Tag: Planning Board

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Reader says Obamacare Architect Ezekiel J. Emanuel says Let Nature Take its Course and refuse all medical treatment after 75

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Reader says Obamacare Architect Ezekiel J. Emanuel  says Let Nature Take its Course and refuse all medical treatment after 75 

Valley can build separate buildings. That’s what I thought it was doing. Buying up all that land.

It can use its present location for Maternity for example and other buildings for other things.

Don’t kid yourself no. 2. Cancer has NOT advanced very much since the 1950s. Get it and find out for yourself.

The best defense against heart disease is a very healthy lifestyle.

Life style is 80 percent of health which includes a healthy environment. No traffic pollution no poison on lawn that gets into water spoils ecology causes nerve damage and CANCER !!We should be discouraging traffic from CBD. POLLUTION. YIKES!!

There are many hospitals around this area that have the same wonderful!! easy cancer cures as Valley. We don’t need Valley here at all. Growing up I was 15 miles from a hospital and survived to tell about it.

Are you aware of what was on News Hour a few days ago, channel 13 with Judy Woodruff, and in the Atlantic magazine this past Sept.

A proposal, written by a bioethiscist that people age 75 refuse all medication because statistics of millions of people PROVE that after that age health declines very precipitously and painfully and the cost of prolonging life not worth it emotionally, physically. It’s very painful for most people. We’re talkin fancy western countries. Not to mention financial and using resources that would be best used to save young people. Very much antibiotics that are becoming and are ineffective now from overuse.

Now that would put Valley out of business so very fast. They are counting on sickies 80 years and over for their survival. They said so at meetings.

But UP UNITL ABout age 75 it’s mostly in our control. Very much so. If we keep the lifestyle and environment clean. If we don’t live the correct lifestyle Valley, can’t really do anything significant for us despite their hype.
Valley should spread out. with multiple buildings. Why are they such pigs.

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Ridgewood tables housing proposal to receive public input

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Ridgewood tables housing proposal to receive public input

OCTOBER 11, 2014    LAST UPDATED: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2014, 1:21 AM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD

RIDGEWOOD — The Planning Board tabled discussion on a possible master plan amendment permitting multifamily housing downtown until next month, when residents will get their first chance to weigh in on the proposal.

Talks will resume at the board’s meeting on Nov. 3, when the village’s planner, Blais Brancheau, is expected to present his own analysis on the potential master plan changes.

The proposed amendment is being sought by three developers, who want to build multifamily housing complexes in Ridgewood.

Brancheau will likely face questions from the public after giving his report next month, and almost certainly will face cross-examination by attorneys for the developers, who all have active applications pending before the board.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/village-tables-housing-proposal-1.1107241#sthash.X74DFhNn.dpuf

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Ridgewood housing hearings to continue as planned

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Ridgewood housing hearings to continue as planned

OCTOBER 9, 2014    LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2014, 5:06 PM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

Planning Board hearings on multifamily housing will continue moving forward as they have been.

The board announced on Tuesday that it would not be taking the mayor’s suggestion to bifurcate a proposed amendment that would allow for multifamily housing in four downtown zones.

Creating multiple amendments out of the one currently proposed amendment – to allow the board to vote to approve or reject multifamily housing in some but not necessarily all zones – is not totally off the table, but the idea is set aside, since it could have rendered some already-delivered testimony unusable.

The board will again consider amendment modifications, like bifurcation and other ways to split the amendment, once the current process comes to a close, following the village planner’s testimony at the next hearing.

The suggestion that the Planning Board should split the amendment into two – one that would consider housing in the Central Business District’s (CBD) “core” (East Ridgewood Avenue and Franklin Avenue) and another that would consider housing in the CBD’s “periphery” (south of East Ridgewood Avenue and north of Franklin Avenue) – was raised by Mayor Paul Aronsohn at a board meeting last month.

Aronsohn also suggested that the board reduce the proposed allowable density.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-housing-hearings-to-continue-as-planned-1.1106340#sthash.H5OkK9kA.dpuf

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Valley Hospital’s suit over rejected expansion plan could prove costly for Ridgewood

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Valley Hospital’s suit over rejected expansion plan could prove costly for Ridgewood

OCTOBER 10, 2014    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2014, 1:21 AM
BY MARY JO LAYTON
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD

The Valley Hospital’s lawsuit against the Ridgewood Planning Board and Village Council is sparking fears of a costly, protracted legal battle and even some talk of a boycott of the hospital and its physicians.

