Tag: Ridgewood NJ

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New Proposed Teterboro Flight Approach moves Jet Traffic closer Ridgewood

valley_hospital_theridgewoodblog
March 30,2016

the staff of the Rjidgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Look in the sky its a bird no its a plane and the new flight path to Teterboro Airport, intended to reduce noise around Hackensack University Medical Center, could take jets over Valley Hospital and Benjamin Franklin Middle School in Ridgewood . This according to a map of the new flight procedure published by a navigational aid company ahead of a six-month trial of the route, which is due to begin on Monday.

The Bergen Record is reporting that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has emphasized that its new they call it the “quiet visual” approach for Teterboro Airport shifts aircraft west of their current route to track Route 17 south from Mahwah to Rochelle Park. The idea is to minimize noise pollution by keeping aircraft over or close to the highway, itself a source of noise.

But the new flight procedure, published by Jeppesen, a Boeing company, shows that a significant portion of the approach takes pilots west of Route 17, particularly between Waldwick and Paramus.

The new flight path according to Jeppesen’s chart has jets approaching Teterboro dropping to a minimum of 3,000 feet around Mahwah, passing over Mahwah and Ramsey high schools. The next descend brings flights to about 2,000 feet, as they approach Julia A Traphagen Elementary School in Waldwick. Then planes would continue south, passing Ho-Ho-Kus Elementary School and, in Ridgewood, Benjamin Franklin Middle School and The Valley Hospital.

As flights continue over Paramus, jets will fly over Stony Lane School and Midland Elementary School as well as close by Bergen Community College, before coming in to land over the top of IKEA and the Westfield Garden State Plaza, while staying more than 1 mile west of Hackensack University Medical Center.

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Valley Hospital like everyone else, it needs to conform to the current Master Plan

valley_hospital_theridgewoodblog

March 30,2016

Linda McNamara

Ridgewood Nj, We are talking about 10 years of construction at one of the busiest intersections in Ridgewood. Most hospitals don’t build next to schools. Homes were there before Valley.

We like having a hospital in town but like everyone else, it needs to conform and we should demand that they abide by the current Master Plan. Valley is looking to become a noted regional facility. They can do it but not all of it at the current site. They have purchased many properties in the surrounding area.

Most of us prefer going to satellite locations for many of our medical needs. valley sued Ridgewood for “arbitrary and capricious” deliberstions. The town held numerous forums and the Planning Board voted 5-2 against the expansion plan. They keep coming back because they have tons of money and paying lawyers poses no difficulties. We need a strong defense and I am not sure the powers that be are up to the task.

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Affordable housing contentious Issue in Bergen County

clock_cbd_theridgewoodblog
March 29,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood Nj, Ridgewood is not the only town have both concerns and difficulties with the both the placement and quantity of court mandated affordable housing in the Village. The ongoing battle over how much court-ordered housing should be built in each municipality has grown particularly contentious in Bergen County, where the main issue is: Where does it go ?

While housing advocates, developers and even some local officials like our council majority in Ridgewood have what they think is an answer ; sites of all those aged, often vacant storefronts and corporate buildings that didn’t make it. Developers often call these “stranded assets”.

The answer in Ridgewood is derelict sites in the Central Business District that can hold multi purpose development . This site the old “Town Garage” , Brogan  and Ken smith as well as 599 South Maple offer developers and opportunity to meet affordable housing requirements along with other development needs .

While hundreds of municipalities are in court fighting proposed housing quotas which officials claim ignore the realities of the housing market and the pressing lack of vacant land as well as the quality of life and character of the town effected.

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Ridgewood Police forced the officers to Neutralize the Dog that was Ordered to Attack them

ridgewood_police_theridgewoodblog
file photo by Boyd Loving
March 29,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood Police report that on March 28 at about 10:30pm, Ridgewood Police were alerted at a vehicle which was driving at about 5mph down Lincoln Avenue and then came to a stop in the intersection of Lincoln and Godwin Avenues.
When Officer’s arrived on scene, he attempted to speak with the driver to see if there were any medical or other issues. During the investigation, the driver, Wilfredo Paduani, age 38 from West Paterson, became combative and assaulted a Ridgewood Police Sgt. and Officer .

