Ridgewood NJ, Check this article out – Englewood has over 2000 parking spaces available, including a 345 space garage, many new, upscale downtown housing developments, and still stores are closing. It has nothing to do with the lack of parking or limited foot traffic/customer availability; it’s the changing face of retail merchandising in America.
Shopping habits have changed dramatically, it going to take more than parking to keep the downtown prospering.
Ridgewood NJ, Parking Update, the Village Council continues to react to residents concerns and improve its parking allocation strategy.
The Village Council has implemented a reallocation strategy, based on supply/demand, for various Village-owned parking lots throughout town to give a few extra spaces to CBD patrons. In response to commuter concerns, additional spaces were restored back to commuters in both the Hudson St and Prospect St lots – amended Ordinance 3572 takes effect 1/28.
Commuters continue to press for the return of the 12 hour meters , if you work in the city there is just no other way.
“I have commented many times The ridiculous loss of former 12 houred metered parking even for village residents/ only in cottage place was in place for years and the change to max 8 hours was protested and those protests ignored and that gave birth to the annual parking pass rip off.;the store owners were bitching about those more than 3 hours meter sitters for their crappy business plan. while their early arriving employers we sopping up street parking every day on arrival to their place of work”
Parking lot commuters buy food/ Drug store items Coffee and Wine and take out food before after a long day .We all win..we get value for our high taxes when we don’t have big brother down our necks .Bring back 12 hour metered o 12 hr Parkmobile parking for village residents( with Window Resident stickers). NOT ROCKET SCIENCE. too many employee only spots allocated to employee parking. many not VOR residents.”
Ridgewood NJ, from the desk of the Mayor Susan Knudsen, During the PSE&G construction, parking spaces are needed for PSE&G’s work area, their equipment, and to shift traffic in order to maintain 2-way traffic as much as possible. The parking spaces which will be taken on various streets in the CBD from Jan. 19 through Jan. 31 are as follows:
• Thursday 1/19 Installation of Precast Manhole on North Broad St near E. Ridgewood)
• Total of 9 Spaces West Side of North Broad St (NJ Transit Side)
• Total of 13 Spaces on East Side of North Broad St (Merchant Side)
• Friday 1/20 Installation of Precast Manhole Near Taxi Stand ( North Broad St Near Franklin Ave )
• Total of 13 Spaces on East Side of North Broad St – From Franklin Ave to Driveway After Bicycle Shop
• Monday 1/23 to Tuesday 1/31 Enlarge Existing Manhole #24 Working on South Broadway between Hudson and E. Ridgewood Ave
• 8 Spaces on South Broad St on West Side between Hudson and E. Ridgewood Ave – Road will be closed to traffic and detour will be in place.
• 1 Space on Prospect St and E. Ridgewood on West Curb
• 1 Space on Prospect St and E. Ridgewood on East Curb (Next to Town & Country)
• 2 Spaces on Prospect St since traffic is detoured on to Prospect St to help with the extra volume of cars turning in both directions on to E. Ridgewood Ave.
Ridgewood is a walkable, commuter town and has always been that way. Buy a home near town and you walk to your commute. Many do live within walking distance but choose not to for a variety of reasons.
When I moved to town it was a known quantity that parking near the train was limited, get there by 7 or walk. This was when the car dealerships were in business and there was no parking in Hudson street lot for commuters.
Lastly, even garagzilla would have been very very limited in number of commuter parking as it was always intended for shoppers and diners to support the CBD. The fact hat it could support many commuters would only be relevant if store employees and shoppers were unwilling to park 3 flights up to grab a coffee. And even then commuters who are so rushed in the morning would have to park on the highest level and walk over.
Heading to Raymond’s for lunch. That’s Ridgewood all right. The “caring” community.”
Apparently no one gives a flying fuck that Raymond’s cheated their employees, waiters and waitresses, out of wages and tips and was fined hundreds of thousands of dollars.
I remember, because I care about waiters and waitresses trying to make an honest living, and I won’t EAT at Raymond’s. Fuck with the word “dine.”