The hospital, whose proposal to nearly double in size was rejected by the Planning Board in June, has turned to the courts to push the expansion through.

Mayor Paul Aronsohn said the board’s decision should stand. As a member of the Planning Board, he voted against the proposal to change the village master plan to allow the project.

“I fear this lawsuit will not only be divisive, but also expensive,” Aronsohn said Thursday. “By forcing the village to spend scarce tax dollars on a legal defense, this lawsuit runs the risk of undermining important village services and programs.”

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/health-news/valley-suit-may-prove-costly-1.1106700#sthash.IM82mvH9.dpuf

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Freeholder chief checks Ridgewood parking shortage

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Freeholder chief checks Ridgewood parking shortage

OCTOBER 8, 2014    LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2014, 1:21 AM
THE RECORD

RIDGEWOOD — Residents, officials and business leaders all seem to agree on one thing when it comes to the village: parking is scarce.

On Tuesday afternoon, Freeholder Chairman David Ganz took a quick tour of the downtown area, to survey the village’s parking situation.

Village officials have spent the last year talking with representatives from the Bergen County Improvement Authority about the possibility of the county financing, building and operating a parking deck in Ridgewood.

First, the freeholders would need to authorize the expenditure of $100,000 on a comprehensive study of the village’s current parking situation.

“We recently included Chairman Ganz in that conversation,” said Mayor Paul Aronsohn, “because the freeholders would have to approve BCIA’s use of transit funding for such a study.”

The funding issue could be discussed at the freeholders’ next meeting on Oct. 22.

– See more at:  https://www.northjersey.com/news/freeholder-chief-checks-ridgewood-parking-shortage-1.1104416#sthash.K0CobFFL.dpuf

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PLANNING BOARD PUBLIC MEETING TONIGHT

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PLANNING BOARD PUBLIC MEETING TONIGHT

AGENDA

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Village Hall Courtroom – 7:30 P.M.

(all timeframes and the order of agenda items below are approximate and subject to change)

1.            7:30 p.m. – Call to Order, Statement of Compliance, Flag Salute, Roll Call  – In accordance with the provisions of Section 10:4-8d of the Open Public Meetings Act, the date, location, and time of the commencement of this meeting is reflected in a meeting notice, a copy of which schedule has been filed with the Village Manager and the Village Clerk, The Ridgewood News and The Record newspapers, and posted on the bulletin board in the entry lobby of the Village municipal offices at 131 North Maple Avenue, and on the Village website, all  in accordance with the provisions of the Open Public Meetings Act.

         Roll call: Aronsohn, Bigos, Knudsen, Nalbantian, Joel, Reilly, Dockray, Peters, Thurston, Altano, Abdalla


2.            7:35 – 8:00 p.m. – Executive session


3.            8:00 p.m. – 8:10 p.m. – Public Comments on Topics not Pending Before the Board


4.            8:10p.m. – 8:15 p.m. – Committee/Commission/Professional Updates for Non Agenda Topics


5.            8:15 p.m. – 8:20 p.m. – Correspondence Received by the Board 

6.            8:20 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. – Public hearing Land Use Plan Element of the Master Plan AH-2, B-3-R, C-R and C Zone Districts


7.            9:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. – Discussion re: Legal overview regarding Open Public Meetings Act requirements and Board obligations as per the Municipal Land Use Law


8.            10:00 p.m.-10:30 p.m. – Housing Element of the Master Plan – Discussion re: Preparation and Schedule for Adoption


9.            Adjournment

 
         In accordance with the Open Public Meetings Act, all meetings of the Ridgewood Planning Board (i.e., official public meetings, work sessions, pre-meeting assemblies and special meetings) are public meetings, which are always open to members of the general public.


         Members: Mayor Paul Aronsohn, Nancy Bigos, Councilwoman Susan Knudsen, Charles Nalbantian, Richard Joel, Kevin Reilly, Wendy Dockray, Michele Peters, David Thurston, Isabella Altano, Khidir Abdalla

         Professional Staff: Blais L. Brancheau, Planner; Gail L. Price, Esq., Board Attorney; Christopher J. Rutishauser, Village Engineer; Michael Cafarelli, Board Secretary

 

Financial Advisory Committee – October 13 Meeting Cancelled

The Financial Advisory Committee (FAC) holds its meetings the second Monday of each month. The October 13th Meeting is cancelled due to the holiday on that date. The November Meeting is scheduled for Monday, November 10th.

