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January 2 , 2018 Planning Board Meeting Cancelled
December 29,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, CANCELLED – Planning Board Meeting – January 2, 2018 – The Planning Board’s regularly scheduled meeting, on January 2, 2018, has been cancelled. The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Planning Board will be held on January 16, 2018.
file photo by Boyd Loving
October 4,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, at last nights Planning Board meeting the Ridgewood Planning board cleared the way Village Council designate the Hudson Street Parking lot an “area in need of redevelopment.” .The vote is a major step toward stream lining the garage development process , lowering costs and giving the council members the ability to negotiate directly with a developer of their choosing, rather than putting a design out to bid.
This vote did not mean that the Ridgewood Planning Board approves a garage at Hudson Street , it merely designated the area a “blighted area” , giving the council the ability to more more effectively for tax payers.
The council has been eyeing a modular design, using precast parts, from Pike, a Rochester, New York, firm. The Pike proposal came in far cheaper , saving tax payer money and with a much shorter disruptive construction period. Pike’s more modest and cost effective proposal is far different than the “Garagezilla ” that the former mayor Paul Aronsohn and his collogues attempted to push through .
While many resident supported a garage , they rejected “Garagezilla” on both the choice of financing schemes , making no financial sense for the Village and because the gigantic garage did not fit the footprint of the current lot .
PLANNING BOARD PUBLIC MEETING AGENDA
Tuesday, October 3, 2017
Village Hall Court Room – 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: Knudsen, Voigt, Altano, Joel, Patire, Scheibner, Torielli, McWilliams, Barto, Van Goor
2. 7:35 p.m. – 7:40 p.m. – Public Comments on Topics not Pending Before the Board
3. 7:40 p.m. – 7:45 p.m. – Committee/Commission/Professional Updates for Non Agenda Topics, Correspondence Received by the Board
4. 7:45 p.m. – 8:15 p.m. – Ridgewood/Dayton, Preliminary and Final Major Site Plan, 100-152 South Broad Avenue, Block 3707/3905, Lot 35.01/1.01: Adoption of Memorializing Resolution of Approval
5. 8:15 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. – Hopper Ridge Townhomes, Informal Review, Durar Avenue, Block 4104, Lot 3 – To be carried to December 19, 2017 without further notice and without prejudice to the Board
6. 8:30 p.m. – 8:45 p.m. – Calbi, Minor Subdivision and Permit for not Abutting Street, 315 East Glen Avenue, Block 2106, Lot 20. Public Hearing continued from August 1, 2017 and carried to October 3, 2017 without further notice and without prejudice to the Board – To be carried to December 19, 2017 without further notice and without prejudice to the Board
7. 8:45 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. – Hudson Street Redevelopment Designation
8. 10:00 p.m. – 10:05 p.m. – Adoption of Minutes: January 3, 2017
9. 10:05 p.m. – Executive Session (if necessary)
10. Adjournment
Professional Staff: Christopher Martin, Esq., Board Attorney; Christopher J. Rutishauser, Village Engineer; Brigette Bogart, Planner; Michael Cafarelli, Board Secretary
Members: Susan Knudsen, Jeff Voigt, Joel Torielli, Melanie McWilliams, David Scheibner, Richard Joel, Isabella Altano, Debbie Patire, Frances Barto, James Van Goor
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.
September 5,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood bllog
Ridgewood NJ, Village of Ridgewood Mayor Susan Knudsen , “Summer is winding down and it’s back to school for our youngest Ridgewood residents; wishing all Village students a safe, successful, adventurous and happy school year! ”
Please use the links provided to access agendas for Planning Board and Village Council meetings scheduled for this week:
Planning Board (September 5 @7:30pm) https://www.ridgewoodnj.net/200-departments/planning-board-and-historic-preservation-commission/meetings/agendas/1526-planning-board-public-meeting-agenda-sept-05-2017
Village Council Work Session (Wednesday, September 6 @7:30pm) https://www.ridgewoodnj.net/clerk-agendas/1533-20170906-village-council-work-session
Village Council Special Public Meeting (Wednesday, September 6@7:30pm) https://www.ridgewoodnj.net/village-government/community-calendar/eventdetail/2632/10%7C13%7C168%7C170/village-council-special-public-meeting
**Village Council meetings are broadcast live on Cablevision channel 77 and Verizon channel 34.
Kindly share this important information with friends and neighbors and remember to visit https://www.ridgewoodnj.net/ for important updates, registration for Ridgewood e-notice, SwiftReach911 and Ridgewood Water notifications. To learn more about the new Ridgewood Estate Card (THE ESTATE PREPAID MASTERCARD®)visit https://ridgewoodestatecard.com/
An Open Letter to the Planning Board with cc to the Village Council and others:
Dear Mr. Joel, Planning Board Members, and Planning Board Professional Staff:
First let me state that I am not an attorney, let alone one with expertise in municipal law. And so, the views and opinions I express in this email are those of a layman. But a layman who has lived in Ridgewood for 48 years and one who cares deeply about our community. I should also state that I am a big supporter of building a garage on the Hudson St. site.
