Tag: parking

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Historic Ridgewood parking studies have familiar findings

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Historic Ridgewood parking studies have familiar findings

DECEMBER 3, 2014    LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2014, 10:32 AM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

They’ve been mentioned. They’ve been complained about. They’ve been disbelieved.

And now, for easy referral, all four of Ridgewood’s much-discussed parking studies – from 1945, 1967, 1971 and 2002 – are on the history page of the library’s website.

They were put online this fall by local realtor Bill Gilsenan, partly for the public’s research and perusal, and partly just to add urgency to what has been characterized by some members of the public as an increasingly tiresome parking conversation.

“They [the studies] were all around in different places, but they weren’t around in one central location … People don’t believe us when we say this has been going on forever,” said a half-laughing and half-exasperated Gilsenan.

Gilsenan, who owns Gilsenan & Company on East Ridgewood Avenue, scanned all the studies and worked with Ridgewood librarian and local historian Peggy Norris to get them online.

The realtor, who was in possession of the 1971 and 2002 studies, happens to have a personal connection to the studies: His uncle was president of Ridgewood’s Chamber of Commerce for many years and is actually mentioned in one of the studies, Gilsenan noted.

To complete the study package, Gilsenan obtained the 1967 study from longtime local businessman Tom Hillmann. The library had the 1945 document.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/business/historic-ridgewood-parking-studies-have-familiar-findings-1.1145306

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Sounds Familiar : More development pressures in Bergen

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Sounds Familiar : More development pressures in Bergen

News and commentary from Bergen County’s many municipalities besieged by heavy-handed development proposals underscores boiling dissatisfaction with plans for gross changes in heretofore cherished communities.

Ordinary residents can’t accept claims that big development won’t bring negative impacts, and they can’t understand why their elected and appointed officials and “experts” paid with local property taxes buy into those claims.

Montvale’s Hoboken-based “master planner,” who touts experience developed in Johannesburg and elsewhere in Africa, has told locals that state planners encourage denser development than has prevailed in Bergen traditionally.

That requires zoning changes blessed by planners and local officials alike. The blessings can lead to snags. Montvale’s mayor has told residents he testified in court for four days in a lawsuit brought by The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co.

In a case that has received virtually no public attention, A&P makes the thunderous charge that Montvale is guilty of “spot zoning” in favor of one family of local farmers and their development partners.

Whether or not the court agrees, proposals in Montvale and elsewhere in Bergen are pitting the few against the many.

Kurt F. Kron

Montvale, Nov. 21

 

https://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-letters-to-the-editor/the-record-letters-tuesday-nov-25-1.1140816

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Planning Board Amendment to Meeting Schedule – November 17th

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Planning Board Amendment to Meeting Schedule – November 17th

PLANNING BOARD

AMENDMENT TO MEETING SCHEDULE

Special Public Meeting: Monday, November 17, 2014

Change of Date and Location

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, NOVEMBER 17, 2014, in the RIDGEWOOD HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT CENTER, 627 E. RIDGEWOOD AVENUE, RIDGEWOOD, NJ beginning AT 7:30 p.m.

The Board may take official action during this Special Public Meeting at which time the Board will continue the public hearing concerning a proposed amendment to the Land Use Plan Element of the Master Plan which would recommend changes in zone district classifications and boundaries within the Central Business District and surrounding area including AH-2, B-3-R, C-R and C Zone Districts.

The proposed master plan amendment and related exhibits are at the office of the Secretary of the Ridgewood Planning Board on the third floor of Village Hall, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey and are available for public inspection Monday-Friday between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. The amendment and exhibits are also posted as a courtesy on the Village’s website at www.ridgewoodnj.net.

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.

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Pros of multifamily housing outweigh cons

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Pros of multifamily housing outweigh cons

NOVEMBER 14, 2014    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2014, 12:31 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

Downtown housing: pros outweigh cons

To the Editor:

Like many other passionate residents of Ridgewood, I’ve been closely following the discussions around the proposals for new multifamily housing in downtown and I believe the benefits will outweigh any negative impacts.

