The Ridgewood “parking problem” is all about laziness, where people want to find a space on a Friday night or Saturday right in the prime area of the CBD. Heaven forbid that they have to walk two blocks, or even 10 minutes from their actual house.
No garage required. The town has a wonderful design. The original design trumps the shop keepers. That’s what makes Ridgewood what it is, a charming quaintish historical architecture downtown. Some business will make it, some won’t.
By the way, what no one says is that there are many times in any mall and I am talkin WestField, Fashion Center, Paramus Park, when it is difficult to find an up close parking spot near your favorite store, and sometimes any parking spot. No one says that. So why shouldn’t it be crowded in tiny Ridgewood downtown.
I mean, hey, you walk the WHOLE downtown and I’ll tell you folks, it doesn’t count as an exercise walk to prevent heart disease and cancer , the heart organization and cancer society says is necessary for good health. I mean it is that tiny. So what the f..k.
Take a walk those who want a parking garage. Meaning Go Away!
Upon further review, there is no parking problem in Ridgewood. While parking in town can be occasionally inconvenient, there has never been a need for the 5 story structure that nearly got built.
We should be honest about what is driving this endless discussion.Note last massively expensive boondoggle on Hudson Street which took an unprecedented Referendum that our own Mayor and management was
Involved in those petitions and steering.
The taxpayers don’t want any garage on Hudson street..it will be a money crime and urban blight as any transit center garage becomes..look at any similar models.It will attract out of towners to flog our streets with transitional commuters not interested in most businesses outside of Coffee grab and go small shops near the train station.
ReLine and pave the existing surface lots at Hudson,Cottage place and the central district lots . Allocate some employee parking and incent those
Employers to enforce that accommodation .yes and everyone will have a walk a bit more that’s the Vallet services who wisk those visitors away
from ridgewood despite the dreams of the small shops to attract walking
Customers who might take a look or pick up a specialty item on the way to their cars parked on surface lots or God forbid at the train station on weekends that almost always have visitor and resident parking after six.
My priority is not to make the restaurants happy on my dime/taxes and fees in ridgewood drive the Boomers to cash out and leave.Lets get a grip on this endless parking discussion..no less the possible housing boondoggles that Englewood Morristown and other Towns have suffered
We don’t want to be a Transit Village,we want to be a smarter Ridgewood
Town leaders figure this out and out Taxpayer first( not restaurants for a change ) lets wish our new management Luck.Middle ground solutions needed..Uber logistics on short trips is taking over the world.
Pilot program is meant to test out ride-hailing as a solution to last mile challenge
by Andrew J . Hawkins Oct 3, 2016, 10:56a
Lately, Uber has been positioning itself as the ultimate solution to the eternal challenge of shuttling people between transit hubs and their homes, also known as the “last mile challenge.” To that end, the ride-hail giant announced today that it struck a deal with the suburban town of Summit, New Jersey, to launch the state’s first subsidized commuter program.
Under the deal, Uber will offer free or extremely cheap rides to commuters who have struggled to find parking at Summit’s New Jersey Transit station. In exchange, the city, which is 30 miles from Manhattan, will subsidize the rides, paying Uber directly to cover the costs of the trips. The city says the deal will help free up nearly 100 parking spots at the transit station, as well as keep it from having to spend millions of dollars to build additional parking.
“As an alternative transportation option, ridesharing is not new,” said Summit Mayor Nora Radest in a statement. “But our program is the first of its kind in the United States to use ridesharing technology as a parking solution. Our innovation has the potential to shape how municipalities think about and implement parking options in the future.”
Ridgewood NJ, Ellie Gruber and Jeanne Epiphan gave a presentation on the state of Gypsy and Kings Pond. Invasive species is a huge problem as well as a dilapidated dam. Wildscape felt at the very least a fence should be put in place that would help to mitigate the encroachment of damaging species of plants such as Japanese Knotweed. Tim Cronin said that permits from the DEP would be necessary but the preliminary work could begin if the council agreed. Jeff Voigt suggested including the Eagle Scouts in the project. A scout leader was present and said that it could be done. The council agreed to move forward on the project beginning with the fence.