I understand that the Village Planner has been directed by the Village Council “to conduct a study for Redevelopment of the Hudson Street Municipal Parking Lot, allowing the Village more options moving forward with garage construction plans that could potentially save significant taxpayer dollars and build time.” I find the rationale for the directive to be misleading and incomplete.
According to an email I received from Mr. Matt Rogers, Village attorney, “The Local Redevelopment and Housing Law permits municipalities to consider property(ies) within its borders for redevelopment if the property meets certain criteria. The Statute was designed to promote the rehabilitation and/or the reconstruction of properties that have long gone without attention, particularly in commercial locations or areas. There is a process prescribed by the Statute that must be followed in order to take advantage of the statute’s benefits, which allows the municipality to avoid the public bidding process and negotiate directly with one or any entities that the municipality wants to consider for the project in mind. The Council can start the process by requesting the a (sic) study be performed by the Planner to determine if the property, in this case the Hudson Street parking lot, meets the criteria of the Statute. If it does and the process is completed, then the Village can negotiate directly with any contractor it so wishes. As you know, there has already been a presentation from PIKE at a Council meeting, where it became apparent that they can both provide a design and build the garage. The thought is that by utilizing the statute, the Village can avoid the time it takes to bid out design and then bid out to find a contractor to build the design. Additionally, it is the hope that by directly negotiating with the a (sic) contractor, the Village can also save money on the cost for several reasons. It will hopefully work and provide those benefits. If not, then the bidding process can always be utilized.”
There is no way the Hudson St. parking lot can be considered “long gone without attention.” It is obvious to me that this approach is being used by the Mayor to allow her to short circuit the process for her to be able to use Pike Construction, her chosen option. I don’t believe the Planning Board should allow itself to serve as an enabler.
As I mentioned earlier I am a big believer in the need to build a garage on the Hudson St. site. I supported the thorough, detailed, and transparent work the previous Council had undertaken in that regard, and was most disappointed when their plans were thwarted.
In contrast, for the past year the current Village Council has been totally opaque in its activities re the garage, excepting for a snippet here or there by the Mayor. I listened to the Village Council Meeting of 2017AUG02 and I was shocked to see that Councilmen Voigt and Walsh were totally out of the loop. My understanding is that the Mayor has limited her deliberations to Councilmen Hache and Sedon, and two Village Staff Members, the Village Manager and the CFO.
I personally do not like the Pike design. I find their design to be esthetically unattractive, and frankly insulting to the beautiful architecture we value in Ridgewood. As I mentioned in a Village Council meeting, the only thing lacking from the design is a neon sign that says “Welcome to Newark Airport.”
Before you expend any energy, resources, and public funds in carrying out the Mayor’s directive, I believe you should ask the Mayor to first undertake a transparent process that would fully and openly inform the Ridgewood Residents of her plans.
FYI, I understand the Mayor has recently written the Council concerning Parking Garage Options. I tried to OPRA a copy but was refused on account of its being “deliberative.” I will do all that I can to obtain a copy. We live in America not Soviet Russia!
Thank you,
Rurik Halaby
file photo by Boyd Loving
An open letter to Mr. Richard Joel, the Chairman of the Planning Board re the newly constituted Master Plan Subcommittee:
Dear Mr. Joel:
I listened in to certain parts of the past few Planning Board meetings, and would like to share some thoughts with you.
I agree it is critically important for the Planning Board to set up a Master Plan Subcommittee that can play a critical role in determining the vitality of Ridgewood’s future. I feel strongly, however, that this Subcommittee should be manned with a selection of prominent members of Ridgewood Residents who represent a cross section of the community and disciplines. It is imperative that the Subcommittee has the benefit of a free exchange of creative ideas of smart people who care about our town.
In my opinion, this Subcommittee should be chaired by you or Mr. Joel Torielli and include one or two members of the Planning Board but that it should not include Mayor Knudsen, as I will make clear later.
Listening to the Planning Board meeting one wonders if it is you or the Mayor who is chairing the meeting. The problem of having someone with the Mayor’s domineering personality is that she sucks the air out of the room, discouraging a healthy and honest debate on issues. Most people do not like confrontation, and withdraw into their shell in the presence of someone who dominates a meeting. Hence my recommendation that she stay off the Subcommittee.