During the assault, the driver commanded his dog, which was unsecured in his vehicle, to attack the officers. The dog jumped from an open window and charged at the officers which then forced the officers to neutralize the dog. The dog was taken to Oradell Animal Hospital for treatment. Mr. Paduani was charged with aggravated assault, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, resisting arrest, obstruction of justice, terroristic threats, possession of a controlled dangerous substance and being under the influence of a controlled dangerous substance in addition to various motor vehicle summons. He was unable to post the $50,000 bail and was transported to the Bergen County Jail pending his court appearance.

All defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

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Ridgewood Places 81st in List of Best Towns to Raise a Family

clock_cbd_theridgewoodblog
March 28,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood bloh
Ridgewood NJ , NJ Family magazine compiled a list of New Jersey’s Best Towns for Families . to come up with our ranking, they looked at the entire state of more than 500 towns and measured each municipality against a host of important factors, including school district quality, crime rates, affordability, commute times, percentage of families who live there, access to hospitals and general lifestyle factors.

Ridgewood’s (81) neighbor Oradell was named the number one place to raise a family in New Jersey and Hoboken which seems to be the model of our current council majority’s vision for Ridgewood’s future came in dead last at 508. Other towns that Ridgewood seems to be looking to for guidance Englewood came in 483, and Hackensack 422.

Along with Oradell other Bergen towns ;River Edge (13), Harrington Park (15),Closter (17), Old Tappan (18) , Upper Saddle River (29), and Glen Rock (30) all did quite well.

The Top 10 in the Ranking
1Oradell Bergen 7,997
2Montgomery Somerset 22,078
3Bethlehem Hunterdon 3,957
4Boonton Morris 4,311
5Fredon Sussex 3,392
6Pennington Mercer 2,591
7Mendham Morris 5,004
8MilltownMiddlesex6,916
9Mendham Twp.Morris 5,851
10Essex FellsEssex 2,125

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Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Ridgewood Wishes you and your family a Joyous Easter !

OLMC Easter Ridgewood

THE PRIESTS AND STAFF WISH YOU AND YOUR FAMILY A VERY JOYOUS EASTER! ALL are welcome to join us today in celebration of the RISEN CHRIST!
Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord: March 27

8:00am, 9:30am, 9:30am (Auditorium), 11:00am, 11:00am (Auditorium), 12:30pm, 12:30pm (Auditorium), 3:00pm (Spanish)

NO 6:30 PM MASS ON EASTER SUNDAY

1 Passaic St, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
Phone:(201) 447-2043
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Village of Ridgewood sign pictured, purchased with your tax dollars by the village manager, violates 2 village ordinances

garber square LED sign

March 26,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Note that the sign pictured, purchased with your tax dollars by the village manager, violates 2 village ordinances. <i>A study conducted in 2006 by Virginia Tech for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration showed that anything that takes a driver’s eyes off of the road for more than two seconds greatly increases the risk of a crash.  The same study also concluded that nearly 80% of all crashes involved driver inattention just prior (within three (3) seconds) of the crash.</i> This sign sits at one of three roads in town that cross the train tracks and handles a massive volume of pedestrians, cars, and now sports a bike lane. So, do as we say, not as we do.  <i>The Swedish research team suggests that digital billboards attract greater attention from drivers due to their: brightness; visibility from greater distances; and display of a constantly-changing series of advertisements. The team concluded that digital billboards “have the potential ability to keep up the driver’s curiosity over an extended period of time.” Previous human behavioral studies have shown that drivers are naturally inclined to notice bright, changing lights in their peripheral vision and to anticipate additional motion. The Swedish government had previously given temporary authorization to erect digital billboards in 2009, but as a result of this and related studies; the government has now ordered the removal of all digital billboards.</i> https://www.traffictechnologytoday.com/news.php?NewsID=45602
https://www.scenic.org/storage/PDFs/eebdd.pdf

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Review: From Scratch, in Ridgewood, Focuses on Italy’s Simple Pleasures

from scratch Ridgewood

By SHIVANI VORA

MARCH 25, 2016

A pool of creamy mozzarella spilled out of the grilled zucchini wrapped around the thick round of cheese. With every pleasurable bite, I had to remind myself that I was in Ridgewood and not Campania, Italy.