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Valley conveys a clear message to the Village of Ridgewood ” they want what they want

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Valley conveys a clear message to the Village of Ridgewood ” they want what they want

 feel that the lawsuit of Valley conveys a clear message to the Village of Ridgewood ” they want what they want” and will use their power and money to get it. The residents of this town have been go to meetings and spending their valuable time and money for 8 years. 

Valley has presented their plans twice to the Village and they were both rejected. The process was followed and people presented their views for 8 years about how they have felt about this expansion. It has been 8 years of peoples time!! Enough is enough. Valley has not made much of a compromise on their site plans. And as a result, it has been voted against both times because at the end of the day the hospitals proposal is too BIG for this site surrounded by residential homes and a school.
For those who are claiming people do not want it in their backyard I ask you to take a good look at the Valley plans because I do not think you would want it in yours either!! If your neighbor wanted to rebuild their home to be double its current size and it was going to take years of construction, I think you would be against it as well. If I wanted to double the size of my house on my property, I would be told my lot is too small for the site and to come up with a plan that works in the space or find a new space.
This Valley renewal is not a expansion. Look at the plans… it is a rebuild of a hospital. Can anyone really say that a 94 foot building belongs in the middle of a residential area? It does not fit in the space. People seem to forget that the houses surrounding the hospital were here before the hospital! The hospital was built in a residential area. I truly believe that the people against the expansion are not against the hospital updating but this plan is ridiculous. 10 years of construction and more than doubling it current size! If Valley really cared about Ridgewood and its neighbors they would have come up for alternative plan to address the size of the buildings and set backs from the homes. It is sad that this will never be over until Valley gets their way!

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Reader says The community is tired of Valley’s bullying, the wasting of our taxes and time .

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Reader says The community is tired of Valley’s bullying, the wasting of our taxes and time .

By this action, Valley has proven to me and to residents of this village that it is nothing more than a self interested business entity without any true integrity or competent leadership. This attempt will fail because the associated issues don’t support such a audacious over development. The community as a whole is now aware and tired of their bullying, the wasting of our taxes and time .It has become clear to many in all sections that fears of them trying to turn this town into Valleywood is coming true. The Board of Valley should be embarrassed by their lack of proper management planning,. their double talking and miscue on PV and their disgraceful approach and tactics agaisnt a host that has subsidized them for ages. Valley has lost its way and much of the goodwill that it once had. I personally will disassociate myself with the institution.

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The Central Business District :Parking well that is just part of the Problem

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The Central Business District :Parking well that is just part of the Problem 
September 28th 2014
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, A Ridgewood Panel says lack of parking is the source of problems in downtown Ridgewood , but in readers offered many other ideas .

While parking is often mentioned , many felt the issue has been long over played. Readers said store hours , types of stores and restaurants , rents , taxes and Ridgewood’s over bureaucratic non responsive regulatory environment pose significant problems for businesses. It seems Ridgewood has gotten a very anti business reputation.

Readers also questioned the lack of comprehensive planning  , spot zoning, ad hoc development, and a lack of efforts by the Chamber to promote new business in town .

Readers though the panel was a bit self serving , and said “What a bunch of self serving greedy people lead by a councilman who is a narcissi . The article shows how much the Ridgewood News is on board with this. These greedy people using words such as “stigma,” “that Ridgewood is asleep.” “that Ridgewood has lost its edge.” “Some similarly jarring points were made” “When you drive into this town, I don’t want to say it the wrong way, but it looks kind of dumpy… -” Thanks.

“Sarceno, a Ridgewood resident, said he wanted to attract anything other than a restaurant into the historic building, but he couldn’t.“It was amazing to see the lack of interest from anyone other than a restaurant,” he said.

Mr. Sarceno did you expect a Gap or a JC Penny to go in there. We all know what you did. You bought that building at a discount and then you go to your friend on the Council and push for a parking garage on Hudson St which would make the bank building more attractive for renters not to mention charging higher rent.”

Most readers would like the down town developed in a sensible fashion , but after years of Valley Hospital looking to ram their expansion down the Village’s throat and the constant barrage of over the top ridiculous claims by developers and politicians  the public has grown very suspicious and these actions and they have severely undermined Village leadership .
The fact is no one in Ridgewood wants to live in Hoboken ,other wise they would just move there . Whats needed is an honest assessment  as to whats best for the Village  and far less self aggrandizing from developers and politicians looking out for the own interests .