Next on the agenda was a presentation by the village engineer and resident Jeanne Johnson on the availability of a grant for the purpose of pedestrian safety and alternate transit opportunities ( bikes) for municipalities. Better stop lights, bike lanes, refuge islands etc. Mayor Knudsen felt that she would need more information as there had been many complaints regarding the Garber Square do to the so called improvements ie “traffic easing” and “suicide bike lane”. The council will read the plans and come to a decision. The grant application is due November 10th.
Parking was next on the agenda and the council continued its discussion on how best to increase parking options in the CBD for shoppers, employees and commuters. One idea was to try a pilot program at the Chestnut Street Lot which would use a kiosk which accepts coins, credit cards and Park Mobile. This seemed doable and the council authorized going forward with this program. Much talk over fees throughout the town at the meters and the lots . Heather will be working on the several ordinances needed to address the changes.
It was obvious how hard the council is working to improve parking and to mindful of the cost to the village.
Deputy Mayor Mike Sedon explained changes in our tree replacement program which includes allowing the village to examine trees on private property and if a tree had a diameter larger than 6 inches, it could not be taken down unless it was deemed diseased, dead or a hazard. Trees that are taken down would need to be replaced by the property owner or 150 dollars paid to the village for a tree planting in another location. The hope is to replenish or depleting shade tree stock with municipal funds, grants and stricter guidelines for property owners.
A thin blue line is to be painted between two yellow lines on Linwood Avenue to show support for our police force.
Village Engineer Christopher Rutishauser seemed to contract “foot in mouth disease”,when talking about the Village tree stock he used the term Ghetto Palms to describe a tree that grows in Patterson ,saying “The Paterson Palm. A tree that grows best in ghettos.” he would like to eradicate in Ridgewood. It was said in a somewhat derogatory manner and both Anne and Boyd spoke about this during public comment. They were highly offended. Other felt it was a dumb and insensitive comment.
Ridgewood NJ, tonights Village Council agenda features ; parking,Kings pond, lighting in public parks ,Airbnb,tree preservation and updates to the “Open Space Master plan”.
THE RIDGEWOOD VILLAGE COUNCIL’S PUBLIC WORKSHOP AGENDA
OCTOBER 5, 2016
1. 7:30 pm – Call to Order – Mayor
2. Statement of Compliance with Open Public Meeting Act
Mayor: “Adequate notice of this meeting has been provided by a posting on the bulletin board in Village Hall, by mail to the Ridgewood News, The Record, and by submission to all persons entitled to same as provided by law of a schedule including the date and time of this meeting.”
3. Roll Call – Village Clerk
4. Flag Salute/Moment of Silence
5. Public Comments (Not to Exceed 5 Minutes per Person – 30 Minutes in Total)
6. Public Hearing – Bergen County Open Space Grant – Kings/Gypsy Pond
7. Presentation
TAP Grant Opportunity8. Discussion
Ridgewood Water
Award Contract – Ridgewood Press
Award Contract – Professional Engineering Services – Various Improvements to Booster/Transfer Stations
Award Contract – Professional Services for the Feasibility Study for Removing PFCs at the Carr Treatment Facility
Award Contract – Control Valves at Various Locations
Award Contract – EUS – SCADA Software, Hardware & Support b. Parking
Tiered Parking Meter Prices and Parking Permit Pricing
Parking Reallocation at Parking Lots
NJ Transit Parking Garagec. Budget
Update of Open Space Master Plan – Survey
Kings/Gypsy Pond Grant
Award Contract – Rebid of Furnishing and Delivering of Polymer – Water Pollution Control Facility
Award Partial Contract – Street Paving
Renew Lease on Chestnut Street Lot Garbage Pad
Update of Health Department Retail License Fees
d. Policy
Stigma-Free Task Force Advisory Committee
Tree Preservation Ordinance
Amend Chapter 190 – Land Use – Zoning Regulations for Religious Land Use and Zoning Regulations for Houses of Worship and Public Utilities Different in Nature with Different Standards
Encroachment Agreement for Titos Burritos
Lighting Policy in Parks
Regulations for Airbnb
Best Practices Inventory and Resolutions to Affirm Current Procedures
Human Resources Manual
e. Operations
Traffic Calming Proposal – Bogert Avenue and Cambridge Road
Sherman Road and Stanley Place Safety Improvements
County Shared Services Road Resurfacing
9. Review of October 12, 2016 Regular Public Meeting Agenda
10. Manager’s Report
11. Council Reports
12. Public Comments (Not to Exceed 5 Minutes per Person)
13. Resolution to go into Closed Session
14. Closed Session
a. Personnel – Police Department
