Tag: multi-family housing

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Citizens for a Better Ridgewood : Pushes Letter Writing Campaign to Halt Over Development

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Please attend the final meeting next Wednesday AND email council members now! (Easy cut-and-paste letter below )

Ridgewood Residents!! An unprecedented, sweeping urban-zoning change is coming to Ridgewood!

Please attend the Village Council meeting on September 30 at 7:30 in Village Hall, and please write your council members to voice your concerns.

A sample letter is below if you wish to simply cut, paste, sign and send to:

Paul Aronsohn – [email protected]
Albert Pucciarelli – [email protected]
Gwenn Hauck – [email protected]
Susan Knudsen – [email protected]
Michael Sedon – [email protected]

 

Dear Council Member,
I am a citizen and a voter of Ridgewood and am writing to urge you to “Vote No” to the high-density housing ordinances on September 30th.

A “Yes” vote risks diminishing our quality of life forever, creating urban-scaled developments that are entirely inconsistent with our town’s size and character.

For generations Ridgewood has taken great pains to protect the small town character of our community by smart zoning in both our business and residential districts. In one night, on September 30th, the Village Council could destroy the legacy and the trust of all these generations.

Amending the master plan to truly “spot zone” at the requests of a few developers is a mistake. And despite some council-member’s baseless claims of widespread support for high density zoning, it is NOT supported by a majority of residents. This was clearly evidenced by the landslide wins in the last council election for the two candidates who spoke openly against the high-density amendment.

The ordinances should be rejected because they will:
Forever change the small town feel of Ridgewood;

Potentially add too many kids to our schools, which are already full to capacity;

Worsen our existing parking and traffic crisis;

Risk increasing our excessive property taxes, if the developments do not succeed financially, or if more children live there than you estimated;

Over stress our limited water supply and aging infrastructure;

Overburden our maxed out ballfields and open spaces; and

Result in a cascade of me-too lawsuits from neighboring property owners who similarly wish to benefit from the profits to be attained from building a 35 unit per acre development in the Central Business District.

The Planning Board never did any comprehensive independent study on these changes. They relied far too heavily on biased data provided by developers. On the Council’s end, you have not done any financial studies (which are now allowed at the Planning Board level), to better gauge impacts on the Village. You don’t know the full impacts. As such, approvals on 9/30 will be reckless.
I will be paying close attention to YOUR VOTE on this crucial issue, which will strongly influence MY VOTE in the coming election.
Please do the right thing — stand with the overwhelming majority of citizens who oppose this risky plan and VOTE NO to the ordinances as they stand now.

Sincerely,
(your name goes here)

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Save Our Village!!

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VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TODAY AND SUNDAY!!

Dear Friend,

We are asking for your help this weekend to get the word out about the big vote on Wednesday. The future of our village is at stake.

Come join a group of enthusiastic volunteers TODAY and/or Sunday at 1:00 pm to help pass out flyers and talk to our fellow residents about the importance of showing up for Wednesday’s vote at Village Hall.

Many, many residents have written emails to the Mayor and Council (it’s not too late for you to write, too — see attachment), there were four compelling Letters to the Editor in the paper yesterday (see links below), and our cause has gone viral on Facebook.  We have a lot of momentum going into Wednesday’s meeting, and we need all the help we can get to make one final push!!

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

When: Sat/Sun 1pm
Where: Northwest corner of Van Neste Park (Across from Raymond’s)
Why:  Because this is the real rent we pay for living in a great democracy and a place like Ridgewood.

If you have kids, please bring them. This is a great opportunity to teach civic engagement.

If you plan to arrive, please email Dana at [email protected] or call 917-685-9056

If you can’t make it but want to be involved, email Dana as well.

Hope to see you out there this weekend — and at the Village Council meeting on WEDNESDAY!!

Thank you for your continued support!!

Citizens for a Better Ridgewood
[email protected]

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Citizens for a Better Ridgewood : Say NO to High Density Housing

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Please copy and paste this Quick and Easy email message to council. We MUST be heard. The more people who send the more we will be heard. Feel free to add your own personal touch.

Step 1: copy and paste these email addresses into the recipient line:

 

[email protected], gha[email protected], msedon@ridgewoodnj.net, sknudsen@ridgewoodnj.net, apucciarelli@ridgewoodnj.net

Step 2: copy and paste this into the Subject line:
 
Say NO to High Density Housing
 

Step 3: copy and paste this text into the message:

 
 

Dear Village Council,

 

I’m writing to urge you to vote “no” on the high density housing proposed for our Historic Central Business District. The density is too high and should not be considered for Ridgewood. If you think it should be considered, please take the time to first listen to the people who elected you then take the time to hear from real experts about the impact on taxes, traffic, infrastructure, schools, property values, quality of life, stress on services, and more.