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Panel says parking is source of problems in downtown Ridgewood

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Panel says parking is source of problems in downtown Ridgewood

SEPTEMBER 26, 2014    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2014, 4:19 PM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

John Saraceno, owner of the former Bank of America building, gave some bad news during Deputy Mayor Albert Pucciarelli’s most recent public forum on the Central Business District (CBD).

Sarceno, a Ridgewood resident, said he wanted to attract anything other than a restaurant into the historic building, but he couldn’t.

“It was amazing to see the lack of interest from anyone other than a restaurant,” he said. “In three years, I never received a proposal or request from a non-restaurant, and all I wanted was a non-restaurant.”

Now, the new high-end seafood restaurant FISH is on its way into the long-vacant space.

The issue, Saraceno said, is two-fold: Ridgewood’s parking “stigma,” and the stigma “that Ridgewood is asleep.”

“In the retail marketplace, there is a tremendous view,” he noted, “that Ridgewood has lost its edge.”

Some similarly jarring points were made by other attendees during the forum Monday evening in the richly furnished back room of Chestnut Street’s new Roots Steakhouse, which features luxe leather seating and lantern lighting.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/business/panel-says-parking-is-source-of-problems-1.1097287#sthash.IxBzgt3T.dpuf

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Reader says Any development proposal that is so severe that it requires a change to the town’s Master Plan SHOULD take time so all parties

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Reader says Any development proposal that is so severe that it requires a change to the town’s Master Plan SHOULD take time so all parties 

The (slow) speed of the process is (or at least SHOULD) be part of the intent and design of any process which can change the Master Plan. Any development proposal that is so severe that it requires a change to the town’s Master Plan SHOULD take time so all parties – including residents – have time to absorb, analyze and review the impact of such a proposal.Streamlining this process and making it faster and less painful IS NOT the direction that should be taken.

A change to the Master Plan NEEDS to be deliberate (and yes to a degree- difficult) to encourage developers to find solutions that meet their needs AND fit into the parameters of the existing Master Plan – otherwise we are at great risk to destroy all of those intangibles that make RW great and which drew the developers to the town in the first place.

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Reader says I’m relatively certain that it’s not within the Mayor’s power to advocate for amending the Master Plan at this point

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Reader says I’m relatively certain that it’s not within the Mayor’s power to advocate for amending the Master Plan at this point

I’m relatively certain that it’s not within the Mayor’s power to advocate for amending the Master Plan at this point. Nor is it within the power of his 2 running mates Mrs. Hauck and Mr. Pucciarelli – both of whom seem to have already made up their minds on the subject.

How about these 2 developers apply for variances just like anyone else that wants to build anything in this town. You want to be a little lenient with them, fine. Just keep it within the scope of the existing Master Plan. There’s your compromise.

Don’t allow 3 people who think they know better than the rest of us make such permanent changes to our town.

A little history lesson. We owe this master plan craziness to former Mayor Pfund and his desire to help out Valley bypass everyone in its over-expansion plan. Had he not pushed the change that allowed the hospital and developers to push for amendments, we would not be in this morass. I believe that if the master plan had not been changed to allow these cases, then Valley would have instead asked for exemptions on a building-by-building basis. They would have had something built by now. Smaller, yes. But one new building is better than nothing and looking like a fool in the process. Greed is getting the best of all of them.

And for this fine effort, Pfund was appointed our municipal judge for life.

 The problem as i understand the ordinance that exists is that we will be dealing with this over and over again even if we approve one or all of these proposals. That is the great fear…that if any of these projects is approved it will open the floodgates for other projects…all using what i will call the brother/sister argument (you let her/him do it so why can’t i?). And given that this has became such a legalized process, no one can assure that won’t sue to try to push through their proposals. I agree that something needs to be done but not with potentially open-ended litigation risk.

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Reader says the current amendment proposal is doomed and the Mayor wants to make sure something gets through.

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Reader says the current amendment proposal is doomed and the Mayor wants to make sure something gets through.

many on the planning board that night were skeptical of the mayor’s proposal that night. it clearly took many by surprise and you really have to question why he brought it up now. my best guess is that he sees the current amendment proposal is doomed and he wants to make sure something gets through. THAT ISN’T THE PROCESS!!

