Tag: court ordered over development

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The James in Park Ridge: Get Your “Fair Share” Rentals for $2500-$4230

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Park Ridge NJ, the James in Park Ridge. Located at 87 Madison Avenue, apartments were designed to meet the Borough’s “fair share” of the growing need for affordable housing in New Jersey. This development offers 24 affordable one-, two- and three- bedroom apartments. These apartments are available to qualified applicants whose combined household income meets the criteria for affordable housing.

Continue reading The James in Park Ridge: Get Your “Fair Share” Rentals for $2500-$4230

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Rosie O’Donnell’s former 9,000 square foot Saddle River mansion is being turned into affordable housing.

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

SADDLE RIVER NJ, according to CBS news Rosie O’Donnell is no longer a New Jersey home owner and her former 9,000 square foot Saddle River mansion is being demolished and turned into affordable housing.

Continue reading Rosie O’Donnell’s former 9,000 square foot Saddle River mansion is being turned into affordable housing.

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Saddle River Schedules Affordable Housing Hearing

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Saddle River NJ, after much delay the Borough of Saddle River has scheduled a four-day remote hearing to determine the borough’s compliance with its affordable housing mandate is scheduled to begin Thursday January 21st.

Continue reading Saddle River Schedules Affordable Housing Hearing

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Reader says ,”I’d like to know which ones of our council members will attend this hearing and speak out against the outrage that is called “affordable housing.”

Village Council Tables Vote on High Density Housing

I’d like to know which ones of our council members will attend this hearing and speak out against the outrage that is called “affordable housing.” Ridgewood should be out front leading this effort, not wallowing in self-pity and over-development and cowering to the developers seeking to profit from their strangulation of our town
Mayor Hache?
Deputy Mayor Knudsen?
Councilman Sedon?
Councilman Voight?
Councilwoman Walsh?
Let us know what you are doing to stop the over-development, or at least come out and say you support it and wish to see it continue.

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Reader says ,”this Fairshare (Housing) is nothing but builders seeking to override local zoning for their own profits”

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“how the builders got away with this misnamed group is beyond me. this fairshare is nothing but builders seeking to override local zoning for thei r own profits. they are coming in and desrtroying open space that we had saved for the nature that will save our lives. the trees go down, the animals have no place to live. teh birds cant sing anymore. it is horrible. we need to stop letting groups call themselves misnames. the judges in nj seem to not get it. this affordabe housing assault on towns is in teh fourth assault on towns or is it more than that. they will go on into eternity. they have no intention of ever stopping. there will be the tenth assault unless we get this changed now. stop the affordable housing assault on towns and on us. its against all of us. we are into more congestion when nj is already the most congested states in this union. we just are running out of room.”

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Reader says , “it is vital that the council members clearly state their position and how they plan to represent us (on high density housing)”

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“We have only met a small portion of our affordable housing. The massive downtown projects will be mulitiplied several times in order to meet the numbers. That is becuase of the way the council allowed the overbuilding to occur.

Going back to the original comment, i think it is vital that the council members clearly state their position and how they plan to represent us. Didn’t like Aronson, and thought he lied through his teeth, but he did speak openly about how he planned to turn Ridgewood into a city of multi-family homes, littered with parking garages and low end stores. And he had Pucc speaking up right next to him saying how he owed it to the Village to tear it down.

So, where does this current council stand?

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Stop Work Orders Issued on Former Apple Ridge and One Lake Street

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photos by Derek Michalski

Upper Saddle River NJ, Stop Work Orders Issued on Former Apple Ridge and One Lake Street:  On Thursday, July 11, 2019, we had a significant rain event with flash flood warnings in effect.  Our Construction Official and Borough Administrator were on site at the former Apple Ridge site and witnessed runoff onto Carlough Road.  Hay that was in use to restrict runoff, had been swept off the property by the force of the rain and clogged the storm drains.  DPW was called in as well.  The hay was removed to clear the drains and sand bags placed. A portion of the silt fence had fallen down.  This project is under the jurisdiction of the NJ DEP (who has stated they consider the site fully remediated and the matter closed) and the Bergen County Soil Conservation District.

Continue reading Stop Work Orders Issued on Former Apple Ridge and One Lake Street
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High Density Housing Could Threaten Drinking Water for 800 thousand Bergen Residents

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

River Vale NJ, A proposed high density housing development along a portion of the Hackensack River that leads to the Oradell Reservoir is drawing concerns from local residents and environmentalists in an uproar that it will increase runoff into a water source for 800,000 people.

