March 4, 2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood Nj , Pfund’s folly resurfaces once again to haunt the Village of Ridgewood . We have former Mayor and now appointed local judge Pfund to thank.
Without Ordinance 3066, passed purposely in July 2007 when many residents were down the shore, applications to amend the Master Plan would never have even been considered. Then the developers used an old anchoring by applying for 50 units, only to say they’d “compromised” down to 35.
It is clear to most residents that we need to stop the madness , Village residents need to focus on repeal Ordinance No. 3066 which allows these incongruous projects. No other town in New Jersey has this ordinance which was initially passed to aid the Valley Hospital development.
“Ordinance No. 3066, which sets forth the fees and processes involved in applying for an amendment to the master plan or development regulations, was originally passed in July 2007. The ordinance has become the subject of controversy as many believe it enabled the multiple master plan amendment applications that have dominated the agenda at Planning Board meetings.” https://theridgewoodblog.net/ridgewood-making-changes-to-controversial-ordinance-no-3066-known-by-many-as-pfunds-folly/
Developers then seized the opportunity to propose projects which previously would have been summarily rejected without this ordinance. Essentially if the ordinance is not repealed any “for sale” or “for lease” sign anywhere in town can also include the phrase “All uses considered.” .“More specifically, the law – Ordinance No. 3066 – makes formal the process and fees charged to any interested party should they petition the Planning Board or Village Council for a change.
The ordinance has been the topic of much debate over recent months as the Planning Board has heard back-to-back applications for amendments to the master plan, first from The Valley Hospital and currently from three housing developers seeking to put high-density housing in the Central Business District (CBD).” https://theridgewoodblog.net/urbanization-ridgewood-ordinance-on-master-plan-amendments-at-center-of-debate/
This gives a huge loophole to developers looking to push massive over development on Ridgewood like the current high density housing . Its is time to close the loophole.