The restaurant, From Scratch, has that kind of transporting affect. The dishes are simple but use the highest quality ingredients, including local vegetables and seafood. Oils, cheeses and cured meats arrive weekly from the motherland (the mozzarella had indeed traveled from Campania to Ridgewood just days before I savored it). And, as the name suggests, everything — from the pastas and breads to the sauces and desserts — is prepared from scratch.

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/03/27/nyregion/italian-food-ridgewood-new-jersey-from-scratch-restaurant.html?smid=fb-share&referer=http%3A%2F%2Fm.facebook.com

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Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld Should Resign Immediately for Interfering with Petition Process

Roberta

Dana (with orange balloon) with petition. Roberta trying to interrupt conversation. John Saraceno standing off to side. Picture by Ellen McNamera snapped picture.

March 26,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, People at Van Neste square now collecting signatures. Roberta, Rurik & John apparently trying to interrupt conversations, so petitioners can’t talk to people.Hard to believe a village employee is trying to prevent a legal democratic process!

No time in modern history has a Village manager so unprofessionally inserted herself into the political process .  Hired as a political hack Roberta Sonenfeld has now crossed the line .

Readers raise questions:

Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld may I ask you. Are you not hired to work for ALL of the residents of this town, by our elected representatives?

How and in what way is it acceptable, professional, or above board, for you to be in the town park today with a developer/builder who seeks to change our town, and clearly people are divided over that, and a man with a stake in the game. You’re there on our dime speaking on their behalf while residents are peacefully, and quietly attempting to exercise our rights. Residents of this town who again, PAY YOUR SALARY- for now.

How are you there pushing your agenda and not mediating the questions among-st all residents and accurately discussing both sides of the arguments?

How do you still sit in your current position? How do you look your neighbors in the face?

You represent one, and only one, side of the argument and it is questionable as to WHY. It is very very questionable.

I think that people have been remiss in not forcefully and immediately investigating THAT.

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Support us in requesting the council to consider a garage that’s the right size for that lot

hudson parking garage ridgewood
RIDGEWOOD RESIDENTS
WE NEED YOUR SIGNATURES!

 

Support us in requesting the council to consider
a garage that’s the right size for that lot
The currently proposed garage at Hudson Street
is TOO BIG
Text any of the circulators listed below
and we can give you an address to stop by to sign.
    • Near Van Neste Square, Saturday 11-4. Look for Orange Baloons.
    • Lorraine Reynolds, please call/text 201-264-8151 – Friday, March 25th -10AM-4PM
    • Melanie McWilliams, please call/text 201-675-8937.
    • Saurabh Dani, please call/text 973-903-5361.
    • Ellen McNamara, please call/text 201-874-0966.
    • Jacqueline Hone, please call/text 201-377-8556.
The petition seeks to protest Ordinance 3521 with the following ballot question:
Shall Ordinance No. 3521 authorizing the Council of the Village of Ridgewood
to issue $11,500,000 bonds or notes to finance the cost of constructing the
Hudson Street Parking Deck, currently contemplated as a 4 story, 5 level
Parking Deck, be ratified?Do you know the difference in height between Option A and Design D?
It’s 2ft 6in. Would you call that a compromise?
We don’t.The in house funding for the parking garage passed 5-0 on 23rd, which is great. Everyone wants the garage funded in house.
Many people who want the garage, and want to fund in house, believe it’s just 2 tall, and should come down a level.
Why a petition to repeal an ordinance that we really want?
Because this petition will put funding on hold (for a short time),
it will allow the 5 council members to talk compromise (something three of them have been unwilling to do).
They have a choice, they can decide to seriously sit down at the compromise table, and see if 1 level lower will work
(all the numbers point to a yes, since any size garage relies heavily on the parking meter revenues).
If it’s agreed to lowering it 1 story to 3 stories, 4 levels, the petition will be withdrawn,
& we move forward immediately with a 3 story 4 level parking garage funded in house.So, it basically comes down to this:

If you’d rather see:
design D with 3 stories, 4 levels, approx 37ft building height & 52ft towers- approx 260 spaces- then you should sign the petition
If you are happy with the current design D of 4 stories, 5 levels, 46ft 8in building height & 60ft 10in towers- 325 spaces- then you should not sign the petition

You must be a registered voter residing in the Village of Ridgewood to sign the petition.

