Ridgewood Nj, Council Candidate Ramon Hache further explains his statement regarding the effect high density housing on the Village schools and educational special needs programs .
“It seems some of your readers may have misinterpreted my comments regarding special needs children. The point I was trying to make is that this is a multi-factor model and we have to take all the factors into consideration. It’s the only way we can plan properly to ensure that we don’t strain our educational system and diminish the quality of both traditional and special needs programs. I think it’s wonderful that Ridgewood’s educational programs are highly sought after, particularly the special needs program.”
Ridgewood NJ, the no2BCIA petition was certified by the village clerk at the village council open public meeting tonight. (certified means she confirmed that we needed 814 signatures and we had at least 814 valid signatures).
The petition provided two options -the council could either withdraw the ordinance 3519 (bond for garage through BCIA), or put that as a referendum question to the voters of Ridgewood.
The mayor tonight at the council meeting, promised that he will be introducing an ordinance to repeal ordinance 3519 (BCIA funding) at the next meeting, and he decided not to proceed with the referendum question on the May ballot.
According to the petitioners , based on understanding of the law, the BCIA option for garage funding, as it was passed in ordinance 3519 appears to be dead for now.
Ridgewood will get a garage that’s funded by a local bond where Ridgewood will be in complete control. (The size of the garage is still an open question, and if you would like to be a part of petition, which will request the council to consider a smaller sized garage that’s right for that specific lot, please reach out to us at its2big.com
Ridgewood NJ,last night It was a very predictable, 3-2 votes on anything meaningful and the majority stating all the reasons they were voting yes except representing the people. The leaving council majority aka the 3 amigos are enacting a “scorched earth policy” as they will be gone. Turn out was lower than expected because so many saw the vote as a for gone conclusion.
Zoning vote 3-2
Garage vote 5-0
All 5 voted for the Village to bond the garage not the county., Susan and Mike had no other choice but to vote that way because the council majority aka the 3 Amigos would have just gone to the BCPA. This way Ridgewood may retain control of the size, commuter parking and rates. Mike said something about researching a surcharge for businesses owner that are close to the garage to defray cost of maintenance.
The traffic study spokesman talked about increased traffic in several locations( 2 on Broad) and that is without the consideration of the garage. He mentioned some additional policing. No one in the garage discussion talked about the need for policing there or the need of an attendant. I believe I could live with the garage if it was one deck shorter, remained completely on the foot print and the street parking spaces would remain on Broad and Hudson Streets. Local business in those locations will take a hit without them.
Residents again questioned how is it that the council majority refuses to listen to the public? Could it be that they truly are in their own heads and are immune to incoming sounds,like the voices of the residents?
One nuclear physicist spoke wondering how they could be so emphatically certain that the were correct and that the developers could see no cause for concern? He said nothing is that certain and his world is one of exactness.
Mike and Susan seemed on there game and nobody clapped for Rurik and Jim when pontificated .
For most residents it is just too much development/ construction at once ,Yes these developments will bring traffic. The Hudson garage will not be enough. and the business owners must be salivating but most central business district businesses will not survive the construction phase.
Lastly Former Mayor Kieth Killion gets the last laugh , so many voted for this trio ,now buyers remorse .
Ridgewood NJ, Parents of High Schoolers are concerned that the School system is not being forthcoming or consistent with its message on the PARCC tests . If you are going to “refuse testing for the PARCC test” do not have your child sign on to a computer for the infrastructure trial this Wednesday morning. There has been speculation thats students who signed on for trial purposes have then have accidentally been coded as a “zero” NOT as “refusal to test.”
This can be problematic for students in the future. In addition, you will not know until your student comes home what questions they will be asked during the trial – they may be asked sample PARCC questions which may be used by the PARCC folks to pre-screen test questions. They may also be asked personal questions like do you get extra help in school or what kind of student are you? The questions asked and what students will be asked to do is not controlled by the district, but by the folks that have a vested interest in the PARCC and in selling your data and curriculum materials.
Calling it a trial makes it sound harmless enough like a “see if your computer works” session, but I know from other districts that I work in that this is not the case in those districts. I was told by an administrator in a town close to Ridgewood regardless of what the district say, there is no reason for a student to do a trial if the student will not be taking the actual PARCC test. I was also told that the trial in that district was not anonymous and that he was “fairly certain” that PARCC sample question data as well as data on each student was sent to PARCC and to the NJDOE.
