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Trenton Continues to Push a Massive Over-development Scheme Under the Guise of . “Affordable Housing”

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Trenton NJ, A proposed “Affordable Housing” law aims to establish the required amount of affordable housing for towns to protect against developers bypassing municipal approval processes. The law suggests using a formula outlined in a 2018 court opinion by Judge Mary Jacobson, which initially applied to Princeton and West Windsor. The Department of Community Affairs would calculate the town’s affordable housing number by Dec. 1, 2024, or seven months within the bill’s effective date, avoiding the need for three regional court-appointed special masters, as proposed in the previous session’s draft.

Continue reading Trenton Continues to Push a Massive Over-development Scheme Under the Guise of . “Affordable Housing”

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Reader suggests 24 affordable housing units in Saddle River will cost Taxpayers 30 to 50 million dollars for water and sewage

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“It does appear to be suspicious . The property at 78 Woodcliff Lake Rd. Saddle River, NJ that is supposed to have 24 affordable housing units built on it does not have a system in place for water and sewage. The quote that I heard was it is going to cost between 30 to 50 million dollars to put the water /sewage system in place. Something is not right…. Who is profiting here?”

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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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Many parts of New Jersey face stressed drinking water supplies

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James M. O’Neill , NorthJerseyPublished 1:42 p.m. ET May 8, 2017 | Updated 18 hours ago

Residents in parts of New Jersey use tens of millions of gallons more water a day than their watersheds can safely supply – and other areas of the state could soon be in similar stress according to a state report.

Demand in much of Salem and Cumberland counties outstrips local supply by 70 million gallons a day. In Atlantic County, the deficit is 25 million gallons daily.

https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/2017/05/08/new-jersey-has-many-stressed-drinking-water-supplies/310316001/?utm_campaign=new-jersey-politics&utm_content=2017-09-05-9569518&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=New%20Jersey%20Politics

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Higher Taxes and Congestion Likely from New Ridgewood Apartment Complexes

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May 4,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, The massive new 66 unit, multi-retail store complex coming to Franklin and Broad sets off a chain reaction of traffic problems in Ridgewood. As always, taxpayers will be left holding the bag for nearly a million dollars worth of needed traffic signal upgrades alone.

In the zoomed in version of developer John Saraceno’s “rendering” above we see the Franklin & Broad intersection which will be drastically impacted by the new 5 story building and the nearby 4 story Chestnut apartments. The archway on the right is one of two entry/exit for the 150 new parking spots on Franklin. The current lot is private and not open to the public. There will be a great deal of new traffic at one of the most important, dangerous, and crowded intersections in the village.
The new light at this intersection will cost $300k, Saraceno has offered to pay 25% [which is more than the law requires]. The bigger problem is how other, non-upgraded intersections will handle the traffic flow. By law, developers of Ridgewood’s 4 new high-density buildings only have to pay a small fraction of any needed new lights.
Listen here to the village’s traffic expert, Andrew Feranda: https://youtu.be/ENr_LFZAQuQ?t=10238
As northjersey.com reported:

The board also spent considerable time with its own traffic professional, Andrew Feranda, further discussing the Franklin Avenue thoroughfare.  They looked specifically at the coordination of traffic lights in the area. Feranda recommended coordinating the timing of the lights on Franklin Avenue at Broad Street and Oak Street to ensure more efficient traffic flow.

Voigt said any traffic improvements made to those intersections, the two closest traffic lights to the development, could necessitate changes at all lights from Wilsey Square to Maple Avenue. Feranda agreed the corridor would be more efficient with all the lights working in tandem.

“It certainly doesn’t move traffic efficiently if they’re not coordinated,” said Feranda.

Feranda said his layout would look “similar” to the plans put forth by the applicant. He cited the use of the signalized intersection at Broad Street and Franklin Avenue, and the fact that the driveway, on Chestnut Street, was about as far away from Franklin Avenue as possible.

 https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/bergen/ridgewood/2017/04/19/ridgewood-housing-hearing-focuses-franklin-ave/100647038/
All 4 of the high-density developments downtown are allowed thanks to controversial laws championed by Ridgewood resident Saraceno and then-mayor Paul Aronsohn.
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What Trump, Clinton and Voters Agreed On: Better Infrastructure

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file photo by Boyd Loving

By EMMA G. FITZSIMMONSNOV. 9, 2016

At the end of a stunning and divisive election that left many Americans feeling further apart than ever, there was perhaps one area of common ground: infrastructure.

In a triumphant victory speech early Wednesday, President-elect Donald J. Trump cited the issue as a top priority for his administration.

“We are going to fix our inner cities and rebuild our highways, bridges, tunnels, airports, schools, hospitals,” Mr. Trump said. “We’re going to rebuild our infrastructure, which will become, by the way, second to none.”

The sentiment was echoed across the country on Election Day as voters supported dozens of local ballot measures intended to improve public transportation. In Los Angeles, Seattle and Atlanta, voters were poised to approve spending billions of dollars on buses, rail lines and other projects.

During the presidential campaign, Mr. Trump pledged to spend nearly $1 trillion on infrastructure, seeking to outshine Hillary Clinton on an issue that is a growing concern for many Americans.

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/10/nyregion/what-trump-clinton-and-voters-agreed-on-better-infrastructure.html?_r=0