LOOK FOR THE ORANGE BALLOONS
FOR MORE INFORMATION
EMAIL its2BIG@its2BIG.COM
CALL or text 201-264-8151
Visit: https://goo.gl/forms/KpPtDY2We9
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Jack-knifed tractor trailer forced Route 17 North in Ridgewood on Friday

Route 17 North Ridgewood
photo courtesy of the Ridgewood Police department

Jack-knifed tractor trailer forced Route 17 North in Ridgewood on Friday
March 26,2016
the staff of thye Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, On Friday March 25th a section of Route 17 north in Ridgewood was closed in Ridgewood ,when
the northbound lanes were blocked due to Jack-knifed tractor trailer just north of Paramus Road. The highway was closed at around 1:45 p.m., according to the state Department of Transportation.

Delays of at least 30 minutes were reported in the area and Village as authorities including Ridgewood Police worked to clear a jack-knifed tractor trailer . Route 17 North has been reopened later in the afternoon.

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Due to development of Ridgewood CBD we have been forced to close the store

underground skateshop

This is not the end!!

To all our Ridgewood customers, we are sad to announce that on April 2nd we will be closing our doors to the Ridgewood location. Due to circumstances out of our control with the development of the town we have been forced to close the store. But as the say, “when one door closes another one opens”, which is exactly what we are doing!!! We are currently in the process of building our flagship store in downtown Newark. We hope to have this is open by April 30th. Its 1500 sqft space located on Halsey St.

We would like to thank each & everyone of you that has supported the store and the scene for the past 3 years, you guys have been great and will truly be missed. We know that a great shop relies on its community and we thank you for being part of it.

We will continue to serve the community in the area and at Ridgewood Skate Park and we will still have the Nutley store and online store www.undergroundskateshop.com where you can still continue to support us.

We will keep you all updated via social media on the progress of the Newark store and as soon as we have a set date we will inform you all of the grand opening

Once again, we thank you for your support.

Mark & Clint

Underground Skate Shop #2  

 Address: 43 Hudson St, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
Phone:(201) 857-3000
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Ridgewood Rail Commuters May Get Direct Route to Manhattan

Ridgewood_Train_station_train-_is_coming_theridgewoodblog
March 25,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood commuters may finally get the much coveted “One seat ride ” to Manhattan . On Thursday the Port Authority committed it self to building a connection as part of a new Hudson River rail tunnel ,this connection would give Ridgewood rail commuters a direct train ride to New York City.

The agency authorized spending $35 million ,which would be matched by $35 million from Amtrak to fund the preliminary planning and environmental review for the project, known as the Gateway tunnel.

The new rail connection known as the Bergen Loop would connect NJ Transit’s Main-Bergen and Pascack Valley train lines directly to the Northeast Corridor line, bypassing Secaucus Junction and delivering commuters to New York Penn Station.

That means no more ferry rides, PATH trains or transfers in Hoboken or Secaucus. Proponents claim direct train service will increase the value of North Jersey real estate by billions of dollars.

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Reader says change is Coming to Ridgewood and Change Costs Money

village of Ridgewood

Change? As in making a city? No. Let’s be real here…. No one, I mean no one…. will move to Ridgewood without the idea of having children. People move here fore the schools. Dont believe me? Go see a Travell school directory and see the amount of kids from the Oak St. area. that live in apartments.

3000k a month for a luxury apartment for a commuting husband and wife? Why? We have nothing to offer that other closer more stable cities have. 3000k a month with children sounds like a better idea.

We are NOT hoboken, we are NOT montclair, we are NOT morristown. We have few similarities at best as in a train station and some nice shops but thats it.

Your schools class sizes are about to get a shock of their life, your nice class sizes are about to get big. No one seems to remember when Hawes and Sommerville had trailers as classrooms because of over-crowding, I remember because I was taught in them and it takes years for infrastructure to catch up to over building. If you have young children entering the schools you should be the most concerned.

Sewer, water, police, fire and DPW services all have to be increased to support additional population. We ALL pay for that. Don’t want to pay for it? Enjoy more county involvement.