SEPTEMBER 18, 2015, 11:34 PM LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2015, 11:36 PM
BY LINH TAT
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
For months after a five-alarm fire ripped through a massive apartment complex in Edgewater and left a pile of debris in its wake, residents, firefighters and lawmakers called for changes to state regulations that dictate building standards and requirements, in hopes of improving fire safety.
Many provided input to the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, which happened to be in the midst of updating the state Uniform Construction Code, a process that takes place every three years.
On Monday, the newly revised code will take effect. But absent are the changes that so many had been pushing for after the Avalon at Edgewater fire.
Ridgewood NJ, the Village Council has now scheduled two public meetings to gather public input on the high density housing projects planned for the central business district .The two public hearings are scheduled for THIS Wednesday, September 16 at 8 pm, and Wednesday, September 30.
This is an opportunity to Voice your opinion or just be present to show you care about a series of “sweeping reforms” that will allow high-density housing to be built in our Central Business District. The Village Council will vote on September 30. These reforms will change the character of the Village for ever and may effect both the quality of life and property values in the Village .
The grass roots group CBR urges everyone to show up and be heard .
A room filled with concerned citizens is a chance to urge Council members to reconsider enacting these ordinances in their present form.
This is YOUR village and you do have a voice. These two hearings will be your last chance to speak up
The mayor is such a liar. He acts like the idea of a second meeting is a new idea and he is jumping right on it due to the back to school night conflicts. So much bullshit from our egomaniacal leader. Boyd Loving spoke publicly in the summer and implored Aronsohn to have more than one hearing, stating that of course not everyone could make one certain date. In this instance the mayor stated that people could talk at other meetings during the summer (when it would not be an agenda item and when half the town is away). A woman from N. hillside spoke on Wednesday night and said she was there on the 9th because she has back to school night on the 16th. In this instance the mayor stared blankly at her and made no comment. This high density housing will probably go through even if a thousand people speak up. But those thousand people will never vote for Paulie Boy ever again.
It’s been said before and should keep being said, we all want seniors to be able to stay in town if they would like. Apartments currently exist for that purpose and a few more can and maybe should be built within the current density levels.
But the worst thing that could happen to seniors who would like to stay in their homes would be for hundreds of new apartments to be built. Either families would occupy those apartments OR the homes vacated by seniors moving into apartments. Either way the result is MORE children in school AND HIGHER taxes for services to support those children (school budget is by far the largest % of our tax bills). We NEED to find ways for people without children in school to stay in their homes and increasing the school budget is not the way to do it.
The Ridgewood News editorial today highlights in the importance of the September 16 Village Council meeting for the future of our village, and asks the Mayor and Council, “What’s the Hurry?” (see link below)
The Ridgewood News approached CBR to make a statement about how the Village Council intends to rush the vote to approve ordinances that would allow high density housing, and asked our opinion on holding the public hearing on a night that conflicts with many Back-to-School nights. (see our statement to the Ridgewood News below)
We have asked the Mayor and Council to reschedule the meeting. We urge YOU to also email the Mayor and Council and ask them to either reschedule the public hearing, or to schedule additional opportunities for public comment in the future on this very important matter. The email addresses are below. Also, please continue to reach out to friends and neighbors and encourage everyone to attend this vital meeting on Wednesday, September 16.
With elegant architecture and high-end restaurants all within walking distance, Ridgewood is both urbane and sophisticated.
By Mary Ann Castronovo Fusco | September 1, 2015
Young parents pushing strollers share the broad sidewalks with friends schmoozing at an outdoor café. Teens hunt for bargains, while grandparents treat their charges to a matinee at the Bow Tie Cinemas Warner Quad or a fresh-made waffle cone at Kilwins. Nearby, Memorial Park at Van Neste Square is an oasis of calm. Welcome to downtown Ridgewood.
“I love how walkable it is, and that everything is in one small area,” says children’s book author Ann Malaspina. “I can go to the post office and mail a package, get a coffee at Ridgewood Coffee Company, meet a friend for lunch—all while having my car serviced.” And the town is “family friendly,” adds Malaspina, who raised her two sons in Ridgewood.
