If there is ever another property like the horse farm or Schedler, the Village should learn its lesson and refuse to buy the land. Let a developer buy it and build whatever they can get zonned. I have had enough of ungrateful neighbors who use my tax dollars to buy millions of dollars of land which is not not taxed and then whine about getting rid of dead trees and having a couple buses drive through their neighborhood. Enough is enough. The experiment has failed. The neighbors beg us to pay millions for the land to avoid it becoming condos, strip malls or whatever and then 5 years later obstruct any attempt to make the land useful. From now on, let the market decide what happens to any future properties. The village has to get out of this businesses.
This is so beyond the pale that one is compelled to check with another source before commenting as one would simply not think that Paul Vag’s letter was for real. Paul Vag says “you can come join my public debate” but he insists “so long as you pledge to accept my views.” NO candidate should accept an ultimatum or a demand like this. This is what you expect in North Korea where everyone gets one vote for one candidate, the exulted leader. Its not America, and it is certainly not the Village of Ridgewood.
Have these people no sense of shame? Have they no sense of decency? Have they no pride in themselves? Is there no shred of dignity left in these cronies, or did the loss in the last election mortally wound them beyond any hope of repair that they should stoop this low.
Clearly, the downtown developers are are desperate and concerned over losing money in their business interests to have gone to this depth. I would like to see which cowardly candidate accepts this demand – – which one of them pledges their dignity in exchange for votes.
I would like to see each and every one of the candidates stand up and denounce this assault on our democracy. They have all been mouthing the words “independence” “progress” “whats right for our Village.” Well, now is the chance to stand up and give meaning to those words. It won’t take any courage or any strength. It will simply take common sense to say “no, Paul, I don’t won’t any part of you, your petty partisan politics or your childish, pathetic pandering.”
To all our Ridgewood customers, we are sad to announce that on April 2nd we will be closing our doors to the Ridgewood location. Due to circumstances out of our control with the development of the town we have been forced to close the store. But as the say, “when one door closes another one opens”, which is exactly what we are doing!!! We are currently in the process of building our flagship store in downtown Newark. We hope to have this is open by April 30th. Its 1500 sqft space located on Halsey St.
We would like to thank each & everyone of you that has supported the store and the scene for the past 3 years, you guys have been great and will truly be missed. We know that a great shop relies on its community and we thank you for being part of it.
We will continue to serve the community in the area and at Ridgewood Skate Park and we will still have the Nutley store and online store www.undergroundskateshop.com where you can still continue to support us.
We will keep you all updated via social media on the progress of the Newark store and as soon as we have a set date we will inform you all of the grand opening
DECEMBER 30, 2015, 3:58 PM LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2015, 4:19 PM
BY KATHLEEN LYNN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
The housing industry is on track to build the largest number of homes in New Jersey this year since 2006, with multifamily construction making up a record share of activity.
According to the U.S. Census, builders took out permits for 28,114 New Jersey housing units through November, up 10.5 percent from 2014’s pace and heading toward about 30,000 units with December’s figures yet to come. That’s a big rise from the 13,000 average annual pace from 2009 to 2011, but still below the long-term average of about 37,000 a year.
Multifamily construction has accounted for two thirds of home building through November. That’s the highest share ever seen, on records that date to 1960, according to Patrick O’Keefe, an economist with CohnReznick, an accounting firm with offices in Roseland.
Apartment construction has driven the homebuilding recovery for several years in the state, a dramatic shift away from the suburban, single-family development patterns that shaped New Jersey in the post-World War II period.
Builders are responding to the growing demand for apartments, as homeownership rates fell to their lowest in decades after the housing bust. More households are renting because getting a mortgage has become more difficult since the go-go years of the housing boom, when many unqualified buyers got loans, but ended up losing their homes.
And many young households want to be flexible in case they need to move for a job. Moreover, they are not convinced that buying a home is always a winning investment.
