The Ridgewood Blog Brings a Free Market Laissez-faire Point of View to Local, New Jersey State and National Issues.
file photo by Boyd Loving
by New Jersey Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board (NJFSAB)
Ridgewood NJ, Fatal fires in high-rise buildings continue to demonstrate the dangers associated with failing to install fire sprinkler systems. These buildings present unique challenges to fire departments and pose a serious danger to their occupants if fire sprinkler systems are not in place.
Continue reading New Jersey high-rises aren’t as fire safe as you think
file photo by Boyd Loving
Expect more people to turn careless as RW evolves into a full scale Hackensack. RW management will make sure to accelerate this transformation. Even myself who am super neighborhood friendly and squeaky clean have started to not pay attention anymore. Have you see how sanitation does not pick up your garbage unless your bin is on the curb?
BUT at least Mr Mayor paid for a corner in NY Post to show the world that RW is the gem of Bergen County. Mayor is in real estate so he knows where to advertise. We’re so lucky.
July 28,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
River Vale NJ, Holly Schepisi (New Jersey State Assemblywoman for District 39 )” I will say this as clearly as possible. The current system does not work properly for anyone. Because I want the legislature to do its job and implement better policies for our communities does not make me a racist or xenophobic as stated by Kevin Walsh, the Fair Share Housing head. I am committed to focusing on providing affordability in housing for all that need it, including our seniors, our veterans, our disabled, new home owners, people who have lost their jobs or have a medical issue and the poor of all races. I do not care what race, religion, ethnicity, political affiliation you identify with. If you want to be my neighbor I will welcome you with open arms. What I do not want is to have every last piece of green space in the already most dense state paved over with 1,000 unit complexes. These units are being forced to be built by Fair Share Housing in communities with no public transportation, no jobs, no infrastructure, all volunteer fire and ambulance corps while increasing populations of small communities by 30 percent or more. Excising concerns about these real life issues is not racism. Calling it such is outrageous. “
July 25,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Trenton NJ, Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee Chair Benjie Wimberly will convene a Wednesday hearing to discuss the issue of affordable housing. The committee will receive testimony from invited speakers and the public.
In an effort to start a fresh discussion on housing concerns, Wimberly plans to hold similar forums throughout New Jersey.
“It is no secret that the cost of living in New Jersey is among the highest in the nation. And, currently, we are at an all-time high in terms of demand for affordable housing,” Wimberly (D-Bergen/Passaic). “We face a severe shortage of affordable homes in our state. This concerns us as a legislative body and committee.”
Among the invited guests for tomorrow’s hearing: Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey, Fair Share Housing Center, the New Jersey Apartment Association and Community Investment strategies.
Audio of the hearing will be streamed at https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/media/live_audio.asp.
Bramnick announces rally against state-imposed, high-density housing
July 10,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
WESTFIELD N.J. ,Assembly Republican Leader Jon Bramnick (R-Union) announced plans for a rally against state-imposed, high-density housing at a town hall meeting tonight in Cranford. The rally will be held on the steps of the Statehouse Annex on Thursday, September 20 at 10 a.m.
Jon Bramnick , “We cannot allow the Courts to require our towns to build thousands of residential units without regard to the impact on schools, traffic and property taxes. The legislature must act immediately. Both democrats and republicans agree that action is needed now and at the very least a moratorium on litigation until the legislature acts. Local zoning laws should be respected.”
December 11,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Paramus NJ, on Thursday night Paramus officials rejected a proposal to build a mutifamily housing development near New Bridge Medical Center. The Paramus Zoning Board of Adjustment unanimously denied Highview Homes’ application to build a 35-unit development on a nearly 2-acre lot on Sorbello Road. The Red Bank-based applicant sought multiple variances, including for multifamily use and height.
According to the “We Are Paramus ” Facebook page , “Great job by the zoning board for hearing the voice of 3,711 residents that voted to stop high density housing in our borough. Thank you for putting the residents first and not the over developing machine!” Others argued that , “This vote is a direct result of the master plan which was passed well before this years election.”
My hat goes off to her but she seems to be lonely in this fight. I don’t see any uproar from anybody else on the Republican side at least. Democ-rats agenda will continue the path of destruction in the name of socialism. Socialism tries to narrow the gap by destroying the rich so they can come come closer to the poor levels instead of trying to bring up the poor and increase their standards. In the end Bergen County and Ridgewood in particular will suffer terribly. We live in times of sadomasochism. These libs don’t care that even their living standards will go down and that of their children as long as their brain is happy with bringing “equality” to the world.
August 2,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Edgewater NJ, One year ago today, a fast-moving fire sparked by a maintenance worker’s blowtorch climbed up the walls and through unsprinklered spaces of the Avalon Edgewater apartment complex.