East Ridgewood Avenue is the main artery, ending at the sprawling California Mission Revival-style train station, which dates to 1916 and is listed on the national and state Register of Historic Places. Over the past year, elegant way-finding signs—a joint effort by the Village and the local Chamber of Commerce—have sprouted on downtown corners, pointing visitors toward the many shops and restaurants on the side streets. More will come.
“I look at downtown as a destination,” says Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld, a 19-year resident. “We have lots of people coming from different directions. It’s a small town feel that is also urbane and sophisticated.”
Ridgewood
September 8,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Recent events once again point to critical weakness in the water supply of the Village of Ridgewood and surrounding towns serviced by Ridgewood Water company . I cannot emphasize enough the importance of obeying these restrictions – this is a public safety issue – our firefighters need to have the necessary water and water pressure to be able to fight fires and we also need to maintain reserves for household use.
As you are aware we have ratcheted up enforcement over the last several weeks issuing over 50 summonses and hundreds of warnings. This has had some impact but unfortunately we need to take this further – so, I have taken the additional step of appointing more Village employees who will have the authority to issue summonses in order to achieve a higher rate of compliance.”Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld
Please plan to attend the Village Council Meeting on Wednesday, September 16 at 7:30 pm at Village Hall.
This will be your LAST CHANCE to voice your opinion on a series of “sweeping reforms” that will allow high-density housing to be built in our Central Business District.
While surrounding towns like Ho-Ho-Kus and Glen Rock welcome new housing development appropriate for their downtowns at 10-15 units per acre, Ridgewood is ready to change the zoning in our downtown to 35 units per acre. Is Ridgewood looking to become a more urban village? If our Village Council approves this Master Plan Amendment, the answer will be yes.
This is YOUR village and you do have a voice. September 16is your last chance to speak up.
Please come to the Village Council Meeting to speak up, or just to lend your support. Encourage friends and neighbors to come, too. Mayor Paul Aronsohn said the Village Council will vote on September 16. We are hoping a room filled with concerned citizens will sway Council members to reconsider enacting these ordinances.
Thank you for your continued support! We hope to see you on the 16th!
Glen Rock council to vote on S-2 zone , multi family high density housing
SEPTEMBER 4, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY RICHARD DE SANTA
STAFF WRITER |
GLEN ROCK GAZETTE
With a final vote on a new age-restricted housing zone in Glen Rock now pushed to Sept. 16, the measure and its purpose were again challenged at the Wednesday, Aug. 26 Borough Council meeting.
Resident and attorney Ron D’Argenio ramped up his public opposition to the pending “S-2” zone ordinance, arguing that the existing zone for multiple-unit senior housing (S-1) is sufficient and saying the new one was conceived and advanced chiefly to accommodate an individual developer’s plan.
Disagreeing with building regulations to be permitted in the new zone, D’Argenio had also assailed the council at an Aug. 10 work session for recently “downplaying” what he called obvious links between the S-2 ordinance and a senior citizen apartment development planned by Glen Park Village LLC – and calling that stance “intellectual dishonesty” and “deception.”
He also criticized the absence of public council conversation around the project or the zoning question, over the period when the borough Planning Board was drafting the S-2 ordinance for its consideration earlier this year.
Mayor John van Keuren and Councilwoman Joan Orseck are also Planning Board members.
I fully support using this structure for affordable housing. But it points out the problems with the spot zoning created by the planning board’s decision to open up downtown ridgewood to developers.. More and more property owners are going to seek to build apartments in downtown Ridgewood. If i owned a one story structure for which I got one rent from one tennant, i would be a fool not to want to build a four story structure and bring in 50 tenants like the developers have now been given the green light to do. This is the floodgate that the planning board foolishly or intentionally opened. While Gail Price said it wasn’t spot zoning, she was wrong on that issue as she has been on so many of her irrational decisions pro-development, pro-hospital rulings over the past four or five years.