DECEMBER 15, 2015, 9:11 PM LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2015, 10:18 PM
BY NICHOLAS PUGLIESE
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
ORADELL — Supporters of the historic Blauvelt Mansion breathed a sigh of relief Tuesday night after Mayor Joseph Murray, Jr. announced that the property’s owner, CareOne, would not apply for a demolition permit before the end of the year.
“Mayor-elect [Dianne] Didio and I met with people from CareOne yesterday and they have agreed to continue dialogue with Mayor Didio to find a mutually satisfactory resolution and hopefully to preserve the mansion,” he said. “That conversation will probably commence in January.”
Murray’s statement at least temporarily quelled widespread fears that CareOne, one of the state’s largest nursing home operators, was planning to demolish the 1890s-era structure. Built in the Shingle Style by the architect Fred Wesley Wentworth, who would become most famous for his role in reconstructing Paterson after fire destroyed large portions of the city in 1902, the great house sits like a castle at the top of a sprawling lawn bordering Kinderkamack Road and has become a beloved landmark for many Bergen County residents.
Ridgewood’s VC needs to follow Hawthorne’s lead. If every town builds high-end or affordable housing there will be a glut of housing to fill. The only ones benefiting from all these projects are the developers. What a scam! Ed
Hawthorne zoners reject housing development of Wagaraw Road property
NOVEMBER 23, 2015, 9:12 PM LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2015, 9:12 PM
BY MINJAE PARK
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
HAWTHORNE — The zoning board on Monday night rejected a plan to build high-end apartments on Wagaraw Road, concluding an 11-month application to develop a long-vacant property that was once proposed as the site of a Walmart supermarket.
Board members said they weren’t persuaded by the case made by the property’s owner, the Bedrin Organization, that apartments designed for New York City commuters suited the site, which lies in an industrial and commercial zone, next to a beverage distributor. The vote was 6-1 against.
“While we are certainly disappointed, the real losers here are the hardworking taxpayers of Hawthorne,” said Gerald Bedrin, a partner in the organization.
The 8.6-acre property on the southern end of the borough remains the borough’s largest undeveloped property. Walmart planned to build a 42,000-square-foot supermarket there until lawsuits by borough residents delayed the development, and the retailer withdrew.
At last month’s zoning board meeting, about 20 residents spoke out in support of the project, many showing up with blue “Rivergate YES!” stickers.
file photo by Boyd Loving
OCTOBER 2, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2015, 8:44 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Print
Informed public must be heard
To the Editor:
With all that is going on in the world and in our private lives, we often don’t focus on the very things where we can actually make a difference. I believe it was Tip O’Neill who said, “All politics is local.” There are several important issues that will be decided on by our Village Council in the very near future.
The council was scheduled to vote on an ordinance that would change the housing density in the Central Business District from 12 units per acre to 35. Many village residents worked hard to prevent this from happening as it has the potential of negatively changing the character of our village. Citizens for a Better Ridgewood, the leading opponent to the density change, had an online petition which garnered over 1,000 signatures that was seemingly dismissed by the current council. A gentleman recently spoke at a public meeting calling for a compromise: an increase from 12 to 22-24 units per acre. His suggestion made so much sense and I can only hope the council listened.
The proposed 90-foot baseball diamond at the Schedler property is another case in point. Many villagers have signed petitions and spoken out at public meetings to prevent this from happening for years. They have offered proposals that would allow for a modest-sized playing field while preserving a historic home and 4 acres of woods. This compromise would allow the village to move forward in a manner that would respect the interests of all concerned parties. It doesn’t appear that the council majority will move in that direction.
We always hope that our elected officials will have an ear to the public and make decisions accordingly. This is not the case currently at the council level. Many recent votes have gone 3-2, always with the same council members in the majority and the two in the minority actively seeking to be more inclusive regarding public opinion.