 

The impact on our Village will be irreversible and this permanent change requires more than just two meetings and a quick vote. It certainly requires you to consider the will of the public, the homeowners, the taxpayers, the residents, the VOTERS who elected you!

 

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Ridgewood Water Serious Capacity Issues

RidgewoodWaterLogo_061912_rn_tif_

September 25 2015

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, If the current water storage tanks, wells, pumps, are not sufficient to meet current summer time peak demands (as Peak summertime demands are not the design standard, Average daily demands are the standard), what would happen with future growth as in the proposed apartments? There might not even be sufficient water supply for average household daily demands, let alone for firefighing. We can forget about outdoor irrigation of any kind completely, and become a cement city.
Additional larger capacity storage tank, wells and pumps, at another location in Ridgewood, should be addressed now. Other towns serviced such as Wyckoff has shown population growth, building expansion since the 1997 water study.

https://mods.ridgewoodnj.net/pdf/water/08VVFAQs.pdf
Review of 1997 study referenced in 2008 “Valley View Storage Tank Replacement study, indicated “minor additional demand might occur in decade or over several decades, not focusing on future demand should it occur, saying future change would be minimal. The sizing of the Valley View Tank should be a viable solution for many decades into the future.”
“Population growth has not markedly changed in the last 30 – 40 years. The minor amount of growth that has occurred in the last two decades can be characterized as in-filling (e.g. one house is torn down and two or three are built in its place). There is little room for development of any significance throughout the entire system that will have any impact on typical daily demands.
“The project is for regional public good. True, the project more directly services a particular area, but that area houses numerous properties that service the general public good – Ridgewood High School, GW Middle School, Village Hall, the downtown area, Valley Hospital, etc.”
Reference was made to the E.Glen and N. Monroe as possible sight . Study shows there are 4 other tanks with larger capacity 2,000,000 gallons, and 1 tank with 2,5000,000.gallon at locations Wyckoff, Glen Rock, E. Saddle River Rd, Ridgewood. Referenced other locations with lesser capacities.
https://mods.ridgewoodnj.net/pdf/water/08VVFAQs.pdf

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Revised N.J. construction code lacks fire safety changes urged after Edgewater blaze

ridgewood fire department theridgewoodblog.net 1

file photo by Boyd Loving

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.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/revised-n-j-construction-code-lacks-fire-safety-changes-urged-after-edgewater-blaze-1.1413352

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Readers says This high density housing will probably go through even if a thousand people speak against it

Village _council_meeting_theridgewoodblog

file photo Boyd Loving

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.

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Village Council Caves on demands for a Second Meeting to hear public comments on the multi-family housing

Village Council

photo by Boyd Loving

September 14,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, The Mayor Paul Aronsohn and the Village Council has given in to the public outcry for a Second Meeting to hear public comments on the multi-family housing . On June 24 at a public meeting the Mayor basically told resident Boyd Loving to sit down and shut up when he suggested that more than one public hearing was in order.

Boyd was adamant that one night would make it difficult for some people to attend and that this one-night plan was completely contrary to the manner in which the Valley hearings were conducted.   At that time the Mayor was unwilling to listen to this reasonable suggestion.

Perhaps recent events such as the lawsuit brought by the CBR, as well as intense public outcry about the single meeting, and even the Ridgewood News editorial,  have caused a change of heart.   Boyd it seems, was dare we say it, RIGHT.

Now perhaps you will listen to Boyd’s other suggestion to secure a larger venue for the hearings, so that overflow citizens are not sequestered in the basement of Village Hall and are somehow shuttled up and down stairs to the microphone.

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Village Council Meeting on Wednesday, September 16 at 7:30 pm at Village Hall Time To Speak Up

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Sept 16 is LAST CHANCE to speak up!

Dear CBR Supporters and Friends,

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!