Another point is the order in which the Planning Board votes. I see she votes first, then you. I assume you are the senior member of the Planning Board and thus you should vote first. I assume the Mayor and Mr. Voigt are ex-officio members (?) and should vote last. Having said that, you may consider voting as I believe they do in the Supreme Court, with the order being in reverse order of seniority by tenure. Thus, the justice who is the most recent appointee votes first. I understand that the reason for this if for the newer members to feel free to vote as they see fit without feeling pressured by longer serving justices. You are a lawyer and would know more about this than I.
With thanks for your consideration, and more importantly for your service.
Best regards,
Rurik
cc: Members of the Planning Bard and Village Council.
MEETINGS ARE HELD THE FIRST AND THIRD TUESDAYS OF THE MONTH,
UNLESS NOTED OTHERWISE
DATE TYPE OF MEETING LOCATION TIME___
Village Hall Court Room
131 North Maple Avenue
Ridgewood, NJ 07450
July 18, 2016 Reorganization & Village Hall Court Room 7:30 p.m.
Regular Meeting
August 1, 2017 Regular Meeting Village Hall Court Room 7:30 p.m.
August 15, 2017 Regular Meeting Village Hall Court Room 7:30 p.m.
September 5, 2017 Regular Meeting Village Hall Court Room 7:30 p.m.
September 19, 2017 Regular Meeting Village Hall Court Room 7:30 p.m.
October 3, 2017 Regular Meeting Village Hall Court Room 7:30 p.m.
October 17, 2017 Regular Meeting Village Hall Court Room 7:30 p.m.
November 7, 2017 Regular Meeting Village Hall Court Room 7:30 p.m.
November 21, 2017 Regular Meeting Village Hall Court Room 7:30 p.m.
December 5, 2017 Regular Meeting Village Hall Court Room 7:30 p.m.
December 19, 2017 Regular Meeting Village Hall Court Room 7:30 p.m.
January 2, 2018 Regular Meeting Village Hall Court Room 7:30 p.m.
January 16, 2018 Regular Meeting Village Hall Court Room 7:30 p.m.
February 6, 2018 Regular Meeting Village Hall Court Room 7:30 p.m.
February 20, 2018 Regular Meeting Village Hall Court Room 7:30 p.m.
March 6, 2018 Regular Meeting Village Hall Court Room 7:30 p.m.
March 20, 2018 Regular Meeting Village Hall Court Room 7:30 p.m.
April 3, 2018 Regular Meeting Village Hall Court Room 7:30 p.m.
April 17, 2018 Regular Meeting Village Hall Court Room 7:30 p.m.
May 1, 2018 Regular Meeting Village Hall Court Room 7:30 p.m.
May 15, 2018 Regular Meeting Village Hall Court Room 7:30 p.m.
June 5, 2018 Regular Meeting Village Hall Court Room 7:30 p.m.
June 19, 2018 Regular Meeting Village Hall Court Room 7:30 p.m.
July 3, 2018 Reorganization & Village Hall Court Room 7:30 p.m.
Regular Meeting
July 17, 2018 Regular Meeting Village Hall Court Room 7:30 p.m.
All meetings are open to the public, except for closed sessions, which may be held at any time. Regular
meetings may include work sessions, at which no formal action is taken, and/or items involving formal action
of the Board.
Planning Board Special Public Meeting Announcement
Monday, June 26, 2017, 7:00PM
PLANNING BOARD AMENDMENT TO MEETING SCHEDULE
Special Public Meeting: Monday, June 26, 2017, 7:00 p.m.
Addition to Meeting Schedule
In accordance with the provisions of the “Open Public Meetings Act,” please be advised that the Planning Board has scheduled a special public meeting and work session for MONDAY, June 26, 2017 at 7:00 p.m.in the Ridgewood Village Courtroom, 131 N. Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ 07450.
The Board may take official/formal action during this Special Public Meeting at which time the Board will continue the public hearing concerning KS Broad Street, Preliminary and Final Major Site Plan, 76 & 80 Chestnut Street and 25-27 Franklin Avenue, Block 2005, Lots 11,12,13,14,15. All meetings of the Ridgewood Planning Board (i.e., official public meetings, work session meetings, pre-meeting assemblies and special meetings) are public meetings which are always open to members of the general public.
Michael Cafarelli
Secretary to the Board
c: P/B Members
Ridgewood News*
The Record*
Village Clerk
Village Manager
Village Bulletin Board
Village Website
Bergen County Clerk
Location Village Hall – Court Room/Council Chambers
131 N Maple Ave
Ridgewood
NJ
07450
USA
201-670-5500
Mark Krulish , Staff Writer, @Mark_KrulishPublished 3:16 p.m. ET June 21, 2017 | Updated 8 hours ago
RIDGEWOOD — Two down, two to go.