b. Contractual – Shared Services Agreement – Washington Township
As I have said here several times: The village, in the voice of the Village Manager, admitted on April 6, 2016 that we do not have a parking crisis, we have a parking surplus, we have more spots than we have demand for: https://youtu.be/iyufI5C3gKU?t=1h14m
So we know from the facts any garage is all about high density housing led by the local developer. Without it, the over development of Ridgewood cannot happen by this developer and his cohorts who own property at key intersections. Without over development the property owners and this local developer, who paid a lot for the land, cannot make money. They need to develop the lots past what parking on the property supports to maximize rental revenue. The former mayor, former village manager and the local developer lie about Brogan and Ken Smith parking spaces needing to be replaced, spots that are not a part of the village’s parking inventory. The former mayor and former village manager let the Hudson Street lot fall into disrepair, then said in a video paid for with tax dollars, that neglect was a main reason to build a $12m garage.
The garage is the Trojan Horse. The village admits, we don’t need more parking, we don’t even utilize what we have. Higher density, higher congestion, higher fees, and easier profits for the local developer paid for with tax dollars.
When the now ex-village manager says in a propaganda video we have a parking crisis, but her own analysis says we have a surplus, we know there is no crisis.
Ridgewooood NJ, Once again, much was accomplished with this new and improved council! Of course somethings never change ,Rurik Halaby came to the mic twice to insinuate that Ms. Knudsen( pronounced once correctly, second time with a hard k!) should be transparent about her raffle win and her sons becoming Ridgewood police officers. Thankfully Susan called for a point of order and Bernie Walsh made reference to Roberts Rules and that personal comments made to a council member from the floor are not allowed. It probably won’t stop future rants.
Richard Calbi from the Water Department gave a good report on the chromium 6 that has been in the news. According to Ridgewood Water Ridgewood is below the level considered dangerous even though the EPA has made no formal recommendations or issued guidelines.Currently Ridgewood Water is below the California guidelines and those issued by The World Health Organization.
Matt Rogers reported on the status of Affordable Housing, the water suit filed by Glen Rock, Midland Park and Wyckoff and the Valley Hospital appeal.
Affordable Housing: a status conference is scheduled for October, otherwise all is quiet on that front.
Ridgewood Water: a possible trial in November if a scheduled mediation in October is not successful.
Valley Hospital: Appeals Court Agrees to hear Ridgewood against Valley Hospital Expansion Case. It sounds too good to be true but after a long battle it another opportunity for the new council to make their mark. What happens next is any bodies guess.
The status of suit filed against the Planning Board was not mentioned.
A discussion about parking at the council level was very productive as they are looking at immediate remedies to improve parking before any construction is initiated.
Ramon Hache gave a Field’s Committee update and possible solutions to remediate Maple Field. One suggestion is to infuse the current field with millions of rubber pellets or replace the current field.Another idea was to build berm to protect the field better from floods . What was not mentioned is that these pellets will go into the drains, the brook and on the kids! As we all know Maple Field is in an active flood plain. Perhaps an analysis as to what would be the cost of replacing it with natural grass vs. new artificial turf and or its remediation? No easy solution for this one .
Discussion on the placement of art in the village. The Library might be making a presentation soon on their plans to build a performing arts center, approx. cost , 5 million dollars! They are seeking help from the Village to bond this amount .Not sure how that will be received. Love the library but other issues may be higher on the agenda.
So let me get this story straight and see if I have it right. PSEG schedules major work on Broad Street to commence in late September and run through the Christmas season. This is done when Roberta is still employed. The summer comes and goes, and Roberta goes…and goes. Then last week Tony Damiano gets up at a meeting and states that this is the worst possible time for the merchants, as they make most of their money in the 4th quarter. This makes sense, but it is hard to hear the sense in his message since he is all but accusing Mayor Knudsen of doing this on purpose to screw the merchants. As if she would do anything remotely like that, honestly, Damiano is insane. But I digress.