A functioning democracy depends on an informed electorate. At the local level, you can truly have your voices heard and maybe effect the decisions being made supposedly on our behalf. My anthem used to be, “I fight authority and authority always wins.” With people working together for a common cause, we might be able to change the word always to sometimes. Hopefully, John Mellencamp won’t mind.
Any development should enhance Ridgewood’s character
JUNE 5, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JUNE 5, 2015, 12:31 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Any development should enhance village’s character
To the Editor:
Those of us who chose to move to Ridgewood made a careful decision and chose a village with character over urbanized cities such as Morristown or Hackensack.
My family has experienced what Ridgewood has to offer young families, and it’s plentiful. However, I have noticed there is an obvious need for housing for empty nesters.
Overdevelopment in town is being driven by corporations’ strong desire to cash in, not enhance our downtown.
Our schools are overcrowded already; overdevelopment will increase taxes because it will increase the number of children who attend our schools, therefore adding more costs to taxpayers.
In order to protect the quality of our schools, the suburban life and the peace and tranquility of our neighborhoods; development should be reasonable and enhance our village character, not drastically alter it. One example of how development can enhance our downtown is providing green space and parking.
Overdevelopment and an unreasonable increase in density in our zoning laws will lower property values for all and hurt our village life. Urbanization of Ridgewood will decrease property values, as well. We must question the true intentions of those supporting special interests rather than protecting our community.
How is the Mayor friend Saracino and his fish restaurant going to make it without the parking garage in his backyard? I have one question. Are the taxpayers also to pay for the extra large bronze plaque that will hang on the garage wall memorializing the 3 Amigos as the ones that brought Ridgewood out of the dark ages or will it be donated by Saracino and Vaggiois?
Yes the same Developer who purchased the tickets for the council to the Chris Christie event in violation of the “gift ordnance ”
“The council is considering adding a non-binding referendum” What a tease. The key word is “Considering ” They are just throwing out there to make residents believe that the 3 amigos have the residents interest in mind. I wonder if this referendum will contain all the pertinent information such as the told cost plus interest from bonding? Does everybody feel good now they that publicly put out this headline. “The council is considering adding a non-binding referendum to the November ballot to gauge support for a parking garage downtown.” The question is after all that has happened ‘Do you real trust them”
Straight out of the developers playbook…
Know that the existing standard density is 18-24 units per acre
Ask for 50 UPA
Settle for 35 UPA
Double the existing standardt!
But less than 50 UPA …Suckers…
The Planning Board only needs to point to the existing densities that have worked successfully in Ridgewood and say that’s it.
Or they can roll over and give the Developers 35 UPA, double the existing standard, which is what the developers really wanted…to the detriment of our town’s best interests.
Strip mall with Starbucks rising on Route 17 in Ridgewood
JANUARY 13, 2015 LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2015, 8:06 AM
BY JOAN VERDON
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
A strip mall that will house a Starbucks café and seven other retail and restaurant tenants is taking shape on Route 17 in Ridgewood, one of the first ground-up, new construction, retail centers in recent memory.
The project is rising on a former vacant plot near the intersection of southbound Route 17 and Linwood Avenue. The owner of the land, Malvern Burroughs, has been trying to develop the property since the 1980s, and received approval for the 15,000-square-foot retail center in November 2013.
The structure is expected to be completed in late spring, with store openings in the fall, said Laurence Liebowitz of Landmark Real Estate, which is leasing the center.
Installation of the brick-and-limestone façade of the building is expected to begin Jan. 15, Liebowitz said.
While there have been numerous redevelopments of retail properties on Route 17 over the past decade, a brand-new retail center on formerly vacant land is uncommon. Burroughs had proposed other uses for the land, including townhouse apartments and an office building, but could not win approval for those projects from the Ridgewood Planning Board.
Ridgewood should have preserved elements of old building
JANUARY 9, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JANUARY 9, 2015, 9:54 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Building elements should have been preserved
To the editor:
I’m writing about your recent article “Ridgewood debate at Hudson Street lot was ‘past versus parking'” (The Ridgewood News, Dec. 26, page A1).