The blaze was first reported at 4:22 p.m. on Jan. 21, 2015, sending 500 first responders to the Russell Avenue complex.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, no surprise here that state Democrats are funding over building in Bergen County and looking to destroy the quality of life ,turning the county into another borough of Manhattan .
“Anyone who follows me knows I have been fighting to bring rational discussion to the over development crisis impacting most of our communities. As a result I have been labeled a racist, xenophobe and a whole host of awful and untrue things by a non profit organization Fair Share Housing Development. Imagine my surprise today when I saw that their top donor list includes gubernatorial candidate Phil Murphy! And we wonder why our communities are receiving no help from their representatives in Trenton.” , Assemblywomen Holly Schepisi .
In Ridgewood this blog has long warned of over development , even warning residents to not vote for a Hudson County Mayor .
Unfortunately the warnings went unheeded and after the “3 amigos ” reign of terror in the Village is now faced with 4 major high density housing developments that will deplete the Village of Resources , pressure water,sewer, fire ,police and education as well as lower property values and increase tax rates.
New Jersey Superior Court Judge Douglas Wolfson
Michael Booth, New Jersey Law Journal
Lawyers argued Monday over whether a former state judge who handled affordable housing cases should have at least one of his rulings overturned because of his relationship with a developer.
In Trenton, a lawyer for South Brunswick Township squared off against a half-dozen others representing developers and affordable-housing advocates. The township is seeking to have affordable housing rulings made by now-retired Middlesex County Superior Court Judge Douglas Wolfson vacated because of what it alleges is the appearance of a conflict of interest: Wolfson’s acceptance of vacations from, and current representation of, Edgewood Properties.
While on the bench, Wolfson handled litigation involving the township, but not Edgewood Properties, according to documents. And Wolfson recused from cases that came before him involving Edgewood.
Nevertheless, Wolfson for years has had personal and professional ties to Edgewood, and South Brunswick claims Wolfson’s decisions in other affordable housing cases could work in favor of Edgewood or its primary owner, Jack Morris, even though he has no projects pending in the township.
I represent many communities in Bergen and Passaic counties that had significant flooding this week because of the torrential rains. The flooding episodes have become frequent and severe over the past two decades, primarily because there is no place left for groundwater from storms to be absorbed. Guess what isn’t taken into account in current mandated overdevelopment in NJ? Flooding. So towns like Westwood and Hillsdale, Wanaque and Ringwood and Mahwah and Oakland are being forced to build significantly more units of housing under “affordable housing” lawsuits as these same communities are spending millions of dollars to acquire flood prone properties and return them to their natural state to prevent flooding. We need to stop this insanity. Call every Bergen and Passaic County legislator and demand they take action to preserve our communities. #saveourenvironment
Bergen Democrats Do Nothing
July 6,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Trenton NJ, At 1 am on the 4th of July Assemblywomen Holly Schepisi finally had an opportunity to force a vote on her bills which would help our towns in their fight against forced over development. Not surprising, but certainly disappointing, the Bergen County democratic members of the Assembly all voted to stop my legislation from moving forward. Chairman Jerry Green gave a speech as to why he won’t move the bills forward stating among other things that the legislature should essentially cede its duties and obligations to the Courts. Schepisi has asked for a copy of the video of his speech which she will circulate promptly. The attached link is a copy of her speech.
Planning Board Special Public Meeting Announcement
Monday, June 26, 2017, 7:00PM
PLANNING BOARD AMENDMENT TO MEETING SCHEDULE
Special Public Meeting: Monday, June 26, 2017, 7:00 p.m.
Addition to Meeting Schedule
In accordance with the provisions of the “Open Public Meetings Act,” please be advised that the Planning Board has scheduled a special public meeting and work session for MONDAY, June 26, 2017 at 7:00 p.m.in the Ridgewood Village Courtroom, 131 N. Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ 07450.
The Board may take official/formal action during this Special Public Meeting at which time the Board will continue the public hearing concerning KS Broad Street, Preliminary and Final Major Site Plan, 76 & 80 Chestnut Street and 25-27 Franklin Avenue, Block 2005, Lots 11,12,13,14,15. All meetings of the Ridgewood Planning Board (i.e., official public meetings, work session meetings, pre-meeting assemblies and special meetings) are public meetings which are always open to members of the general public.