Ridgewood NJ, A reader says that , “Valley has utilized deplorable tactics in its fight against Ridgewood to expand – and those tactics have failed miserably. Their “all or nothing” expansion plan hasn’t even broken ground yet and Hackensack has already beaten them. Valley spent all of this time fighting a rag-tag bunch of community activists and still haven’t prevailed despite having millions of dollars to spend on the fight and 2 insiders on the Village Council. They may ultimately get their way with Ridgewood but it will be far too little and way too late. A Hackensack takeover would be better for Ridgewood if it meant getting rid of the current Valley leadership team.”
But some praised the Hospitals financial IQ , “On an executive level, Valley is well run and very strong financially. A lot of that is due to Ms Meyers. The way they celebrated victory before the dust settled implied that there was an inside track to get this done. That was evident when she showed up at one meeting at the 11th hour in a panic. Fortunately they also fell under the svengali like influence of PR hacks who figured the village for a bunch of sheeple who would roll over. Remember the ads and the “poll” results? That tone-deafness is a characteristic of many successful executives in all fields of operations. Arrogant and tone deaf? absolutely. But that does not take away from the hospital’s successful track record.”
Still overs say it time to pay taxes , “Challenge Valley’s not for profit status in the courts based on the Morristiwn precedent – if they have cash to buy properties and pay huge CEO salaries, they have cash to pay municipal taxes in Ridgewood given all of the municipal services they consume. Would add at least $4.0mn in property tax revenues a year or 10% of the current Village budget. Where the heck are the four “non-beholden to Valley” Council members on this? Maybe we can get three new Council members who aren’t afraid to challenge Valley in the courts on their not for profit status?”
VILLAGE COUNCIL FINAL VOTE ON HIGH DENSITY HOUSING
THIS WEDNESDAY, 3/23. 7:30pm at RHS CAMPUS CENTER
RIDGEWOOD NEEDS YOU… ONE LAST TIME!
Dear Neighbors,
This Wednesday night, 3/23, our Village Council, is set to vote on High Density Housing that is TOO BIG, TOO DENSE, TOO OUT OF SCALE and TOO OUT OF CHARACTER with the Village we love. Check out this video to see what the “new density” looks like: YouTube High Density Video.
All politicking, threats of lawsuits, and municipal studies and impacts aside… this comes down to a matter of “Vision” for Ridgewood. And right now, there is a huge disconnect between the vision for Ridgewood’s future held by the current powerholders in our Village Council and Planning Board, and that of a large majority of Residents. These powerholders see downtown Ridgewood as bigger scale, taller, denser, and much more bustling. They are planning a town center with a more urban look and feel, not a small town character. I don’t really know what is influencing them, as virtually every Resident CBR has spoken with – 1,000s of them over the past 4 years – wants Ridgewood to maintain its small town feel. Residents want to give their children and grandchildren the same wonderful town we enjoy. When we want more city, we know that Manhattan is a short drive away. Why doesn’t our Council majority feel the same?
Citizens for a Better Ridgewood (CBR) is for fitting and positive development. We are only naysayers to bad representation and bad planning. CBR believes that we can promote fitting development in Ridgewood by lowering the density of the current ordinances from 35 to 25 units per acre, which is already a 100% increase over current zoning, yet has solid precedent in our Village. Additionally, our planners must also limit Floor Area Ratio (e.g. building size), and enforce proper street setbacks and parking to make new buildings work. We feel it is our Council and Planning Board’s job to increase the quality of life value of our entire town, not just the property values of some developers.
Wednesday night is our last chance to try and stop this. Oddly, all three of the Council Members who support this over-scaled development are not running again. Why? We can only guess. But what we do know, is that in approving such unprecedented development as a Council Majority, but a Ridgewood Minority, they leave the mess to the next Council and to every Resident of this town… and to our children. Again, bad and unfair planning.
I know it’s a huge pain, and not a whole lot of fun… But Ridgewood needs you one more time. Please come, show your support for fitting development in OUR downtown. Tell the Council to VOTE NO to the current High Density Ordinances and let the new Council, coming in this summer help get it right.
RIDGEWOOD NEEDS YOU THIS WEDNESDAY NIGHT… 7:30 at RHS! A failure to plan, is a plan to fail.
Thanks for your support over these four long years.