Also, the residents who complained that commuters should get priority parking in the CBD. Hey, those commuters, they are trying to support their families and spend time with their kids….. trying to find a work/life balance and commute to the Big Apple. The town should bend over backwards for them. They are the best people this country has to offer. And they cried cried cried in front of the council and I don’t think they got the sympathy , compassion and immediate help that they desperately need and deserve.
I am a senior and there is no skin off my nose for my opinion.
But if those commuters arrive late to their jobs they could be fired and end up homeless. Homelessness is a real problem. And no one gives a shit about the homeless. They blame the people who are homeless for not being responsible.
These Ridgewood commuters are the best that America produces …hard working responsible workers and parents. And my heart goes out to them. If I lived near the CBD I would offer my driveway for them. Those workers who live in Ridgewood , if they can’t find a parking space in town for lunch some day, they can brown bag it. Trust me, eating apples, walnuts, egg, and celery for lunch, health care costs would go down. The commuters cannot brown bag their commute.
Ridgewood NJ, Jeff Voigt missing in action (most likely because he knew room would be filled with commuters who were pissed off at the price increase for commuter parking – a plan developed & supported by the FAC, of which Jeff is the Village Council liaison).
After listening to all the comments, we do believe a 1000 dollar premier parking permit is too much. In two years it has gone from 600 dollars to 750 to the current 1000. Glen Rock was said to be 150 dollars and HoHoKus was around 375. 1000 dollars seems pretty steep
photo by Boyd Loving
January 12,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, wednesday night Village of Ridgewood Council meeting :
1. Councilman Jeff Voigt was noticeably absent. No explanation given.
2. The State Champion RHS Maroons football team members and Coach Chuck Johnson were presented with certificates of recognition and many well-deserved accolades. A huge round of applause to all of them.
3. There was public comment as well as official discussion about the new parking-space allocations. Some commuters complained passionately about increased difficulty finding designated commuter spots unless they get to the lot/s early. As a result, the Village Council on the spot changed the Ordinance to increase the number of spaces for commuters. Just like that, feedback was responded to. It was clear that the VC members had been looking at the lots this week, fielding phone calls and emails, and were very open to making adjustments as needed. They also made it very clear that they will continue to monitor the use of the spaces and make further adjustments as seems appropriate. There are early indications that CBD employees are continuing to feed the meters and take the prime spaces, rather than go to the designated CBD-employee spots. Too bad Mr. Tony Damiano, he of the loud and nasty complaints, was not there to hear how all those spaces he asked for (in his position on the Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce) are going unused. Some members of the public complained about the steep increase in the annual parking pass; too bad Councilman Voigt was not there since he was the biggest proponent of sticking it to the well-heeled commuters who ride to NYC every day. Yes, he did say that to some residents…..Councilman Voigt feels that those who make the big bucks will not feel the pinch of $1000 a year. Guess he was wrong. He missed out on their indignant remarks. One resident righteously stated that commuters who go to the city and work all day should get priority over shoppers and diners who are leisurely heading to Raymond’s for lunch. One resident felt she had to put in a plug for a parking garage. Really? There is an abundance of parking, it just has to be spread out more evenly. Several commented that parking for shoppers was very available this week, a pleasant situation. Mayor Knudsen made it very clear that all citizens are created equal, and the Village Council is working hard to strike a fair balance with the parking to ensure that everyone gets to park where they most need to. Kinks are being worked out.
4. Gary Cirrilo, who heads up Project Pride, stated that funding for Project Pride has dropped drastically. He would very much like sufficient money to cover beautification of the downtown, including flowers as well as wreaths to replace the aging kissing balls in December. To this point, Councilman Sedon said that a tree farm is being planned for the Village, and that the tree wells in the CBD are going to be altered and improved so that the trees can thrive (currently they pretty much die).
5. The “Air-BNB” ordinance passed. Short-term rentals cannot be for less than 30 days. This ordinance is meant to prevent a frequent turnover of rental homes by out-of-town visitors who just come in to town for a few days or a couple of weeks. Some residents had observed this going on in their neighborhoods and had expressed concern…..once again the Village Council stepped up and developed a reasonable set of guidelines.