While I wouldn’t live anywhere else, I have the uneasy feeling that Ridgewood is kind of idling. The vacant storefronts, the empty car dealership lots, give me, and others, a sense that Ridgewood is stuck, with no plan for the future.

So along comes a group of developers with proposals to do something – and it’s up to all of us to figure out if it’s a good idea, given any number of inevitable alternatives. I think it is.

As we and our neighbors age, new downtown housing will give all of us the opportunity to downsize one day into a modern apartment without having to leave the town we love. And who knows – maybe our young adult kids will move back into town with other young professionals, who aren’t ready to buy a house yet and want an easy commute.

Stores and restaurants will also benefit by having patrons not just on the busy weekends, but on the off-days too – shopping and dining without the need for a car.

But most importantly, I’ve learned our schools would see minimal impact. According to the Board of Education, 277 non-garden style apartments in town yield a mere 17 public school children.

The use of non-garden apartment data is the most accurate predictive measure of school age children in this case, since the proposals fit this category of housing. And besides, how many families with kids would rent a luxury apartment when they can already rent a house in town with a backyard for the same price?

The schools superintendent also says that some schools do have capacity, such as Orchard, which would be fed by The Dayton, for instance. Using the data above, The Dayton would yield very few children, certainly at a level that could be absorbed across K-12th grade classrooms.

So when looking at the full picture, I believe the Planning Board and Village Council must act to bring some degree of new housing, and progress, to Ridgewood.

Louis J. Reynolds

Ridgewood

https://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-letters-to-the-editor/letter-pros-of-multifamily-housing-outweigh-cons-1.1133324

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Ridgewood Planner’s report on multifamily housing misses the point

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Ridgewood Planner’s report on multifamily housing misses the point

To the editor:

After recently moving to a home that is only a block outside of our Central Business District, I had an even more vested interest in attending the last Planning Board meeting. I was curious to hear our village planner, Blais Brancheau, as he told our Planning Board about this new high-density zoning change. I was incredibly disappointed with Blais’ presentation. He talked in circles and back peddled, saying not much about very little.

We want our village planner to have a plan, not just deal with developers as they come along! We need to know the long-term repercussions of this zoning change. We deserve this, as citizens and taxpayers of this town. He has yet to set forth facts on how these developments will impact our municipal services, traffic, our schools and the future of Ridgewood.

Instead, we heard about State of NJ planning guidelines and recommendations from NJ Transit. Why didn’t Blais discuss local and regional issues ahead of generalized state planning recommendations? Our schools are at or are near maximum capacity, yet Blais told the Planning Board this should not be a primary concern. Really? That is why we live here … the schools are the best.

According to Blais’ report, Page 14, using the Rutgers Study, the actual number of schoolchildren attending Ridgewood schools from apartments in/around the CBD was almost four times higher than the projected amount. And Blais neglected to highlight data that would make this projection even higher.

Our lack of parking is a huge issue right now, yet all of these high-density zoning changes will come with less than the state required parking. Our town’s Open Space committee gave a full presentation on our severe deficit of open space in this town, yet rezoning for up to 500-700 new apartments will surely exacerbate this problem.

Our Planning Board needs to think long and hard about the decisions before them. Yes, there is a need for beautiful, higher-end apartments to keep empty nesters in Ridgewood, their town they love and invested in for years. But people cannot be expected to sit through endless testimony, read through ridiculous blogs, or pay for attorneys in order to fight for their town. But that is the way it is today.

Why not put forth a non-binding referendum to see what the taxpayers of Ridgewood see for the future of Ridgewood? Upper Saddle River just did it. How about a village-wide mailing of the facts to every resident to educate us on exactly what the Master Plan amendment includes? Upper Saddle River just did that, too. (Oh, and Upper Saddle River just voted 11-1 against high-density zoning.)

It is up to the Planning Board to do what is right for Ridgewood, not for the developers, today and in the future. As leaders of our community, we truly hope they will.

Gail and Jim McCarthy

Ridgewood

https://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-letters-to-the-editor/letter-planner-s-report-on-multifamily-housing-misses-the-point-1.1133373

 

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Different views offered on Ridgewood planner’s housing estimate

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Different views offered on Ridgewood planner’s housing estimate

NOVEMBER 14, 2014    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2014, 12:31 AM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Print
PAGES: 1 2 > DISPLAY ON ONE PAGE

One figure quoted briefly at last week’s Planning Board hearing has attendees talking.