Dave Slomin
CBR Supporter
Ridgewood Resident (and father of 4th Generation Ridgewood Kids)
Ridgewood NJ, with the March 23, meeting just around the corner and the almost certain approval by the Village Council of 4 major developments in Ridgewood’s central business district and a new parking garage on Hudson Street , the only question that remains to be asked is will any Ridgewood merchants actually survive construction?
Readers predict massive traffic jams and a central business district that will remain nearly inaccessible during construction phase.
While the Mayor and rest of the council majority continues to assure us the the 5 simultaneous developments will have no impact on life in the Village . That’s no impact on traffic, schools, water ,and sewage the experts tell us.
Many merchants already claim with out more parking they are done , so how the Ridgewood blog asks can a small business stay afloat with virtually no traffic for two years??
Ridgewood Nj, Sources speculate that Valley’s Hospitals recent buying binge of property in or around the Ridgewood area is nothing more than creating what was often called by investment bankers the 1980’s as the “Pac-Man Defense “.
What is the ‘Pac-Man Defense’ ;The Pac-Man defense is a defensive tactic used by a targeted firm in a hostile takeover situation. In a Pac-Man defense, the target firm turns around and tries to acquire the other company that has made the hostile takeover attempt. This term has been accredited to Bruce Wasserstein, chairman of Wasserstein & Co.Read more: Pac-Man Defense Definition | Investopedia https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/pac-man-defense.asp#ixzz43TAEGdAC
As The Valley Hospital has struggled for years to expand its campus in Ridgewood, it has been quietly buying real estate in Bergen County, assembling a portfolio that includes a string of properties on North Maple Avenue in Ridgewood and the building that houses the New Jersey Children’s Museum in Paramus.
Over the past two years, the hospital, in some cases through holding companies, has spent at least $54 million to acquire roughly a half-dozen sites in the village and neighboring Paramus as potential future locations for doctors’ offices, along with outpatient and other services that would be moved from its main campus. Some of these newly acquired properties are already operating as off-site hospital facilities.
But the hospital’s plans for some of its other new properties remain unclear, and Valley’s real estate shopping doesn’t appear to be over. Recently, it has been in talks to purchase buildings that the global parcel deliverer UPS will be vacating on Winters Avenue in Paramus, as reported by The Record. If that deal closes, it would add another property to a medical-services cluster that the hospital has been creating in Paramus, near the Fashion Center mall.
Valley’s push to expand comes on the heels of a bitter, losing battle in which it joined with Englewood Hospital and Medical Center to keep Hackensack University Medical Center from opening the former Pascack Valley Hospital in Westwood. Now, Valley, Englewood and Hackensack are fiercely competing for the aging and affluent Bergen County population, offering hotel-like amenities combined with top-notch expertise and technology in a rapidly changing health care terrain influenced by Obamacare.
The Valley Hospital, which has not commented on the UPS negotiations beyond saying it has not purchased the property, describes its recent real estate buys as “strategic property acquisitions to ensure its ability to develop outpatient and ambulatory programs and services needed by the community.”
Megan Fraser, the hospital’s vice president for communications and marketing, said in an email that the hospital will share its plans for properties it has acquired “as they are finalized.” She said plans may include a health and wellness center and new facilities for Valley Medical Group, a group of family and urgent-care centers with seven sites in North Jersey.
Among properties already being used by the hospital is Parkview Plaza, a three-story office building at 1200 E. Ridgewood Ave. — near the hospital’s main campus — where it is expanding its cardiac center. The building was purchased last November for $28 million
In 2012, the hospital paid $4.8 million for a building at 970 Linwood Ave. in Paramus that in one section currently houses a regional blood center that will be moving out in March. Valley has established a research program there, in what is now the Bolger Medical Arts Building.
Moving outpatient services off campus to reduce traffic to and from the hospital was among the promises Valley made to village residents during contentious expansion hearings that date back to 2002. Valley has been trying nearly to double the square footage on its main campus, nestled on North Van Dien Avenue in the middle of a residential neighborhood. Its first proposal was rejected by the Ridgewood Village Council and a slightly scaled-back project totaling 995,000 square feet has been before the Village Planning Board almost a year. https://www.northjersey.com/news/valley-hospital-buying-up-string-of-properties-near-its-ridgewood-site-1.671045
Valley is looking to bulk up on assents making any unsolicited take over bid of the hospital by local competitors too expensive.
Rumors have been floated in the past of a imminent take over attempt by Hackensack University Medical Center but so far have never materialized.