So the meeting ends at midnight or whenever, and Susan goes right to work the next day setting up a meeting with PSEG to see if they will change the time frame away from the Christmas season. In a text exchange with Damiano, she tells him she will be meeting with PSEG and encourages him to give her any input or insights before she meets with them. He does not do so.
On Monday morning at 10:00 she meets with PSEG, along with Rutishauser and (in the absence of Heather who was off) Janet Fricke. Mayor Knudsen manages to accomplish a major victory, because she gets the giant utility company to change their dates. This happens because Susan is very pleasant and diplomatic. We know that the PSEG folks DESPISED Aronsohn because he was such an Atilla the Hun with them, bossing them around through the hurricane aftermath.But now we have a mayor who is pleasant, polite, professional, and easy to get along with.
Mayor Knudsen immediately composes a press release to let everyone know that the dates have been changed, but before she can send it Mr. Damiano in his great arrogance sends out a victory letter taking full credit for accomplishing the date change. Un-effing-believable. He was NOT in the meeting, but he takes full credit for this. He does not acknowledge Mayor Knudsen, he does not thank Mayor Knudsen, and in fact he goes on to write some very snarky and sarcastic comments about her. He accuses the Mayor of trying to stick it to the merchants, instead of thanking her for solving the problem. And then he goes on to posture that he will be doing direct negotiations with PSEG moving forward for any work they want to schedule. What???? Damiano is not an elected official, he is not an employee of the Village. He has ZERO authority to schedule any utility work in this town.
In the end, Mayor Knudsen took the right approach, solved the problem, and took the high road in the face of incredible invective from Tony Damiano as well as Troll Halaby.
We are all so grateful for Mayor Knudsen. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Ridgewood NJ, No sign in the central business district seems to raise more consternation that the “parkmobile App” only sign at the Chestnut street parking lot. The lot it seems is only accessible for smart phone users with credit cards.
As reported on this blog it all started in May of 2015 , “Starting May 11th the Multi-space meter in the Chestnut Street Parking Lot will be deactivated. The new method of payment for up to 3 hours of parking at .50 cents per hour will be by phone using the Parkmobile App” https://theridgewoodblog.net/chestnut-street-parking-lot-goes-parkmobile-app/
While some find it hard to believe that people actually function in this day and age without a smart phone or a debit/credit card . Others are not fond of giving out credit card information or being tracked by the latest app. Parkmobile has gone to great lengths to assure uses that you personal information is encrypted and safe . Non stop stories of the latest hacking give one pause to think.
So is the latest parking technology a convenience or a nuisance ? Or survival of the fittest and just one more step in the battle for parking in Ridgewood’s central business district ?
And the sign said “Long-haired freaky people need not apply” So I tucked my hair up under my hat and I went in to ask him why He said “You look like a fine upstanding young man, I think you’ll do” So I took off my hat, I said “Imagine that. Huh! Me workin’ for you!” Whoa-oh-oh
Sign, sign, everywhere a sign Blockin’ out the scenery, breakin’ my mind Do this, don’t do that, can’t you read the sign?
And the sign said anybody caught trespassin’ would be shot on sight So I jumped on the fence and-a yelled at the house “Hey! What gives you the right?” “To put up a fence to keep me out or to keep mother nature in” “If God was here he’d tell you to your face, man, you’re some kinda sinner”
Sign, sign, everywhere a sign Blockin’ out the scenery, breakin’ my mind Do this, don’t do that, can’t you read the sign?
Now, hey you, mister, can’t you read? You’ve got to have a shirt and tie to get a seat You can’t even watch, no you can’t eat You ain’t supposed to be here The sign said you got to have a membership card to get inside Ugh!
And the sign said, “Everybody welcome. Come in, kneel down and pray” But when they passed around the plate at the end of it all I didn’t have a penny to pay So I got me a pen and a paper and I made up my own little sign I said, “Thank you, Lord, for thinkin’ ’bout me. I’m alive and doin’ fine” Wooo!