That figure is the “500-700 units” that, as the village planner noted in response to a resident’s question last Monday, could be built in Ridgewood if the currently proposed amendment to allow high-density multifamily housing in the Central Business District is approved and fully “built out” – i.e. a possible snapshot of how the amendment under consideration might affect the village in a “worst-case” scenario.

Village Planner Blais Brancheau noted that this number would require buildings comprising at least an acre of land to be torn down, and he believed the figure was unlikely. Members of Citizens for a Better Ridgewood (CBR), however, had serious concerns about that figure, which they believe is low.

The citizens action group has long been asking the village to reassess a density increase that is currently being deliberated – from 12 units per acre to 40-50 units per acre – and, through study and master plan reexamination, find a lower maximum density for new proposed apartments that might better suit Ridgewood.

On Tuesday, CBR trustee Amy Bourque said that the organization considers Brancheau’s cited estimate a “conservative number.”

https://www.northjersey.com/news/differing-views-on-estimate-offered-1.1133512

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Ridgewood addresses parking crunch

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file photo by Boyd Loving

Ridgewood addresses parking crunch

NOVEMBER 7, 2014    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2014, 1:21 AM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

RIDGEWOOD — Parking in the village may have gotten a little easier this week, depending on where you live.

Considerable debate regarding Ridgewood’s parking dearth — and how best to address it — resulted in determined action Wednesday night, as the council approved several ordinances and a resolution updating the village’s various parking standards.

The council’s focus in recent months has turned toward improving parking for Ridgewood’s residents and village visitors.

Recently, the council adopted regulations permitting valet parking at certain businesses, and orchestrated a deal securing space at the former Ken Smith Motors site on Franklin Avenue for parking by employees of village businesses.

Council members have also been working with county officials to secure funding to build a parking garage downtown.

But this week’s moves by the council standardized meters throughout Ridgewood, changing 12-hour meters to three-hour meters, with meters in effect from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The council also amended its parking permitting process.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-addresses-parking-crunch-1.1128839

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REPEAT PARKING VIOLATIONS

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file photo Boyd loving

REPEAT PARKING VIOLATIONS

To all business owners and employees in Ridgewood

important notice about parking!
Please read carefully.
Effective November 1, 2014
The Village of Ridgewood will begin strictly enforcing
REPEAT PARKING VIOLATIONS – on that date the police department will begin issuing tickets to vehicles that remain in a parking space beyond 3 hours.
This means that you will no longer be able to extend the time at the parking meter by adding additional quarters to the meters at the end of the time allowed.
The Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce and the Village of Ridgewood have arranged for a limited number of employeeparking spaces at the former Ken Smith Motors Lot (at the corner of N. Broad St. and Franklin Ave)
Beginning October 20, 2014, PARKING PERMITS maybe purchased at Village Hall (first floor receptionist desk)-for $80 per month -Monday-Friday 8:30am-4:30pm – you must have proof of employment and your driver’s license with you at the time of purchase – cash/check and/or credit cards accepted.
For additional information call
Village Hall 201-670-5500 x 200
Spaces at Ken Smith are extremely limited.
PLEASE REMEMBER YOU WILL BE TICKETED FOR REPEAT PARKING VIOLATIONS.

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Parking kunundrum upcoming in Cottage Place lot

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Parking kunundrum upcoming in Cottage Place lot
November 6,2014
Boyd A. Loving
9:48 AM 

Ridgewood NJ, Based on discussions held during 11/05’s Village Council Work Session, beginning in early 2015, the Cottage Place municipal parking lot may become an authorized destination for the following “all day” parkers (in addition to retaining its role as a lot open to all who want to “pay as you go” using coins):1) Vehicles displaying “unlimited parking – resident” hang tags – available for $750 per calendar year to Ridgewood residents (this hang tag will entitle Ridgewood residents to park all day in any municipal parking lot, including Cottage Place – additional sticker required for parking at train station lot, but the sticker is free).