Ridgewood Nj, Garden Homes the developer of the proposed South Broad Street complex at the old Brogan Cadillac site known as the Dayton .”Garden Homes Development’s principal Scott Loventhal said his 1,000- to 1,800-square-foot units, proposed for a South Broad Street complex that could feature high-end appliances, WiFi café common areas and a doorman, would go for $3 per square foot, plus utilities. Proposing a more-than-100-unit development at the old Brogan site (The Dayton) that could incorporate affordable housing”, https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-developers-detail-housing-proposals-1.1196105?page=all
Garden Homes is one of the New Jersey’s largest real-estate developers recently,” agreed to pay $225,000 in federal fines and to preserve more than 100 acres of land to compensate for its alleged failure to prevent storm water from flowing off 10 construction sites, including residential developments in Elmwood Park, River Vale and Allendale. https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-developers-detail-housing-proposals-1.1196105?page=all”
This is not the first time , “When the EPA announced Garden Homes would be preserving 108 acres in the Highlands area of northwestern New Jersey, it pointed to the deal as a win for an environmentally sensitive region that supplies much of the state’s drinking water.
But the announcement also shed more light on an allegation that the company — owned by the Wilf family, including Zygmunt “Zygi” Wilf, the principal owner of the NFL’s Minnesota Viking — had paid loose attention to construction site rules, polluting or potentially polluting water resources all over the northern half of the state.
Inspections turned up violations at three sites — mostly dealing with fencing or basins that are meant to keep stormwater from reaching nearby waterways. At another seven sites, the EPA alleges, Garden Homes failed to conduct weekly inspections meant to guarantee compliance with storm water rules. “https://www.nj.com/morris/index.ssf/2015/06/where_did_vikings_owners_company_allegedly_pollute.html
Further investigation pointed to a New Jersey Supreme Court Ruling ,The judge, after a two-year trial, declared emphatically: “They robbed their partners!” The Wilfs now have to pay those partners at least $84.5 million. , ” Aug. 5, 2013 New Jersey Superior Court Judge Deanne M. Wilson found that the Wilfs cheated their partners in a Montville apartment complex. The judge excoriated the trio in uncommonly harsh language, finding they acted with “bad faith and evil motive.”https://observer.com/2013/10/big-bad-wilf-did-zygis-stardust-take-it-all-too-far/
BY MATTHEW SCHNEIDER
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
RIDGEWOOD – The village’s Chamber of Commerce is offering an Easter event next weekend that is “super fun,” according to Joan Groome, the group’s executive director.
“Easter in the Park,” scheduled for Saturday, March 26 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Memorial Square at Van Neste Park, to feature numerous events for families to enjoy as they welcome in the Easter holiday, Groome said.
We had a lovely reception this past Sunday for the Allan F. Avery exhibition. Exhibit is on display till March 20th – a “must see” show.
BY EILEEN LA FORGIA
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
For 45 years, starting in 1954, taught watercolor painting at the Ridgewood Art Institute. Regarding his legacy in watercolor painting, Allan once wrote, “I’ve produced 700 or 800 watercolorists, some who sell a lot more pictures than I.”
Ridgewood Art Institute is presenting A Retrospective of Allan F. Avery through March 20. Hal Avery, with his mother and brother greeted family, friends, village residents, RAI artists and instructors as well as his father’s former students at a reception held on Sunday, March 6 at the Ridgewood Art Institute.
MLS # 1609602
365 Ponfield Pl, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
4 Bedroom, 3 Full Bath,
1 Half Bath, Col Sophie Hahn, Sales Associate Top Realty
Open House: 2:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 3/20
21
MLS # 1535930
456 E Saddle River Rd, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
3 Bedroom, 2 Full Bath,
1 Half Bath, Ranch Thomas Panso, Sales Associate Keller Williams Valley Realty
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 3/20
25
MLS # 1606302
641 Maxwell Pl, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
4 Bedroom, 2 Full Bath, Col Charlene Bai, Sales Associate Coldwell Banker, Fort Lee
Ridgewood NJ, If anyone thinks that she should represent us in the law suit all you have to do is look up the minuets Sept 19 H-Z hearing and she what she said. Then you tel me.
Speaking before the council during the “H-Zone” hearings to determine the fate of ‘Renewal’, Hauck said on Sept. 19: “Also, I trust Audrey Meyers, Megan Fraser, all the doctors and volunteers I work with and all the spokespersons of the hospital when they tell me that the hospital will have better services and healthier surroundings if they modernize and expand the way they’ve laid out because they’re the health experts…and I believe them.”