AUGUST 21, 2015, 6:25 PM LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, AUGUST 21, 2015, 7:59 PM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
RIDGEWOOD — Bergen County’s United Way is considering acquisition of the American Red Cross building on Godwin Avenue, having deemed the two-storied structure ideal for a possible affordable-housing project.
Tom Toronto, the president of Bergen County’s United Way, confirmed Friday his organization “is interested” in procuring the Red Cross site in Ridgewood, which recently hit the market following a reorganization of the non-profit’s real estate holdings.
Toronto said village officials approached him a few weeks ago to suggest the building as a potential location for a United Way-funded supportive housing project.
“Our interest would be to convert that building into housing, and there is some appeal to the structure: It lends itself to adaptation for housing relatively easily and efficiently,” Toronto said, mentioning that it’s asking price could be “a hurdle.”
Toronto said Bergen County’s United Way could end up making an offer on the Ridgewood parcel as soon as next week, but as of now “We’re in the process of assessing whether we can make a meaningful offer for the building,” Toronto said.
The Red Cross building needs an elevator, Toronto said, noting the building’s first floor would likely be devoted to living spaces for the physically and developmentally disabled. Other units in the building, Toronto said, could be allocated as senior-citizen residences, depending on the village’s affordable housing needs.
Ridgewood NJ, The Village Council has scheduled public hearings on five (5) ordinances which, if approved, would permit the development and construction of high density multi-family housing in Ridgewood’s Central Business District.
The Ordinance #’s are: 3489, 3490, 3491, 3492, and 3493. Full text of each ordinance is available via these links:
AUGUST 4, 2015 LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, AUGUST 4, 2015, 11:14 AM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Ordinances dealing with the amendment to the village master plan will soon be headed back to the council after a consistency review was performed by the Planning Board.
At the July 21 Planning Board meeting, members undertook the review required by Municipal Land Use Law and found the ordinances were consistent with the master plan amendment that was adopted in June.
A letter reflecting this determination will be sent to the village clerk and council, said Planning Board Chairman Charles Nalbantian.
The Planning Board as a whole will review the letter with Nalbantian at its next meeting on Aug. 4. Then, the council will take up final discussions, culminating in a final public hearing and vote.
After a lengthy public hearing process, the Planning Board approved in June zoning changes to allow multifamily housing in the Central Business District (CBD).
The AH-2 zone was created purely for housing and is intended to require affordable housing in new development. The B-3-R and C-R zone ordinances are also written to incentivize affordable housing, but allow mixed-use development.
A fourth zone, the purely commercial C zone, was also adopted.
We live in the Hawes district but on the other side of Rt 17N. The school is so crowded that our new neighbors have been told that their Kindergarten daughter cannot go to Hawes but will be bussed to yet another school. If Ridgewood is so overcrowded WITHOUT those apartments, what will happen when they come in? And the school children inventory was not done in any of the garden apartments in town, just the one high rise on Maple. We all know the reason for that!
Taking a population count in the garden apartments would prove that the builder’s have no idea how many children would live in the new apartments, as a good number live in the garden apartments. I really don’t understand why our Planning Board, and now our Council, have not bothered to make our town Planner do something other than” the devil is in the details.”
Valley is a disgrace to Ridgewood with their actions. Why would anyone support Valley in this town anymore? I believe Hackensack is Top 5 in the country. The 10 minute extra drive is now worth it for me. This town has so many issues. A 3-2 Council, we’re the minority on this.
High Density housing, unreasonable size units we’re given. A 15 Million dollar parking garage? Are you insane? How much did the Town Hall cost in the flood zone. How many studies have we paid for? Let’s do another study. Steel beams and concrete..$15 million dollars, only in RichWood. Town is a disgrace and moving in the wrong direction. I just heard, needs to be confirmed, the Engineer is asking taxpayers sidewalks to be repaired? Take a look at the sidewalks in the CDB. Hint, the red bricks meeting concrete. Don’t ask others to do when you don’t! True