2) Vehicles displaying “unlimited parking – non-resident” hang tags – available for $1500 per calendar year to non-Ridgewood residents (non-Ridgewood residents may park all day only in the Cottage Place lot).

3) Vehicles displaying “unlimited parking – employee” hang tags – available for $80 per month (non-resident employees of Ridgewood businesses may park all day only at the Cottage Place municipal lot, or at the Ken Smith Motors lot).

Coincident with the introduction of the new hang tag offerings, time limits will be reduced to three (3) hours on all parking lot meters and the hourly rate will be changed.

I am wrong to think that some, not all, of the those who should be paying $1500 per year to park in the Cottage Place lot will try to find someone who can get them either a $750 per year resident tag, or an $80 per month employee tag?

What technology, if any, will be used to ensure that the Resident and Employee hang tags are actually being displayed on vehicles being used by those who were entitled to purchase the tags?

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Parking no problem in Ridgewood

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Parking no problem in Ridgewood
Jim Finn

I have some very strong concerns that my town, Ridgewood, and Bergen County are in the process of spending valuable money to build a parking garage in an attempt to attract more shoppers and ease the crunch for residents.

I don’t know what the crunch is. I moved into Ridgewood in 1952, have lived in the general area since then and am a resident of the village once again. I have never had a problem finding a parking spot except in extreme cases like on the Fourth of July.

My primary concerns can be easily observed by spending a short amount of time in town on a Saturday evening. Cars are speeding through town and not paying attention to pedestrians in crosswalks. There are also arrogant jaywalkers galore, cars making illegal turns and cars illegally parked. There is no police presence.

read more :
https://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-letters-to-the-editor/the-record-letters-thursday-oct-30-1.1122394?page=3

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Freeholders agree to fund parking study for Ridgewood

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Freeholders agree to fund (another) parking study for Ridgewood
October 27, 2014    Last updated: Monday, October 27, 2014, 11:28 AM
By Jodi Weinberger
Staff Writer |
The Ridgewood News

The Bergen County Board of Chosen Freeholders voted Wednesday to fund a parking feasibility study in Ridgewood.

The resolution, passed unanimously by the seven-member board, specifically calls for the transfer of $179,160.92 from a 2002 rail network capital bond to the Bergen County Improvement Authority (BCIA), which will lead the study.

“I’m grateful to the Freeholder board and I’m encouraged that we have their full support,” said Mayor Paul Arohnson on Thursday. “That’s important. It’s great that we’re all on the same page.”

The dollar amount is what’s left of a $500,000 bond that was issued by the county in 2002 “for the engineering and design for the creation of a multi-county regional rail network,” which went to upgrades of train stations in several different towns.

In the resolution, the money is not specifically allocated to Ridgewood and can be used toward any municipality, said BCIA executive director Rob Garrison. He estimates that the study in Ridgewood will likely cost $100,000.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/county-to-study-feasibility-of-garage-1.1118852#sthash.wKvvKz63.dpuf

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Bergen, Ridgewood target parking

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Bergen, Ridgewood target parking

OCTOBER 25, 2014    LAST UPDATED: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2014, 1:21 AM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER | 
THE RECORD

RIDGEWOOD — The county and village could soon be partnering to address parking problems in an attempt to attract more shoppers to the downtown and ease the crunch for residents.

The Bergen County freeholders unanimously voted on a resolution earlier this week authorizing the transfer of nearly $180,000 from the county planning department’s budget to the Bergen County Improvement Authority.

Ridgewood officials have been meeting with representatives from the BCIA over the past year to discuss a partnership for a multistory parking garage, which would likely be built downtown on Hudson Street.

“I am grateful to Chairman David Ganz and the entire Freeholder Board for their leadership and partnership,” said Ridgewood Mayor Paul Aronsohn.

“Working together with BCIA Executive Director Rob Garrison and his board, I am increasingly confident that we can make a Ridgewood parking deck a reality,” Aronsohn added.

