We’ll have a nonbinding, ignored referendum on the garage at Hudson and Broad…but perhaps unwittingly demonstrating just how real that building already feels to those in power, the Village Manager announced at Wednesday’s council meeting that they are soliciting suggested NAMES for it. Once you name a thing, they know, it becomes real.
How about Armagarageddon?
Other ideas?
file photo by Boyd Loving
Next CBD Forum – September 23 at 7:30PM – Village Hall
Our Central Business District Forum will resume next Wednesday, September 23, at 730 PM, in the Village Hall Courtroom. We will discuss the new garage planned for Broad and Hudson Streets. No longer just a nice idea, the garage is moving into the design phase. We have already seen some exciting design possibilities that will be offered to our residences for their consideration. The Mayor will attend the forum and he and I will bring everyone up to date as to where the process stands and where it is headed, including a look forward at the all-important referendum on November 3. Please join us and invite your friends and neighbors to attend.
SEPTEMBER 7, 2015 LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2015, 1:20 AM
THE RECORD
Village to hear plansfor parking garage
Proposals for a potential parking garage in downtown Ridgewood will be discussed during a special council meeting that has been called for Tuesday night.
The meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. at Village Hall, 131 N. Maple Ave.
Ridgewood officials said the meeting will include presentations from a number of the firms that responded to the village’s request for proposals.
The council will likely choose a firm to design a multilevel parking garage when it meets Wednesday night, with an official vote planned for Sept. 16.
Village residents will vote this fall on the proposed expenditure of $15 million for the garage, slated for a site within the central business district.
https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-will-hear-plans-for-parking-garage-1.1404971
AUGUST 26, 2015 LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2015, 10:10 AM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
The village is moving forward with a financial feasibility study for a possible parking structure to be built at the Hudson Street lot while officials wait for responses to the request for proposal (RFP) put out seeking a building design.
The study will determine the levels of expected revenue as well as the cost of a new parking garage, said Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld at the Aug. 12 council meeting.
Included in the analysis will be proposed parking rate schedules for Hudson Street as well as the other village lots and on-street meters, projections for daily and annual income, debt service, cost and operations.
Sonenfeld said the village received proposals from three different firms. After a discussion with the steering committee, there was a recommendation to go with the proposal from New York-based Walker Parking Consultants, the same firm that performed the study to determine whether or not the garage should be automated or self-park.
A resolution to award a contract for the professional parking services was unanimously passed on Aug. 12. The amount in the contract is not to exceed $18,500 with expenses not to exceed $1,000, which will be expended from the $500,000 bond ordinance adopted in July.
https://www.northjersey.com/news/firm-to-review-parking-finances-1.1398423
Valley is a disgrace to Ridgewood with their actions. Why would anyone support Valley in this town anymore? I believe Hackensack is Top 5 in the country. The 10 minute extra drive is now worth it for me. This town has so many issues. A 3-2 Council, we’re the minority on this.
High Density housing, unreasonable size units we’re given. A 15 Million dollar parking garage? Are you insane? How much did the Town Hall cost in the flood zone. How many studies have we paid for? Let’s do another study. Steel beams and concrete..$15 million dollars, only in RichWood. Town is a disgrace and moving in the wrong direction. I just heard, needs to be confirmed, the Engineer is asking taxpayers sidewalks to be repaired? Take a look at the sidewalks in the CDB. Hint, the red bricks meeting concrete. Don’t ask others to do when you don’t! True
Employee parking : At 930 am Chestnut street is full of parked cars , none of the stores are open so one can only assume employees are parking in all the spots,
Ken Smith Employee parking : Most feel $80 bucks a month seems a bit stiff for restaurant and retain workers .
Meter parking enforcement hours : Merchants felt their customers were paying for parking while restaurant guests were not . Some suggested longer meter hours , say till 9 pm with a reduction in parking rates as a way to better spread out the pain.
Valet Parking :Many merchants felt about all the Valet parking only added to the parking problems taking even more spots away from potential customers as well as the general disrespectful attitude or the employees or the Valet Parking companies.
Parking App: Many felt the over 55 set would be resistant , and almost everyone felt it eliminated the quick in and out shoppers by making parking to much work as well as the App made parking even more expensive.
Garage Location : While many merchants liked the idea of a garage they also voiced concerns about the location and the anticipated traffic tie ups when parkers enter and exit.
$40 + Million for BOE Ridgewood Schools All renovations
$15 Million for VOR Parking Garage bonded by public funds
$5 Million for Ridgewood Library renovations (mix of private / public funds)
$ ? Millions ? Unknown for Performing arts center Building next to library/VOR
Running Total Estimates so far at $60 + MILLION
Estimates are just that, estimates, and tend to go over.