6. Not every vote was unanimous this evening, and there was some disagreement~discussion among elected officials on the dais. But, there was no animosity, no nasty exchanges, no crude language. Civil discourse. And why was this? Hmmmm…..could it be due to Councilman Voigt’s absence?????
The old town garage site which is in the process of being remediated due to gasoline and dry cleaning contaminants is the perfect place for a new garage if it is deemed needed. It is in the center of town baking it useful to employees, shoppers, diners and commuters. Franklin Avenue is in desperate need of a makeover. It is a wide much used street and could fit in quite nicely. In 2008 aproposal was made to put in apartments over some shops and a garage with a small park ( trees and a bench or two) on the Franklin Avenue side. At the time the developer would have done the cleanup.
Tanks have been removed already There is 900,000 dollars in the budget for cleanup and the DEP is coming in March to test soils in the area
It is now 2017, we are doing the remaining cleanup and could own the entire area with minimum difficulty. Now we have an asset and would be in control of how we develop it. An enviable position to be in and a much better spot than the Hudson Street location which is a narrow street, across from a church and could have a negative impact on small businesses in the area. I see the sign every day as I drive up Franklin and it says ” Town Garage”! can the message be any clearer?
Just rec’d an email with convoluted parking instructions for various locations throughout town; spaces marked by special symbols for various uses – shoppers, commuters, employees…. Do they really expect us to remember all of these rules and symbols? I’m sure it looks like a perfect solution for the bureaucrat that designed it but to us regular folks it’s ridiculous and too complicated to be effective. We should have built the garage and voters only have themselves to blame. I went into town the other night at 4:30 for the first time probably all year, had to drive around half a dozen times to find a parking space, traffic was backed up, cars double parked, it was a mess. It will be another year before I return.
The Pomander situation reminds us that All Streets Are Equal but Some Streets Are More Equal Than Others. The Pomander no parking came about based on the CSAC (which did not see the need for no parking) but residents of the street wanted no parking and the previous council made it so without any study. Sherman residents have requested safety changes (with parking remaining intact) – but the Council is requiring an expensive tax payer funded study before even allowing our qualified village staff to make these changes. Pomander had changes with no study – no consideration for how it would affect surrioundings streets. Sherman, with very obvious safety concerns and closer proximity to GW, is being left to wait FOR MONTHS for any of the issues to be simply reviewed by the council.
Some streets in Ridgewood are much more equal than others. Let’s hope you and your children live on a street that is deemed worthy of being safe.
And don’t get me started on how poorly businesses on the west of the tracks are treated. God Forbid anyone not get parking to go to one of the CBD’s high price restaurants – you can get valet! If you want to eat at a restaurant on the other side of the tracks you are just out of luck. Only our fine Mayor cares about them. No solid parking solutions are ever discussed – not at the CBDAC, not at the council meetings, not by anyone except the Mayor. I feel for her having to deal with the short-sidedness of some of the council and committees.
photo Vegan personal pizza with fresh portobello mushrooms, sautéed spinach and garlic, broccoli, green peppers, basil with avocado and hemp seeds!
Tuesday Special 2 Large Pizza’s for $15.95 and Wednesday Special ! Large Pizza choice of Wings, antipasto or mussels $14.95 (After 3pm)
December 8,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Santoni’s Pizzeria and Italian Restaurant in Garfield was founded in 1988 by Ed Lewer and Joe Parillo. Both coming from a vast variety of restaurant experience they set out to create mouthwatering food using only freshest ingredients and the highest quality products. Santoni’s Pizzeria and Italian Restaurant was an instant hit and over the years has become a staple in the town of Garfield. Ed and Joe believed in not only providing a great product as a key to their success but staying involved in the community. For decades they have been highly involved in the community. Santoni’s has sponsorship many fundraising events, nonprofit organizations, and various town sports teams. This community involvement led the business to win Business of the Year in 1994.