The BCIA will meet next on Nov. 6 to consider funding a study of the parking situation throughout the village, while making suggestions for improving it.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/bergen-village-target-parking-1.1117894#sthash.pWm99iBB.dpuf

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Ridgewood adds an extra hour to parking meters

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Ridgewood adds an extra hour to parking meters

OCTOBER 24, 2014    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2014, 12:31 AM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

Shoppers and diners will now have an extra hour of parking in Ridgewood.

The Village Council voted on Wednesday to convert all of Ridgewood’s two-hour meters to three-hour meters.

Business leaders have advocated for the change, noting that the switch will give customers more time to leisurely shop and dine without worrying about a parking ticket.

Some concerns about the three-hour limit were previously raised by Councilwoman Susan Knudsen, who argued that four hours was more leisurely. The council ultimately settled on three hours, citing varied reasoning, including the fear that four-hour meters would entice part-time workers to use those spots rather than shoppers.

“It’s never going to be perfect,” Mayor Paul Aronsohn said, noting that the meter time could be changed again. “We’ll have to monitor the situation.”

This plan to convert two-hour meters to three-hour meters comes in tandem with a larger discussion about short-term parking solutions. These solutions being discussed would serve as a temporary balm to Ridgewood’s parking woes while the village explores its long-term options, including a proposed county-funded garage (see story on page A1).

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/extra-hour-added-to-meters-parking-1.1117078#sthash.6Bq5I4M8.dpuf

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What constitutes “repeat parking” and why is it banned?

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What constitutes “repeat parking” and why is it banned?
October 24,2014
Boyd A. Loving
9:31 PM (6 hours ago)

“Repeat parking” is the act of feeding a parking meter beyond the maximum permissible time posted for parking at a specific location.  Example:  if the posted time limit for parking at meters on East Ridgewood Avenue is 3 hours between 9AM and 5PM, it is unlawful to leave your vehicle in place at any meter there for longer than 3 hours during the noted time period, even if you’ve put additional money in the meter.

Why is “repeat parking” banned?  “Repeat parking” is banned to facilitate turnover in parking spaces.  Retail merchants in particular believe that people are more likely to patronize stores when parking spaces are readily available nearby.  If there were little to no turnover in parking places, merchants believe patrons would become frustrated and spend their money in communities other than Ridgewood.

This is how “repeat parking” is described on the Village’s official PARKING GUIDE:

REPEAT PARKING/FEEDING METER
Is not permitted. Once the maximum time on the 
meter is passed, the vehicle must be moved not 
only out of that spot, but out of that lot or to a 
new street.

https://mods.ridgewoodnj.net/pdf/manager/20131127PM.pdf

YOUR OPINION WANTED:  Does it make sense to permit the movement of a vehicle to another lot, or to another street, once it has been parked for the maximum permissible time, or does this defeat the main objective of creating turnover so that parking spots are readily available?  Please weigh in below.

Esurance

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Bergen Freeholders to vote on funding parking study for Ridgewood

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Bergen Freeholders to vote on funding parking study for Ridgewood

OCTOBER 13, 2014    LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2014, 3:41 PM
BY JODI WEINBERGER
STAFF WRITER
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

Bergen County Freeholders are expected to vote on a resolution at their Oct. 22 meeting that would likely fund a $100,000 parking study in the village.

MARION BROWN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Several Ridgewood business owners have claimed that the village’s metered parking lots are full by 9 a.m. Most spots are taken by commuters and employees, leaving no spaces for downtown shoppers, they said.

The village has been in talks with the Bergen County Improvement Authority (BCIA) for more than a year about a partnership that would ideally result in the county building a 450-space parking garage at the site of the Hudson Street lot, where there are currently only a couple dozen 12-hour metered parking spots.

The county would own and operate the garage, which the village would pay for over the course of 20-30 years from the revenue from the garage.

To put the plan into motion, the freeholders and the county executive both need to sign off on the transferring of funds from the county’s planning department to the BCIA through the approval of the resolution.

To that end, Mayor Paul Aronsohn invited Freeholder Chairman David Ganz, who sets the agenda for the freeholder meetings, to Ridgewood last Tuesday to view the Hudson Street lot and observe the parking challenges in Ridgewood.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/freeholders-set-vote-on-funding-study-for-ridgewood-1.1108474#sthash.1PJNA6l7.dpuf