for The Valley Hospital, said in an email.
I suspect everything that The Valley has at 1200 East Ridgewood Avenue will move to Van Dien after all is said and done. The property at 1200 East Ridgewood would then go up for sale – High density housing with an affordable housing component is my bet for that location, just like their property on North Maple where the old Ford dealer was.
Also, I question whether the YMCA really needs to be physically located in Ridgewood any longer. I would not be surprised if their property goes on the chopping block and gets sold to a developer who wants to build high density housing. Properties within walking distance to the train station are, and will continue to be, in very high demand for luxury apartments, especially when Midtown Direct Service begins on the NJ Transit Bergen & Main Lines.
I suspect that the YMCA might build a state of the art facility in the industrial section of Glen Rock – Harristown Road or maybe Fair Lawn – Pollitt Drive.
The Upper Ridgewood Tennis Club property will also be in play within the next few years.
New Jersey is….
1st in the nation for highest property taxes
3rd most expensive state to live in
5th in the nation for highest per student school spending
5th in the nation for highest state income tax
6th most expensive state to purchase a home
#1 most densely populated state in the nation with 1,216 people per square mile
Land is at a premium and developers want to cash in and develop every last inch
FACT: Renting or owning a home should be affordable to NJ residents who qualify, but not at the expense of local ordinance that is contrary to NJ municipal land use law.
FACT: NJ’s affordable housing (AH) mandates are not working and our government is not listening to the voice of the people – who support AH but want it to be implemented fairly, honestly and sensibly.
FACT: The current pace of proposed AH development is not reasonable or sustainable and will be catastrophic to towns, schools, volunteer emergency services, infrastructure and to NJ’s natural resources, ecosystems, waterways and environment.
What We Want
1) We believe municipal AH obligations should not be determined by the courts and that there should be clear, statewide guidelines to follow.
2) “Builder’s remedy” lawsuits should be eliminated as a mechanism used to satisfy a municipality’s AH obligations.
3) We believe the laws governing AH must consider the impact on our schools, roads, traffic and congestion, emergency services and the preservation of open space and our quality of life.
4) NJ’s environment must be protected from sprawl and overdevelopment; AH should not be built on environmentally-sensitive land or land that has been remediated from contamination.
5) AH that is built should not “expire” and should count towards all future AH rounds and obligations.
6) We, the residents of NJ, seek to disband the Fair Share Housing Center (FSHC) who takes our hard-earned tax dollars to enrich the wallets of lawyers and developers at the expense of NJ’s future.
7) We, the people, demand a bi-partisan review of AH and legislative reform to make NJ’s affordable housing fair.
We are calling for reasonable ways to address the current problems to enact clear legislative guidelines that will: 1) ensure that AH benefits those in need; 2) implement a regional or statewide approach; 3) expand the ways in which municipalities can address their fair share of affordable housing—FAIRLY!