Santoni’s Pizzeria has always been a family run and operated business. Joe and Ed’s sons worked in the pizzeria since they young kids and are continuing their father’s principles and philosophy. In 2013, Santoni’s opened its second location in Ridgewood, NJ with the same idea and principles in mind. Since the grand opening Santoni’s has been an instant success in town and has won several awards for best pizza in Ridgewood voted in a blind tasting by the Ridgewood High School pizza club.
Much more than just another pizza joint, Santoni’s embodies what your favorite neighborhood pizzeria should be– A warm, welcoming place where you can have a delicious meal with your friends and family. We pride ourselves on making the only best quality food while using only the freshest ingredients. Santoni’s aims to be your favorite neighborhood pizzeria and restaurant.
Everyone should order pizza from Santonis Pizzeria and Restaurant at 88 Godwin Avenue. This guy has really gotten the shaft from the NIMBY’s in his neighborhood; his business has been unjustly and unfairly affected by the privatization of precious Pomander Walk. His food is delicious, and he is a really nice guy who is just trying to run his business. Call 201-389-6810 Show him that the rest of Ridgewood is filled with nice people who appreciate good food and hard-working shop owners. https://www.santonispizza.com/menus/ridgewood-menu/
Ridgewood NJ,On Saturday a group called RidgewoodWestSide.com distributed a flyer alerting neighbors on Sherman and Washington of the December 7th Council Work Session which will discuss Sherman Place and Washington Place. Flyers were given to many of the Godwin and Wilsey Square businesses as well since changes to nearby streets may impact their customers.
Pomander Walk, a quiet dead end street next to out stores, was granted NO PARKING under our old village council? Am I mistaken or does our town need parking? Please review attached flyer and come to the meeting Wed. night at 7:30 at town hall to let your current council know this decision must be reversed. If not reversed, maybe we should all push council for private roads?
ATTENTION:
What:Village council discussion of parking and traffic following Pomander Walk Parking Ban
Where: Village Hall
When: December 7th at 7:30pm
Background: For years residents of Pomander Walk have sought to ban parking on their dead end street citing business parking and safety concerns. Residents of surrounding streets were not informed of the request until days before the village council passed Ordinance 3556 in 2016 banning parking on Pomander Walk with no impact analysis. Despite promises from Pomander residents that they did not require parking they continue to use the street for their parking needs while other streets suffer gridlock. Residents of Sherman have since seen a severe increase in traffic, parked cars and safety issues. The newly elected council has agreed to consider changes inclusive of a comprehensive safety review all area streets.
Your neighbors from Sherman, Godwin, Garfield, Washington are asking you to voice your opinion at the Wednesday, December 7thtown council meeting.
Resident tax payers should be afforded equal access to parking – NO PRIVATE STREET STATUS
All residents living near businesses should share the parking burden
To remain successful, the west side business district needs access to parking for customers. If parking is important for the central business district, it is equally important for the west side and removing parking sets a bad precedent
Removing parking from one street just relocates it to another
Christopher Maag , Staff Writer, @Chris_Maag4:19 a.m. EST November 27, 2016
Parking spot No. 24 in Ridgewood is an excellent spot for parking. It sits across Walnut Street from Memorial Park, smack in the middle of the downtown shopping district, next to the Alex & Ani jewelry shop and close to popular places like Starbucks, the Warner movie theater and the Country Pancake House.
Spot No. 24 is so good, in fact, that it’s nearly impossible to park there.
I’m handicapped (but not yet 80) but I have to totally agree with your statement. “I’m not parked, I’m just waiting for someone.” (Yeah, BUT you’re “waiting” in a handicapped spot making it inaccessible for use.) Funny, that young man (?) cut me off for the handicapped space and just ran up those steps. Gee, is his name really Gracie? That’s what is on the temporary placard. Handicapped spots are regularly abused…..
……Garage issue should be officially dead by now. There are many who have handicapped decals who shouldn’t have them, or have them because a family member is handicapped. Anyone who uses one of these who is less than 80 or is not clearly handicapped should be publicly beaten. I have approached more than one able-bodied handicap space user who was outraged that I questioned their sense of entitlement. they ruin it for all.