The project would be built on a portion of the Edgewood Country Club in River Vale and significantly increase the amount of asphalt, concrete and other impervious surfaces by 23 acres.

Continue reading High Density Housing Could Threaten Drinking Water for 800 thousand Bergen Residents
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Scotch Plains Mayor Al Smith to join Union County Young Republicans at Event on Stopping Court-Mandated Overdevelopment

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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
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Village Negotiates A Realistic Affordable Housing Plan

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, the Village of Ridgewood has negotiated a pending settlement that outlines what the village’s obligation is, in terms of units of Affordable Housing of 55 instead of 838 ,  all to have been located in the Central Business District.

Wanting immunity from potential developers’ lawsuits, the village is proposing to increase the density of some zones and to create a redevelopment plan for The Valley Hospital site.

Instead of the courts forcing 838 units on the Village of Ridgewood , the Village will adopt a new amended zoning with redevelopment in mind, creating affordable housing opportunities.

This means that increasing the permitted density in the B1 and B2 downtown districts by six to 18 units per acre and North Maple/Goffle Avenue B2 districts to permit 12 and 20 units per acre. In addition, an AH3 district will be created with graduated 14 to 18 units per acre density near Racetrack Road and Route 17.

There will also be a mandatory set-aside ordinance for incoming development to include 20 percent affordable units if the project obtains a use variance. All these increased densities are far lower than the high density housing the Aronsohn Administration agreed to for the Central Business District. 

Existing Affordable Housing

Ridgecrest Apartments – 12 units
Woodside Gardens – 4 units
Broadway Condominiums – 4 units

Approved development projects

KS Broad – 9 off-site affordable (provided at Enclave), 60 market-rate units
The Enclave – 6 affordable, 39 market-rate units
Ridgewood Dayton – 14 affordable, 93 total units
Two Forty/Chestnut Village – 7 affordable, 43 total units ( this is being disputed by owner )

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Assemblywomen says she hopes to force change by guiding a movement of civil disobedience.

CBD high density housing

August 21,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

River Vale NJ , Assemblywomen Holly Schepisi asks, “If the Democratic front runner for Governor boldly says NJ won’t comply with many federal laws he disagrees with, why can’t our suburban communities fight back against ridiculous NJ policies that the democratic controlled legislature refuses to change?”

Schepisi said she hopes to force change by guiding a movement of civil disobedience.

“We need more voices to be heard,” said Schepisi, an attorney. “No one I’ve spoken to is against affordable housing — everyone supports the idea,” she added. “What everyone objects to is high-density complexes thrust on small communities.”

Schepisi proposed legislation to impose a moratorium on lawsuits related to affordable housing and form a bipartisan commission to calculate the number of units needed to serve the state. Those bills have stalled.

https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/bergen/dumont/2017/08/19/dumont-voters-have-say-affordable-housing/566206001/

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WILL AFFORDABLE-HOUSING DECISION BE DERAILED BY JUDGE’S TIES TO DEVELOPER?

CBD high density housing

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COLLEEN O’DEA | AUGUST 10, 2017

Judge ruled South Brunswick must build 3,000 units of affordable housing, but township wants decision set aside due to ‘appearance of impropriety’

New Jersey’s only municipality to receive its affordable-housing obligation from a judge’s order is continuing to appeal that number, even as construction is underway on the first new developments since the Supreme Court got back in the middle of the Mount Laurel housing controversy. The township is claiming the Superior Court judge was compromised by a relationship with the developer.

It’s been almost two-and-a-half years since the state’s highest court took control of affordable housing matters away from the “moribund” New Jersey Council on Affordable Housing and tossed it back to the courts, which had been the original deciders of low- and moderate-income housing claims following the Supreme Court’s landmark Mount Laurel rulings. In those cases, which date back to 1975, the court ruled that municipalities must zone for their “fair share” of their regional need for affordable housing.

The cases have been slowly winding through the Superior Courts throughout the state. The Fair Share Housing Center, the Cherry Hill-based organization leading the legal efforts to get more homes built, has reached settlements with 120 municipalities to construct more than 36,000 units from Bergen to Camden counties. Construction has even begun on projects in Woodbridge, Cherry Hill, Westfield, and Edison, welcome news to housing advocates after the process had been stalled by lawsuits and lack of action by COAH for about 16 years.

Other municipalities remain in the courts. For instance, a Mercer County judge is expected to rule within the month on the obligations for several communities in Mercer.

https://www.njspotlight.com/stories/17/08/09/will-coah-decision-be-derailed-by-judge-s-ties-to-developer/