The Ridgewood Blog Brings a Free Market Laissez-faire Point of View to Local, New Jersey State and National Issues.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ho-Ho-Kus NJ, New Jersey continues to shine as one of the best places to live in the U.S., with five towns making the 2025 Best Places to Live in America ranking, 3 in Bergen County released by Niche on Monday.
Continue reading 3 Bergen County Towns Rank Among Best Places to Live in America for 2025
Economic challenges are affecting seniors and families more than ever before. Housing, groceries, and medical care prices have steadily increased, making managing day-to-day expenses harder. Families often juggle childcare costs, stagnant wages, and supporting senior members who rely on fixed incomes.
Continue reading Balancing Finances: How Seniors and Families Manage Economic Challenges
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, in today’s high-cost living environment, many young adults find themselves turning to a familiar safety net: their parents. A recent report from Bank of America reveals that nearly half (46%) of Gen Zers, aged 18 to 27, rely on financial assistance from their families. Furthermore, 52% of them admit they don’t earn enough to live the life they desire, with day-to-day expenses being a significant barrier to their financial success.
Continue reading Nearly half of Gen Z get help from the Bank of Mom and Dad
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, coming to a town near you, in recent years, Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), often referred to as “granny flats” or “in-law apartments,” have gained popularity as a flexible housing option with numerous benefits. Many states including California have similar proposals, see accessory dwelling units in California .These secondary housing units, typically located on the same property as a primary residence, offer a range of advantages that make them an attractive choice for homeowners and renters alike.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, How High Are Housing Costs? according to the Wall Street Journal ,divorced couples forced to live together!
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, , Consumer prices rose 0.8 percent in February and 7.9 percent over the last 12 months, according to data released Thursday by the Labor Department.
Continue reading Prices Surge as Inflation Rate hits 7.9 percent, fastest rate since 1982
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Washington DC, the Federal Reserve Board just released a study showing Trump policies have caused a surge of wealth. The net worth of all Americans rose to $128 TRILLION through September of this year. That’s up almost 30% in four years. And that was before the Doordash and Airb&b IPOs!
Reuters
U.S. housing starts surged to a more than nine-year high in October as builders ramped up construction of both single and multifamily homes, offering hope that housing will contribute to economic growth in the fourth quarter.
Groundbreaking jumped 25.5 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual pace of 1.32 million units, the highest level since August 2007, the Commerce Department said on Thursday. The percent increase was the biggest since July 1982. Starts increased in all four regions last month.
September’s starts were unrevised at a 1.05 million-unit rate. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast housing starts rising to a 1.16 million-unit pace in October. Residential construction has been a drag on gross domestic product for two straight quarters.
Single-family home building, which accounts for the largest share of the residential housing market, jumped 10.7 percent to an 869,000-unit pace in October, the highest since October 2007.
https://www.cnbc.com/2016/11/17/us-housing-starts-oct-2016.html
Location: Garret Mountain, Woodland Park, NJ
4-Mile Run & 1-Mile Family Walk Saturday, April 23, 2016, at Garret Mountain in Woodland Park, N.J.
Record number of N.J. residents living in poverty, study finds
More New Jersey residents are in poverty now than in the past five decades and the outlook for the future is bleak, according to a report released Sunday, which aims to redefine the definition of poor in the state. MaryAnn Spoto, NJ.com Read more
file photo Boyd Loving
Insanity Defined: Feds Unveil Plan to Help High-Risk Homebuyers Take On Massive Debt. Again.
Stephanie Slade|Oct. 22, 2014 4:28 pm
“Low Down Payments Are Coming Back,” screams a headline from The Wall Street Journal today. The story details two steps federal regulators apparently have in the works:
On Monday, Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Mel Watt announced that mortgage-finance companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac would start backing loans with down payments as low as 3%.
And on Tuesday, three federal agencies approved a loosened set of mortgage-lending rules, removing a requirement for a 20% down payment for a class of high-quality loan known as a “qualified residential mortgage.”