While it may seem unlikely a perfect solution will ever emerge, Hauck stressed a “healthy” and “reasonable” dialogue must emerge for any meaningful change to happen.
Ms. Hauck also signed this letter. Do you still thing she should represent us in the Valley Hospital law suit?
An Open Letter to Fellow Residents of Ridgewood and the Ridgewood Planning Board, As residents of Ridgewood, we write to share our thoughts about The Valley Renewal
.
We are among the thousands of Village residents who support
Renewal
.
To continue to be the high quality hospital that residents of Ridgewood and our neighboring
communities need and desire, it is essential for Valley to renew. Valley must right-size its
operating, diagnostic, and treatment rooms to accommodate new technologies and procedures.
It is also essential for Valley to develop single patient rooms to meet new patient care and
safety standards. These steps are not optional, they are crucial.
During its almost 60-year history, Valley has evolved from a local hospital to the award
winning, top quality regional healthcare organization that it is today. The hospital ranks
among the highest in the nation for both clinical care and patient satisfaction. It has evolved
over time to meet the needs of the communities it serves, and it must do so again. Valley’s
role as a provider of excellent healthcare services for tens of thousands is what makes the
suggested revisions to the Master Plan and H Zone not only acceptable, but vital.
As residents of Ridgewood, we disagree with those who have written or stated that
the Hospital’s
Renewal
will harm the unique character or way of life of the Village.
In addition, we believe that Valley is wholly committed to the safety and security of the
hospital’s patients, its staff, and the neighbors and students who live and attend school
in the hospital’s neighborhood.
We are proud of The Valley Hospital and we know the majority of our neighbors feel the
same way. As friends and neighbors of many Village residents, we suggest that we move
past the “us vs. them” mentality that has unfortunately become a part of this discussion
and move toward ensuring that Valley remains the hospital that all of us would choose for
ourselves and our family’s healthcare, today, tomorrow, and in the future.
Sincerely,
Scott Agins, D.P.M.
Claudia Allocco
Andrea Aluisi
Michael W. Azzara
George Becker, M.D.
Timothy Berry
David F. Bolger
Mary Camerlingo
Tracey Carbone, M.D.
Eugene Cornell
Anne G. Crane
Thomas R. Crane
Charles D. Crowley, M.D.
Elizabeth O. Crowley, M.D.
Bettina M. Daly
Anne Raftery Denyeau
Marc M. Dreier, M.D.
Stephen J. Errico
Kevin M. Fee
Carole E. Forenza
Russell R. Forenza
James D. Fraser
Megan Fraser
Danielle M. Gaglioti
Robin L. Giordano
Robert Gutenstein
Gwenn Hauck
Cynthia Halaby
Diana Hock
Fletcher Hock
John Johansen
Sally Jones
John Kandravy
Leslie Kane
Sue Kelly
Maryann LeBert
Edward and Joan Lefferman
Kenneth Levitsky, M.D.
Hugo Lijtmaer, M.D.
David Lipson, M.D.
Donna H. MacPhee
Gail M. Matthews, M.D.
Susan H. Mayo
Diane Meissner
Klaus J. Meissner
Audrey Meyers
David Namerow, M.D.
John Nasr, M.D.
Ali Nasseri, M.D.
Pat and Mario Perillo
Thomas J. Rakowski, M.D.
Eileen Richardot
Bettie and Howell Rile
Marivic F. Santiago, M.D.
Kathleen B. Sayles
David G. Sayles
Maria Scibetta, M.D.
Marjorie L. Slankard, M.D.
Ann Marie Snyder
Charles J. Snyder
Susan J. Snyder
Jack Tohme, M.D.
Daniel Van Engel, M.D.
Wayne A. Yankus, M.D.
Patricia J. Van Dyke
Victoria Van Dyke
Susan Viniar
Michael Wesson, M.D
The problem is that it is not the first time “studies” such as these that forecast no impact from some proposed “improvement” have been presented to the Village. Time and again, we have discovered significant impacts after these projects move forward. “Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me”. Many villagers are tired of these self-serving reports that don’t reflect reality which are designed only to check off some bureaucratic requirement. Building hundreds of apartments and claiming no impact on schools and infrastructure is just bull**** on the face of it. Some honesty on the other side would go a long way to fostering a constructive dialog.