Citizens for a Better Ridgewood
[email protected]

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Ridgewood Public Hearings on Multi-Family Housing in CBD

public hearing

file photo by Boyd Loving

August 21,2015

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

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:

https://www.njpublicnotices.com/Details.aspx?SID=gjwu1xsp3tkogmnc3awsou0b&ID=15039

https://www.njpublicnotices.com/Details.aspx?SID=gjwu1xsp3tkogmnc3awsou0b&ID=15040

https://www.njpublicnotices.com/Details.aspx?SID=gjwu1xsp3tkogmnc3awsou0b&ID=15041

https://www.njpublicnotices.com/Details.aspx?SID=gjwu1xsp3tkogmnc3awsou0b&ID=15042

https://www.njpublicnotices.com/Details.aspx?SID=gjwu1xsp3tkogmnc3awsou0b&ID=15043

These hearings will be held on Wednesday, September 16, 20015 beginning at 8:00 PM.

BUT WHERE WILL THE HEARINGS BE HELD?

If held in the Village Hall Courtroom, there will not be enough room to accommodate the anticipated number of attendees/those wishing to speak.

Will the Council deliberately try to lock some of us out by not holding the hearings at an appropriately sized venue?

Stand by ladies and gentlemen.  Let’s see if our mayor and his cohorts do the right thing.

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Reader says 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

days are numbered

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.”

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Who will benefit from high-density housing in Ridgewood?

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JULY 31, 2015    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JULY 31, 2015, 12:31 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

Who will benefit from high-density housing plans?

To the Editor:

My family moved to Ridgewood in the early 1950s, living first on Lincoln Avenue then buying our family home in 1957. I was born here and went through the public schools, for which my father worked most of his adult life. So if anyone has seen “change” in this town, I have.

Some change has been for the better; for instance, the ethnic and racial mix is a bit more diverse. Some has not. While superficially we are more varied, with a wider range of skin tones and ancestry than in my youth, Ridgewood is increasingly homogenized economically. Growing up, I knew families from all socioeconomic levels. Now, blue-collar and other regular working folks — people who made things — are crowded out, and only investment bankers, hedge fund managers, and others who “make” only money dominate. With that comes a certain mindset, one which, to borrow Oscar Wilde’s quip, knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. Of that group, some may have come for good schools or even because they like it here. Others may have moved here for the cachet of a “golden zip code” or snob appeal, or as a rung on the ladder toward someplace more exclusive, say Alpine or Short Hills, or with the hope of making some money in a town where housing values have held steady even in downturns, due to the precise thing that high-density housing would destroy, namely, Ridgewood’s small-town ambiance.

It’s no mystery why the advocates of high-density housing would want it: this being Ridgewood, it will be high-priced, and there will be lots of money to be made in the short run. Unfortunately, when Ridgewood loses the character that made it desirable in the first place and becomes just Fort Lee with a longer commute, values will drop; but by that time, they will have pocketed their profits and have no reason to care.

To discuss in detail all the reasons high-density housing is wrong for Ridgewood would expand this letter to un-publishable length. I will simply end by quoting two Latin maxims: “cui bono?” (Who benefits?) and “res ipsa loquitur” (the thing speaks for itself).

A.C. Willment

Ridgewood

https://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-letters-to-the-editor/letter-to-the-editor-who-will-benefit-from-high-density-housing-in-ridgewood-1.1384087

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We need serious discussion of the combination of these affordable housing developments and the planning board’s decision to allow hundreds of new families to move into a few acres of land in downtown Ridgewood

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We need serious discussion of the combination of these affordable housing developments and the planning board’s decision to allow hundreds of new families to move into a few acres of land in downtown Ridgewood. I think one of the consequences of the housing projects approved by the planning board will be to set ourselves up for these very builder suits as well as claims of “spot zoning.”

Affordable housing is a great goal. But what we completely don’t understand is how the courts will enforce the means to that goal. So, we are on the verge of approving 400 to 500 new family units in the middle of town at selected sites. Some of that will be designated for low income. What if it is not enough in the eyes of some judge? What if the judge measures the need for low income housing against the entire town as a whole. Is it possible the judge could say we need to designate 50% of all new housing to low income?

Frankly, that might bring a nice diversity to the town and I think we all love to hear about hard working families that are given a chance. But, what will the effect be on the speculators / builders who think they just hit the jackpot with the planning board. Low income means less profit. Will that profit come out of the facades of the buildings we have to look at? Will it come out of the taxes the developers said would be generated when the developers go in and demand tax reductions? Will it come out of the structures themselves so that we are the cusp of creating tenements in our downtown. Remember, the planning board did not approve “quality housing.” It approved increased housing density, period. If the developers are forced to give up profit by the courts, they will have no incentive to build quality units and we will have no ability to stop them from building sub-standard units.