Loans with little to no down payment were a common feature of the lax lending practices that were prevalent during the housing market’s bubble years.
Of course, those bubble years eventually came to an end, causing an economic meltdown of jawdropping magnitude. Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama responded by running up the national debt from $10 trillion before the recession to more than $17.5 trillion today. And “experts” everywhere laid the blame at Wall Street’s feet, lambasting the banks for making reckless loans they should have known were destined to go bad.
https://reason.com/blog/2014/10/22/feds-unveil-plan-to-help-high-risk-ameri
Improving our Central Business District
JULY 11, 2014 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JULY 11, 2014, 8:04 AM
Deputy Mayor Albert Pucciarelli
to the editor:
I had the privilege of serving as a member of the Zoning Board of Adjustment and Planning Board for almost 24 years. I enjoyed that service. I am grateful for the opportunity. I was, however, disappointed in one aspect of the work, particularly on the Planning Board.
The Planning Board is not a forum where our community-at-large can engage in a discussion of a broad vision for our Central Business District (CBD). The “planning” role has become buried in a mountain of complex applications, including applications to amend the Master Plan by applicants who pursue this route rather than trying to obtain hard-to-get variances. That has placed the Planning Board in a reactive mode. Its generous and very capable volunteer members have no choice but to devote the time required to deal with these applications.
As a quasi-judicial body, in the best of times the Planning Board is not suited for an open exchange of ideas. Instead, our citizens who desire to be heard typically are allowed only to react to testimony of an applicant or an expert. Citizen remarks during the comments period are brief monologues that are respectfully listened to, but unfortunately, this is not an opportunity for open dialogue with our Planning Board.
I was elected on a promise to seek a new vision for our CBD, insisting the status quo is not an option. Lack of parking, poor traffic flow and traffic volume, underutilized parcels, haphazard signage, few desirable residences and the shabby appearance of Franklin Avenue and Chestnut Street. Surely we can do better. Even with these issues, our CBD is the pride of residents and a magnet for new residents. Our business community enhances village life not only by the quality of goods and services, but also by many programs sponsored by the Chamber and Guild. Our home values are dependent in part upon the CBD’s vibrancy.
(Editor’s note: A forum on the CBD will be held from 7:30-9 p.m. on Wednesday, July 23 in the Village Hall courtroom. A follow-up session will be announced at the July 23 forum).
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-letters-to-the-editor/letter-improving-our-central-business-district-1.1049965#sthash.IbU6Mp7c.dpuf
Planner hired by neighbors criticizes Ho-Ho-Kus project
JUNE 21, 2014 LAST UPDATED: SATURDAY, JUNE 21, 2014, 1:21 AM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD
HO-HO-KUS — A Maplewood planner, hired by a consortium of residents opposing a proposed subdivision, testified on Thursday that he believes there are flaws in the project’s design.
Amid a battery of objections from the applicants’ lawyer, Peter Steck told the Planning Board that, “as proposed, the [subdivision] application warrants a denial.”
Steck provided his overall analysis of the subdivision’s plans, saying the project could do without a devised cul de sac, “because what this does is it produces lots with multiple road frontages.”
The parcel — the site of a large building with some accessory structures — is at West Saddle River Road and Hollywood Avenue, extending to Van Dyke Drive.
Ground is slated to be broken in August on the project.
Plans call for the subdivision of 4 acres of mostly wooded land into 11 single-home plots.
Neighbors of the planned project, known as the Hollows at Ho-Ho-Kus, argue that approving it would fundamentally change the character of their neighborhood while negatively impacting natural drainage throughout the area, creating the potential for flooding.
Nine couples living around the site have hired Ho-Ho-Kus attorney Robert Inglima to represent them before the board.
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/planner-hired-by-neighbors-criticizes-ho-ho-kus-project-1.1039251#sthash.mWb69qvi.dpuf