Sign, sign, everywhere a sign Blockin’ out the scenery, breakin’ my mind Do this, don’t do that, can’t you read the sign?
The problem with the town garage is that is a pollution nightmare. The property is now owned by a group of private investors who scooped it up to profit from a possible quick sale to the town as a parking garage. The investors should be on the hook for the remediation, but surely own the property in some sort of LLC with no assets. The town should take the property or start proceedings to have the current owners clean it up. the current cost of $1.2 million is an estimate and costs can surely be higher. We have let this pollution continue for too long and based on us having a ground water system need to do something NOW. we have waited wait too long. Hopefully the new council will shift into high gear and get something accomplished. That parking lot along with the town garage would make a nice parking garage. Forget about retail space.
Ridgewood NJ, Several readers continue to claim the “Majority” of residents are against all development. Its nice to see that Ridgewood residents have now graduated to a “Majority” from gadfly, loud mouth ,minority status.
Reader says , “I think it is time to look around at all the empty stores in Ridgewood and realize there is a need to revamp the CBD. Soon all the shops will move to malls and replaced by housing; think…..is that what you want? Someone, most likely a shop keeper , is going to come up with ideas to improve the town, what is the problem. Make your own suggestions, welcome those of other residents, and have a discussion rather than complain. Get real people you are losing your central business district!”
Shops moved to malls in the 1970’s , and shopping has moved online since 1994 when Al Gore discovered the internet .
If you are worried about empty stores talk to the landlords not tax payers. The simple fact is that tax payers are not responsible for a companies business plans. What I would suggest is that in this day and age stores need to make themselves destination businesses ie like Bookends and The Tobacco Shop of Ridgewood & Davidoff Lounge . Retailers also need to build an online presence , websites, social media , press releases and they need to tell their story ; think why would I want to go here when I have to pay for parking? This is one of the reasons there are so many great restaurants in Ridgewood ,chefs have great stories to tell.
My biggest suggestion for Ridgewood merchants is to be open more hours. No one is home by 5pm. I can not tell you how many businesses have opened and closed that I have never seen open. The fact is most people who can afford to live in Ridgewood need to work a lot or hours , anywhere from 65 -80 hours per week and odd hours early am to late pm. So merchants need to develop strategies ,be it home or Train station delivery or open by appointment what ever it takes that is the new reality.
Destroying Van Nest Square will do nothing to help business and will most likely hurt business as much or more than the so called “traffic easing” ,that now backs traffic up into Midland Park. Making access to the almost CBD impossible from the West side of Town .
Another reader says, “James, you’re ignoring the facts. What is worth preserving of the old car dealers, old Town Garage and its toxic site, etc? What about all the empty shops and gold pawn shops? Why is this worth preserving? The majority rule wants to keep the status quo… which clearly isn’t working.”
First I was only posting comments and turning them into posts , so how exactly is destroying Van Nest square going to get rid of old car dealers,a toxic site, gold pawn shops and empty stores ? This maybe your problem you keep wanting to fix things that are not broken yet you ignore all the things that need fixing ? The solutions have to fit the problems. If the Village wants to clean up a toxic site it needs to take the steps to clean it up, not build a parking lot.
Now in New York City developers who wish to build non-conforming structures can often make a deal with the city by adding to public spaces, fixing subways or adding and maintaining new plantings. In New Jersey we socialize the investment ie taxpayer funded yet we capitalize the profits. So taxpayers pay and developers make the money. Another words Ridgewood taxpayers build a parking garage so developers can reduce the amount of parking they offer and save money. and thus the continued rejection of a parking garage.
Now what you should be asking yourself is how could a bureaucratic organization like NJT fix the train trestle, raise the tracks , and renovate the train station while preserving and improving its historic nature in a relatively short amount of time. How could New Jersey Transit do all that yet Valley Hospital , a handful of developers, and a cadre of council members could not get anything done at all what so ever. NJT was willing to work with the town ,meet objections compromise and get the job done.
