Forum to focus on ideas for Ridgewood business district
JULY 15, 2014 LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, JULY 15, 2014, 12:38 AM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER
Two major master plan amendment applications, from The Valley Hospital and developers seeking to build multifamily housing developments in Ridgewood’s Central Business District (CBD), have dominated Planning Board meetings over the last year.
And this state of affairs has forced the board and residents to become “reactive” to these applications, rather than “proactive” in developing their own vision for the CBD’s future, according to Deputy Mayor Albert Pucciarelli.
“[Residents] are locked into a reactive mode, like the Planning Board itself,” Pucciarelli said. “Protest signs about ‘Save our Village’ do not really set the tone for a positive image of what it is we want. It suggests more of what we don’t want.”
To learn what villagers would like to see happen in the CBD, Pucciarelli is holding an informal public meeting starting at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 23 in Village Hall.
“No agenda. Limited structure. Let’s just have a chance to come to the open mic and exchange ideas,” Pucciarelli said. “I’m hoping it brings out people who are genuinely interested in promoting ideas in a positive way. I don’t want to see it turn into a demonstration against a particular application or group of applicants that are out there.”
Pucciarelli previously sat on both the planning and zoning boards for about 24 years. He was the council’s Planning Board liaison until last Tuesday’s reorganization meeting.
He said his new position off the Planning Board has left him free to engage in a more open discussion about the CBD.
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/business/forum-focuses-on-future-of-downtown-ridgewood-1.1051550#sthash.zhusLwqX.dpuf