And then there is the issue of surrounding properties. Once one property owner sees that they can tear down a store and put up 50 to 100 family units, why won’t they? The planning board randomly picked spots in town and said they were suitable for high density living. There is no rhyme or reason to what they did, other than that is what the developers asked for first. The planning board did not “plan”, it “reacted” to what the developers demanded. These same developers or the next set will come in and ask for the same treatment. And when they don’t get it, they will make the same arguments that hoodwinked the current planning board – – we need to do this to satisfy affordable housing rules. And regardless of what the planning board says, they only need to convince one judge that they are right.

The Village council needs to seriously consider these issues in detail before it approves the massive over-development of downtown Ridgewood.

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Ridgewood Planning Board – July 7th Special Public Meeting

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Planning Board – July 7th Special Public Meeting

PLANNING BOARD

AMENDMENT TO MEETING SCHEDULE

SPECIAL PUBLIC MEETING ANNOUNCEMENT

In accordance with the provisions of the “Open Public Meetings Act,” please be advised that the Planning Board will hold a special public meeting on Tuesday, July 7, 2015, in the Village Hall Court Room, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ. The purpose of the meeting is to hold the Annual Reorganization Meeting beginning at 7:30 p.m. A regular business meeting will follow.

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

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Reader says Let me make one thing perfectly clear: Paul Aronsohn and Albert Pucciarelli will not, I repeat WILL NOT, be swayed by public opinion, common sense, or realistic facts

neighborhood-of-make-believe

Discussion? No need for discussion! Gwenn, Paul, and Albert are our 3-person council. Ms. Gwenn might want to recall that she won by 6 votes, while Mike and Susan were voted in on a huge margin. It won’t be too much longer before sanity will rule again. No way are the thre of them getting re-elected

Let me make one thing perfectly clear: Paul Aronsohn and Albert Pucciarelli will not, I repeat WILL NOT, be swayed by public opinion, common sense, or realistic facts. They are going to build this god-forsaken garage and look out anybody who gets in their way. They feel this will make their mark in town. Yep, it will be a mark alright, a gigantic debt and a garage with so few cars in it that it will look like an abandoned property. But they won’t care. In a couple of years Aronsohn will be in DC (he hopes) working as a gopher for Hillary, and Pucciarelli will be living in MidlandPark, and we will be left with this mess, their legacy.

maybe, maybe Gwenn will decide to rein this project in and make it mor sensible and less colossal. Say what you will about Gwenn, but she of the three of them truly TRULY cares about Ridgewood. lately there have been glimmers of hope that she might be standing on her own away from the two of them on a couple of issues. Maybe she will back off on this folly. We can hope.

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Reader says the developers are either stupid or were told by those involved in the process (council, planning board?) that it would be approved

misterrogers02

I will not sign the petition only because I have no idea what kind of backlash I might face by doing so. But I wholeheartedly object to their 35 unit/acre proposal. The developers knew the rules when they bought the properties. The rules allow 12 but let’s be generous and go with the 18-24 existing standard – they asked for double that and by their own admission were surprised by the resistance they’ve faced. So they are either stupid or were told by those involved in the process (council, planning board?) that it would be approved. They say the economics don’t work under the current rules – so who in their right mind would take that kind of risk? These developers do not have the best interest of the village in mind, they want more traffic (foot or otherwise) downtown. Who does this help? In some ways the businesses generally but much more so and longer term it helps the landlords. For years they have been jacking up the rents on businesses (driving many away) in a time where retail spending as a whole has moved online making brick and mortar stores less valuable. The landlords see this and are happy to support this over-expansion because there is no other way to fill that revenue hole than to extract it from current residents of Ridgewood.

There were 3 primary considerations for moving to Ridgewood (many years before our first child was even born btw so the “empty nester” argument is invalid here – we are 2nd generation Ridgewood).
1) Great schools
2) Safety – outstanding police and fire response
3) Charming, Beautiful place to raise a family and hopefully retire

Allowing this over-expansion enhances exactly none of those considerations. Ridgewood’s restaurants thrive, retailers do not and likely will not when even the high-traffic areas of 17 have been forced to close. Stop arguing that we need to draw bigger retailers into this town – I can drive to 17 if I can’t find what i’m looking for online. Enough with the nonsense arguments, and enough with Blaise trying to figure out how to stuff the maximum density into our limited space (all this based on his “expert” opinion even though he has zero ability to think about a broader common sense plan for development).

in short – just say No to the developers. It is not our responsibility to tell them what’s allowed – they knew that when they bought the property. Cutting your request from 4X what is allowed to only 3X is not a compromise, it’s still a snow job.