Michael Cafarelli
Secretary to the Board
c: P/B Members
Ridgewood News*
The Record*
Village Clerk
Village Manager
Village Bulletin Board
Village Website
Bergen County Clerk
Location Village Hall – Court Room/Council Chambers
131 N Maple Ave
Ridgewood
NJ
07450
USA
201-670-5500
“While I know this is Somerset, it is obvious that with the exception of District 39 and District 40 leadership, the crickets from District 36, District 37 and District 38 are becoming more incessant. When will the leadership of NJ Legislature stop playing this “partisan card”? “, Edward Durfee
Affordable housing mandate threatens quality of life, mayor says
Updated on June 20, 2017 at 3:31 PMPosted on June 20, 2017 at 3:30 PM
BY DAVE HUTCHINSON
NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
MONTGOMERY TWP. – Mayor Ed Trzaska is concerned that a potential court mandate requiring the township meet an affordable housing unit quota will put an overwhelming burden on the municipality and negatively effect the quality of life.
At issue is a state Supreme Court ruling in March of 2015 that opened the door for municipalities to be sued for not providing a “fair share” of affordable housing units. The ruling also allows a municipality to demonstrate in court that it has met the requirement to provide affordable housing.
The township, which has a population of some 23,000, has been in the forefront of providing affordable housing units, said Trzaska. Currently, he said the township has 300 affordable housing units, of which more than one-fourth are vacant.
Under a possible court ruling by the Fair Share Housing Counsel, the township could be forced to build between 501 and 1,000 additional affordable housing units, as well as 4,000 market-rate units, said Trzaska. The township has yet to be given the exact number of affordable units it must build, he said.
June 17,2017
by Assemblywomen Holly Schepisi
New Jersey has the highest property taxes, foreclosure rate and is the most expensive state in the nation to own a home. Common sense and basic economics tell us that there is too much supply and too little demand, with high taxes and a dense population distorting total housing costs upward.
Now we are facing the equivalent of housing Armageddon. A non-profit entity with ties to developers is attempting to force towns across the state to build 280,000 affordable housing units in the next nine years.
Unfortunately, just a few months ago the New Jersey Supreme Court sided with the non-profit Fair Share Housing Center to force towns to build approximately 201,000 affordable housing units. Emboldened by the court’s opinion, the FSHC decided to double down and increased its extortion demand to 280,000 new units of affordable housing. This would financially ruin our state, towns and taxpayers.
While the 280,000 number is insane, the problem is actually far worse. Builders don’t only build affordable housing because they can’t make a profit from those units. So they build four times as many unaffordable units to make up the difference. In total, New Jersey is on the hook for approximately 1.4 million homes – which equals a minimum 2,500 per community. To make things worse, the state Supreme Court is supporting this assault on our communities.
Towns across the state, Democrat and Republican, feel as if they have a proverbial gun to their head. They are being forced to enter into settlements that could be disastrous to their communities as a result of lawsuits brought by a non-profit. They are spending money they don’t have to fight unreasonable court-mandated obligations. This is an unwavering threat to taxpayers who can’t afford already nation-high property taxes.
If the Fair Share Housing Center gets its way, the state will be unrecognizable and the change will be irreversible.
Building an additional 1.4 million homes will cause irreversible problems for our schools, environment and water sources, as well as our roads and power grids. Where are the clean drinking-water advocates who lament that 90 percent of New Jersey water fails at least one water-quality standard? Or the environmentalists that want to restrict sprawl and protect New Jersey’s ecosystem? Where is the teacher’s union fighting for smaller class sizes and increased resources for students?Where are the legislators who represent our communities?
And Fair Share’s logic doesn’t make any sense: The most densely populated state in the country, with the highest property taxes in the country and the highest foreclosure rate in the nation needs affordable housing, and its solution is for that state to build massive quantities of housing funded with higher property taxes, making the state denser and more expensive.
It is mind boggling that the state Supreme Court sided with this faulty logic and is enforcing lawsuits that obligate towns to build housing they don’t need. Why aren’t we considering the obvious issue, that there isn’t a lack of housing supply but that housing is just too expensive because of our obscenely high property taxes and cost-of-living?
Isn’t there a fundamental disconnect that families earning $70,000 per year, an amount $14,000 more than the average US family, are eligible for affordable housing. Plainly, people struggle to own a home in New Jersey because it costs too much. The solution isn’t to make the rest of homes cost more by building 280,000 new affordable units.
We cannot let the courts get away with allowing a non-profit that has no constitutional power to force towns into building what they don’t need. It is also unfathomable that the court would legislate what is best for individual communities.
I have introduced two bills, A-4666 and A-4667, giving the Legislature until the end of the year to properly study and fix the problem: one that suspends all affordable housing lawsuits and another establishing a bi-partisan commission to study the issue. If we wait any longer to stop this insanity, the impact on our communities will be irreversible and our already unaffordable property taxes will skyrocket.
I am calling for an immediate stop to these obligations, and to provide relief for towns across the state that can no longer take the burden. We must take action now before it is too late. We must stop this madness or it will hit us like an avalanche.
Holly Schepisi, Republican, represents parts of Bergen and Passaic counties in the 39th Legislative District in the Assembly.