The first election was presumably simply for a parking garage. Many of us voted “yes” because we do need a garage. When Aronson and crew decided that we voters “really meant” to vote “yes” on that monstrosity that he wanted, a second vote was held. On that we voted “No” because it was supposed to be “Did we want to bond money for ‘A’ garage” but Aronson inserted the amount for the largest garage that he wanted. He also set the vote on the earliest possible date, while he was still in office so he could presumably still break the ground for his dream. And yes, our new Council members did say they wanted a garage but not “that” garage. So, to me, what the voters wanted was still a garage, but not something of that size. And they wanted the new Council to handle the details with input from the residents of Ridgewood.
file photo by Boyd Loving
We voted against the monster garage.People were duped into voting for the monster garage in November. We were reassured that we were voting for A garage, not any specific design.
Then some hard working residents started a petition drive against the monster garage. No one ever said that they were against building a garage. They just want the right size in the right location.
Council members who were elected said that they would look into a redesign/relocation. No one running said that they were against a garage. There will be a garage.
file photo by Boyd Loving
One current council member admitted publicly during the campaign in the spring that he had been among those bamboozled by lies and omissions about the garage (he did not put it quite that way) and voted yes in the November referendum. He was among many. Had a true depiction and description been made available, including the fact that the thing was going to Occupy Hudson Street, and if it had been explained, as was the case, that a “yes” vote was not for a concept, but for the largest drawing–formally “approved,” by mayoral fiat, by the Historic Preservation Commission’s relatively new chair (appointed by the then-mayor), without checking with the members, and by the mayor’s personally created and hand-picked Financial Advisory Committee–how many residents would have agreed to it? Only those with something to gain, those who pay no attention, and those whose finger slipped in the voting booth. I think the “yes” votes would have amounted to about 150, including mistakes.
We should probably all accept that our form of government allows a small minority to rule the day. Whether you’re for or against parking that’s what essentially happened twice with four years in between events. Lost in these small minorities exerting their will is the fact that we cannot make progress on parking; an issue that, like it or not, a super majority of your neighbors and out of town shoppers/diners would say is the biggest problem in the CBD. So we fight over specific solutions.
Anyone that’s been here more than a week and a half laughed out loud when someone recently had the genius idea to build parking at the Town Garage site. Why? Because 10 or so years ago, we went through this same process with a design, bonding, etc. for a garage there. What happened? A small group of people objected and the project was killed. Fortunately our spasm this year happened before we bonded so we don’t need to service debt that won’t be used. Anyone care to go back into the meeting minutes to see if someone suggested Hudson Street as a better alternative then? Round and round we go.
So we may seem to be left with glacial progress on big issues. But maybe not. Let’s have the argument once and be done with it: let’s form a Charter Commission to review the town charter. Maybe we need a ward system, allowable under the terms of our charter, to ensure single issue (again, for or against, no difference here) council-people from one section of the village don’t rule the day. Perhaps a different charter altogether is in order. But something needs to change or we’ll find ourselves with a different kind of village leadership: leadership that wears black robes and doesn’t ever need a single vote for re-election. It’s already begun.
Thank God people spoke. I want to Thank all of those who took the lead on this. Those who so forcefully pushed this monster are the worst enemies of our village. I have been driving around all weekend day or night and have found PLENTY of parking at every corner and not farther than 5 mins away to walk to ant restaurant or store. Our village is lovely the way it is, it just needs improvements but nothing major. I hope the new council identifies the obvious and doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel with monstrous “investments”.
No garage at Hudson and S. Broad, please. That parking lot could be rejiggered for whole lot less than $11.5 million and counting to provide more spots. But restore the lane at the north end of the rows in the middle that previously enabled people to go all around the lot seeking a space. Blocking it off to insert a couple of more spaces was wrong. Parking garage contingent: please read all the information and rethink. A garage at that location would be of benefit only to local building owners and the would-be developers of apartments who could legally use the existence of such a garage to reduce even further the paltry number of parking spaces they intend to provide, merely worsening the situation and putting us back to Square One or worse. Unfortunately, careful manipulation of the populace replaced honesty for too long. Look deeper, for the real motivation, and shake yourself awake–do not believe the hype of the departed council members or the yaps of their hangers-on or those with a personal stake in this (Vagianos, etc.).