Lots of questions need to be asked about the funding of these Wish Lists projects. Detailed answers to specific financials, the percentages of NJ State funding/ VOR / public funding needed to be appropriated for these projects, as well as the County and NJ Transit in the case for the parking garage with the expected/ projected parking revenues. What would be the time line for all these debts to be paid off, and the breakdown on the taxpayers.
file photo by Boyd Loving
Listen to what Ridgewood Mayor Paul Aronsohn has to say about the costs for a new parking garage.
Hudson Street Parking Garage
Walker Parking Consultant Study – July 5th, 2015
Walker Parking Floor Plans
Resolutions
Resolution 15-222 : Non-Binding Referendum – Nov 3, 2015 Ballot
JULY 16, 2015 LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, JULY 16, 2015, 3:37 PM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
The Village Council took the next step toward allowing more residential buildings in the Central Business District with the introduction of five ordinances pertaining to the master plan amendments approved by the Planning Board in June.
All five ordinances were introduced by a 3-2 margin with Mayor Paul Aronsohn, Deputy Mayor Albert Pucciarelli and Councilwoman Gwenn Hauck voting in favor and Councilman Michael Sedon and Councilwoman Susan Knudsen voting against introduction.
Knudsen asked the council to table the introduction of each based on receiving a copy of the ordinances for the first time at the beginning of last week’s work session meeting.
“At that exact moment we received five ordinances, which were a total of 40 pages of complicated, detailed information regarding the changes to the master plan,” said Knudsen. “And I felt at that time because we had just received those documents at 7:30, we didn’t have an opportunity to have discussion and question the village planner in a proper work session.”
https://www.northjersey.com/news/zoning-changes-brought-forward-1.1375736
A parking garage that close to the train station and bus stop would be sufficient to serve commuters. The street level spaces near the should all be limited to 3 hors for the benefit of CBD businesses and their customers. Oh, and parking should be free on Sundays. Okay, now someone else can be king for a day…
The chamber wants it for increase parking for the business but you say it for the commuters. Can’t have it both way. And if you think that the commuter are going to get off the train and eat and shop in Ridgewood I don’t think so. Commuter just want to get home after a long day. On a side not if they get off the train after 5:30 they couldn’t shop anyway all the store are closed. Which is it?
If it is meant to be a place for long-term commuter parking, then I can see a better chance of it working. For this to happen, the existing all-day parking bays at/near the train station and the bus station will need to be changed to meters that only allow short-term parking intended for shoppers and diners.
The parking garage under consideration would be constructed across the street from Our Lady if Mount Carmel Church. Has this location been determined to be the best? What happened to the lot across the street from TD Bank on Franklin Avenue? Wasn’t that lot condemned for the purpose of erecting a parking garage? And wasn’t a bond issued at the time that we never used to build the structure?
Readers say at the end of the Taxpayers will be on the hook for the garage while business,developers and NJT will all benefit from it
My questions:
1. What happens if parking revenues fall short of expectations?
2. What is the proposed parking fee structure for the new garage?
These are very important questions and I will explain why. For the first one, the answer is pretty obvious. The Village taxpayers will be on the hook for it as the construction bond cannot be reneged on just because you hoped there would be enough revenue. The second one will absolutely dictate the success or failure of the entire project. Any fee structure that is more than street parking will completely disincentivize most people from using the garage. They will circle the blocks until a street space frees up, or they will go somewhere else to eat/shop. As I’ve stated before, this garage will represent the parking location of absolute last resort, and I predict it will be viewed in years to come as one of those “what were they thinking” buildings.
Its called a shell game. money from the parking revenue is now used to support the town budget. money from the new garage if a surplus will be used to pay the loan off on the new garage. If revenue from the new garage isn’t adequate the town (I mean taxpayers) will have to make up the shortfall.
Or should the Village tax the CBD landlords for the garage or local businesses, their the ones that are going to profit from it.
July 14,2015
Ridgewood NJ, Walker Parking study compares a traditional self storage parking complex of 5 stories to using an automated vehicle storage and retrieval system(AVSRS). A 5 level self park structure would increase parking approximately 350 spaces while the AVSRS at a significantly higher cost would add approximately 393 spaces according to Walker.
Walker looked at 2 types of automated parking systems Puzzle and Rack .
Self park would cost roughly $42,200 per car and total cost estimate of $11,500,000.
Puzzle Automated Park $60,900 per car and total cost estimate of $23,900,000.