Let’s remember that the ordinance that allows these amendment proposals in the first place was pushed through by friends of developers (which includes their lawyers). They created a legal process that couldn’t be stopped or participated in by residents once it moved past debate at the council level (or so they thought – they didn’t count on something like the CBR). Recall how Al abruptly ceased debate on these and pushed the vote which brought them to the planning board. Now that the process isn’t working in their favor they are trying to split them up to make it look like a “compromise”.

Also remember this: The developers bought these properties knowing exactly what they were allowed to build. They were banking on being able to push through these amendments that quadruple the number of units/acre currently allowed. That’s just bad business decision making (unless you have some reason to believe your amendment will be helped along). Certainly helps explain why saraceno stormed out in the middle of the cross by his attorney of the CBR planner as it was clear he wasn’t going to rattle her.

If the current amendment proposals are voted down the developers have to go back to the drawing board and come up with a better plan. It is not the town’s job to tell the developers how much more they can get away with than is currently allowed – that’s like asking a cop how much faster you can drive over the speed limit while he’s writing you a ticket.

This is the process the developers and their attorneys created…stop whining because it’s not going your way now!!

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Addressing special needs housing

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Addressing special needs housing

To The Editor:

Earlier this year, the New Jersey Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) established its latest housing regulations. It was a long-awaited attempt to clarify an increasingly complex situation and to provide our communities with clarity on this issue.

While we can spend hours debating the merits of such rules imposed on our municipalities, we think that it is imperative that attention be paid to a housing shortfall that lies beyond this new set of COAH rules. It is an issue that poses its own set of moral and practical challenges and is a relentless source of anxiety for many New Jersey families.

Specifically, we are talking about our state’s significant shortage of special-needs housing.

Ask any parent of an adult with cognitive, developmental or physical disabilities about housing opportunities and you are likely to get the same concerned look, hear the same compelling plea and feel the same sense of urgency. It is not just a matter of independence for their adult child. It is possibly a matter of life and death, because their adult child may have no place to live once the parents have died.

For them and their children – the literally thousands of people with disabilities waiting on state lists for such housing – the time to act is now. We must address the housing needs of our most vulnerable, and we must provide towns, such as Ridgewood, with more flexibility to make such housing a reality.

To that end, we have introduced Senate Bill 2132 to allow and encourage municipalities to work together to create regional affordable housing opportunities for adults with special needs. The bill would permit any city or town to transfer up to half of its COAH obligation to another city or town within a 10-mile radius, which would receive 1.5 COAH credits per unit of affordable housing to meet its fair share.

Among other things, this legislation would allow built-out communities – those with no space for additional housing – to help meet the needs of its special-needs residents, but to do so in neighboring towns.

In the past, similar regional contribution agreements had been legal and had been successful in creating thousands of affordable homes for people around the state. This bill is different, however, in that it focuses on people with special needs and includes a 10-mile geographical restriction as a common-sense component to keep such housing and services in close proximity – something that will benefit the communities and the families involved.

S-2132 is a significant step toward solving the housing needs of our most vulnerable and a solution that can provide much needed and much deserved relief to many New Jersey families. We therefore urge the Legislature to seize this opportunity and act upon this legislation.

Paul Aronsohn
Mayor, Ridgewood

Kevin O’Toole
State Senator, 40th Legislative District

https://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-letters-to-the-editor/letter-addressing-special-needs-housing-1.1093600

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Reader says So now the Master Plan is something to be tweaked and molded to meet any developers’ needs?

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Reader says So now the Master Plan is something to be tweaked and molded to meet any developers’ needs?

So now changing the Master Plan is reduced to a “regular” negotiable item on the table and is open to regular and frequent changes?

———-
Modifications to the Master Plan should be difficult to implement and should be considered only rarely – when absolutely necessary.

Apparently this mayor and council seem to consider a Master Plan change as one of the many “regular work-a-day tools” at their disposal.
———-

Clearly the ambitious plans of developers do not fit into the “essence” of RW – as evidenced by a need to change the Master Plan.

Changing the “proposed changes” to the Master Plan misses the function of the Master Plan and the problem at hand…
The problem IS NOT that the “original proposed changes” to the Master Plan were too severe.
The problem IS that the developers desires DO NOT FIT AND DO NOT BELONG in RW.

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