After a literal 11th-hour change to the site plan, the Ridgewood Planning Board approved the application for an apartment complex on South Broad Street at the old Brogan Cadillac site.
The project, known as The Dayton, is one of four multifamily housing applications filed in the wake of a master plan amendment that rezoned areas of downtown Ridgewood for multifamily housing.
Mark Krulish , Staff Writer, @Mark_KrulishPublished 3:32 p.m. ET May 16, 2017 | Updated 18 hours ago
RIDGEWOOD — A vote on the application for a mixed-use development at the Ken Smith Motors site was postponed Tuesday evening as concerns about the potential impact on an already overburdened roadway in downtown Ridgewood.
Mark Krulish , Staff Writer, @Mark_KrulishPublished 7:46 p.m. ET April 5, 2017 | Updated 19 hours ago
RIDGEWOOD — Barring any unforeseen developments, the village will soon be home to a new residential complex on Chestnut Street.
Chestnut Village, a 43-unit apartment complex, will include seven units set aside for affordable housing. It will be built at the site of the old state inspection station, near the village’s central garage.
file photo
Mark Krulish , Staff Writer, @Mark_Krulish6:54 p.m. ET Feb. 23, 2017
Ridgewood — Testimony on behalf of an applicant proposing a multifamily housing development on Chestnut Street concluded in front of the Planning Board on Tuesday, though more steps remain before a final vote is taken.
The board will have the opportunity for its own experts to testify and undergo cross-examination. There will also be time for public comment on any aspect of the proposal before a final attorney summation and board discussion.
PLANNING BOARD PUBLIC MEETING AGENDA
Tuesday, February 7, 2017
Village Hall Court Room– 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: Knudsen, Voigt, Altano, Joel, Patire, Scheibner, Torielli, McWilliams
2.7:35 p.m. – 7:40 p.m. – Public Comments on Topics not Pending Before the Board
3.7:40 p.m. – 7:45 p.m. – Committee/Commission/Professional Updates for Non Agenda Topics, Correspondence Received by the Board
4.7:45 p.m. – 9:45 p.m. – Ridgewood/Dayton, Preliminary and Final Major Site Plan, 100/152 South Broad Street, Blocks 3707/3905, Lots 5.01/1.01- Pubic Hearing continued from November 15, 2016
5.9:45 p.m. – 9:55 p.m. – Council Referral of Ordinance 3579: Regulation of Institutional Uses and Public Utilities
6.9:55 p.m. – 10:25 p.m. – Draft Ordinance Addressing Miscellaneous Recommendations in Reexamination Report and in Zoning Officer Memoranda
7.10:25 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. – Adoption of Minutes: September 1, 2015
8.10:30 p.m. – 10:40 p.m. – Unfinished and New Business
9.10:40 p.m. – Executive Session (if necessary)
10.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: Susan Knudsen, Jeff Voigt, Joel Torielli, Melanie McWilliams, David Scheibner, Richard Joel, Isabella Altano, Debbie Patire
Professional Staff: Blais L. Brancheau, Planner; Christopher Martin, Esq., Board Attorney; Christopher J. Rutishauser, Village Engineer; Michael Cafarelli, Board Secretary
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
According to Susan Knudsen the motion to stay was adjourned to December 19th, but the judge issued a temporary stay on all applications before the planning board.
Editor, The Ridgewood News:
Re: “Planning Board lawsuit dismissed,” The Ridgewood News, October 28, Page A-2.
Former Ridgewood Mayor Paul Aronsohn’s contention that both his and former Deputy Mayor Albert Pucciarelli’s acceptance of gratis tickets to a political fundraiser, and subsequent attendance at the event, was entirely appropriate based on who else was in attendance, is simply preposterous.
Of those attendees referenced by Mr. Aronsohn (“all five Council members at that time,” “the Village Manager, County Executive, and multiple Freeholders”) only he and Mr. Pucciarelli were full voting members of the Planning Board at that time. As such, only he and Mr. Pucciarelli were in positions to cast votes on a then pending amendment to the Village’s Master Plan that could have favorably impacted the local real estate developer who provided the gratis tickets. Neither Mr. Aronsohn nor Mr. Pucciarelli should have set foot in that event venue for any reason whatsoever.
And with respect to Mr. Aronsohn’s claim that Village Attorney Matt Rogers previously advised that “it was both fine and appropriate that we attended as a courtesy to the visiting governor,” you and your reporter should have treated this statement as nothing more than hearsay unless Mr. Aronsohn was willing and able to produce a piece of correspondence or official transcript verifying its authenticity.
Boyd A. Loving
Ridgewood NJ