Rack Automated Park $53,800 per car and total cost estimate of $17,310,000.
Larger capacity self park 394 spaces , $30,800 per car and total cost estimate $12,140,000.
07/13/15
Ridgewood NJ, Is it just me, or does the draft wording of the proposed non-binding referendum question suggest that property tax revenues will not be required to finance or build a “downtown parking garage?”
The proposed wording of the question voters would see on Election Day, read aloud by Mayor Paul Aronsohn during last Wednesday evening’s Village Council Work Session, is as follows:
“Do you support a proposal to finance and build a downtown parking garage on the Hudson Street lot, located at the corner of Hudson Street and South Broad Street, by bonding up to 15 million dollars of public funds, which would be paid for by using parking revenues.”
Doesn’t the wording of this question imply that parking revenues will be the sole source of funding required garage financing and construction?
So what happens if there’s a recession, like we had in 2008, and people cut way back on shopping and dining out. No shoppers, and no diners means no parking revenue. Then who’s left holding the bag? You guessed it folks!
Remember fellow voters, the Village Hall renovation project was sold to taxpayers with a projected cost of $4.5 million. At $11 million, they stopped counting. To this day, we still don’t know how much was spent renovating Village Hall.
I’m skeptical that parking revenues alone can pay for a $15 million garage. I’m also skeptical that the brain trust at Village Hall would be actually able to bring in a project on time and on budget.
Before you enter the voting booth this coming November, know exactly what you’re voting for and how it might impact your pocketbook/wallet (i.e., property tax increases).
NONBINDING REFERENDA – ALL MUNICIPALITIES AND COUNTIES
The governing body of any municipality or county may “ascertain the sentiment of the legal voters of the municipality or county upon any question or policy pertaining to the government or internal affairs thereof” by adopting an ordinance or resolution at a regular meeting requesting that the proposition appear on the ballot at the next general election. The request must be filed with the county clerk no later than 74 days before the election. (N.J.S.A. 19:37-1 et seq.)
Once a municipal governing body has adopted a resolution or ordinance placing a nonbinding proposition before the voters and transmitted the request to the county clerk, the voters of the municipality have the power to place a reasonably related nonbinding question or policy before the voters by presenting to the governing body a petition signed by 10% or more of the registered and qualified voters of the municipality. The governing body must adopt a resolution at its next regular meeting requesting the county clerk to print the proposition as formulated and expressed in the petition on the ballot and must file the request with the clerk no later than 60 days prior to the election. (N.J.S.A. 19:37-1.1)
file photo by Boyd Loving
Readers say : non binding = if the residents approve great they will move forward. If the residents do not approve it is non binding (on the mayor and council) and they will move forward. It’s a done deal folks.
So let’s get the business owners in the CBD who want this (Fish, Greek to Me) to help pay for the garage if it’s a done deal. If they have skin in the game, at least they’ll help protect Village taxpayers from cost overruns and “slippage” better than the Village ever could or would. Why should taxpayers be liable for 100% of the cost and inevitable overruns when this garage will benefit the businesses in the CBD? C’mon, this is North Bergen in NJ. Everything costs multiples of what it should so that everyone can get their “taste”.
The CBD business interests and landlords like to say that Ridgewood always says no to change. Not true. In the past couple of decades we built a new Village Hall, expanded the High School, built a new library, turfed Maple and the HS fields, upgraded Graydon, built a new track facility at BF, added a new gym at GW, converted Habernickel to public use. Whether you agree with all of these actions or not, Ridgewood has not sat still and has spent when needed. Contrast that with the decades long debate about a parking garage. It has NOT been built because there has been a consistent view by most residents that it is not needed and will detract from the Village. The only thing that has changed is that the commercial interests seem to have gotten a firmer foothold with the VC.
so why aren’t these CBD business interests helping to pay for it? Why should taxpayers be on the hook for 100% of this? Makes no sense.
JUNE 29, 2015 LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, JUNE 29, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
RIDGEWOOD — When it meets on July 15, the Village Council could move to add a non-binding referendum to November’s ballot, gauging public support for the financing of a parking garage downtown.
For well over a year, Ridgewood officials have been implementing various measures aimed at providing additional parking throughout the central business district.
Business leaders agree with the council that constructing a garage on Hudson Street would lure more dollars to the village.
Last week, Ridgewood’s council reviewed a draft resolution regarding the non-binding ballot question; a final version of the resolution will be prepared in time for the council’s July 8 meeting, with a vote likely a week later.
https://www.northjersey.com/news/parking-garage-interest-gauged-1.1364987