I’m a former Ridgewood resident who was too young in 1993 to be civically minded and involved in the parking garage debate.
In retrospect, my question for the town is why weren’t elements of the old fire house preserved? Even after the structure was torn down, parts of the original building could have been preserved, even if just a piece of a brick wall or the building’s cornerstone. Imagine how a dull, boring asphalt lot would look if cars passed through the building’s original arches to reach parking spaces.
I think there was a failure on the part of town leaders to think outside the box. If there is any follow-up article I would love to see similar questions asked.
Reader says While we are at it Let’s bring civility back to the Planning board meetings
Let’s bring civility back to the Planning board meetings by replacing the current attorney and by enforcing rules of order that protect the rights of Villagers. Has anyone noticed that the planning board attorney sits in the middle of the table and effectively runs the meeting? I would like our fellow Villagers to be in control of and responsible for the meetings — for good or for bad — and not a lawyer who seems to make up the rules as she goes along.
I thought Charles Nalbatian controlled the meeting. I thought Gail Price was there to answer legal issues and questions that came up and to ensure that legal protocol was followed along with Nalbatian.
Yet according to Ridgewood Waters recent FAQ posted on the Village website , we are told the vast majority of unexpectedly high consumption is due to lawn sprinklers and toilets .
So the new multi housing plan for the Central Business district will not involve flushing toilets ?
As for handling waste water no mention here.
Ridgewood Water – Quarterly Billing FAQ
Quarterly Billing FAQ
The following facts may be useful:
Each meter removed is tested for accuracy. If over-registering were to be discovered, we would follow the refund procedure New Jersey Board of Public Utilities requires.
New meters are similarly high in accuracy. They also have features that can be used to help determine the causes of unusually high consumption.
In certain circumstances where a customer had been receiving estimated bills, over/underestimation may have occurred which could result in an unusually high bill or credit.
Any customer receiving an unusually high bill after a period of estimated bills is eligible for a deferred payment arrangement with no interest charges. Any account that was improperly charged interest will be credited for those charges.
The new meters will provide actual readings remotely with no hindrance to the customer.
If you would like to obtain a reading yourself on the new meter, simply shine a flashlight on the display and it will activate. Two screens will then cycle. The first will be the current read and the second is a rate screen which shows the current gallons per minute passing through the meter.
The vast majority of unexpectedly high consumption is due to lawn sprinklers and toilets.
Many people do not realize or notice that water may be trickling from the toilet tank into the bowl and down the drain. This can really add up when it’s happening 24/7. Ridgewood Water has free dye tablets that can be used to determine if this is happening.
Verizon announced in May 2014 that they would be discontinuing the access to their system for meter reading by the end of the month. That deadline was extended to the end of December.
If you have any further question please contact our Customer Service Department at 201-670-5500 ext. 269 or 275 M-F 8:30 – 4:30. You can also contact us by email at cswater@ridgewoodnj.net
Sounds Familiar : More development pressures in Bergen
News and commentary from Bergen County’s many municipalities besieged by heavy-handed development proposals underscores boiling dissatisfaction with plans for gross changes in heretofore cherished communities.
Ordinary residents can’t accept claims that big development won’t bring negative impacts, and they can’t understand why their elected and appointed officials and “experts” paid with local property taxes buy into those claims.
Montvale’s Hoboken-based “master planner,” who touts experience developed in Johannesburg and elsewhere in Africa, has told locals that state planners encourage denser development than has prevailed in Bergen traditionally.
That requires zoning changes blessed by planners and local officials alike. The blessings can lead to snags. Montvale’s mayor has told residents he testified in court for four days in a lawsuit brought by The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co.
In a case that has received virtually no public attention, A&P makes the thunderous charge that Montvale is guilty of “spot zoning” in favor of one family of local farmers and their development partners.
Whether or not the court agrees, proposals in Montvale and elsewhere in Bergen are pitting the few against the many.
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