Tag: Traffic

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Ridgewood Planning Board members weigh in on housing proposals

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Ridgewood Planning Board members weigh in on housing proposals

MARCH 19, 2015    LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2015, 3:13 PM
BY BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

With the completion of public comment and attorney summations, members of the Ridgewood Planning Board were given the chance to weigh in on the proposed master plan amendment at a deliberation meeting on Tuesday night.

Many of the board members stated their belief that some form of multifamily housing downtown would benefit the village, while opinions diverged on subtopics such as density, building height, traffic and impact on the school system.

Planning Board Chairman Charles Nalbantian began with his observation that higher-density, multifamily housing in and around the Central Business District (CBD) would be good for Ridgewood and that an amendment of some kind to the housing element of the master plan is timely due to the under-utilization of the chosen sites.

However, he noted that “the devil is always in the details,” and while he believes the amendment reflects appropriate use, there are reasonable questions regarding many of the smaller issues – height, affordable housing and density chief among them – that form the larger picture.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-planning-board-members-weigh-in-on-housing-proposals-1.1292462

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Ridgewood has room for ‘beneficial change’

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Ridgewood has room for ‘beneficial change’

JANUARY 23, 2015    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JANUARY 23, 2015, 12:30 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

‘There is room for beneficial change’

To the editor:

For four years now – two as a resident observer and two as a consultant to the Enclave development – I have been following the dialogue around developing luxury residential units in Ridgewood’s downtown. The process will conclude in the next month or so with a vote at the Planning Board on amending the master plan to allow greater density for residential on four underutilized sites including two former car dealerships.

It has been fascinating to see this process unfold in my town after providing services to developers in similar scenarios over the last 30 years. The most common opposition to these plans comes under the umbrella of “Ridgewood is Different.” Yes, we’ve somehow persuaded ourselves to say it with a capital “D” and that is why this process, which should have taken no more than six months and been an exercise in information and logic, instead has dragged in for six years and tangled us in an unnecessarily wrenching dialogue.

The testimony from the developer’s side has been about what you’d expect – perhaps more intense in response to the opposition, but professional and comprehensive. The testimony from the village planner has been conclusive as to the planning issues: there is not better solution for these sites than what has been proposed if benefits are measured against impacts and if professional planning standards are imposed. Truly a masterful job was performed that the village should take pride in.

Where this process has had its breakdowns is not in its structure, which is part of well-established law. The hallmark of this process has been disingenuousness and political messaging – neither of which is appropriate when such critical issues as the village’s strategy to protect the viability of its downtown and its affordable housing obligation are at stake.

Our school populations are falling and even the most dire predictions of added school children have been called a non-issue by the school superintendant. The traffic consultant assures us that impacts from the proposed developments are less than previous uses and less than other options. The planner has worked to prevent additional sites from being subject to unwanted development.

And yet my friends – on the podium and in the audience – who don’t want the development are accusing developers of lying and village professionals of malfeasance. And they also are intimidating my other friends, who would like to move a parent into a nice apartment downtown or move there themselves when their housing needs change – from expressing their opinions by intimating social consequences.

Really people? It’s time to accept that on the edges of our own “Ridgewood is Different” visions and biases – and despite some downright racial prejudices that we very unexpectedly saw emerge – there is room for beneficial, if imperfect, change. When the Planning Board asks for your public comment, try and not use the capital D to Denigrate or Destruct; it should mean Distinguished.

Ron Simoncini

Ridgewood

https://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-letters-to-the-editor/letter-to-the-editor-ridgewood-has-room-for-beneficial-change-1.1234677

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Builders testify before Ridgewood board

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Builders testify before Ridgewood board

JANUARY 15, 2015    LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, JANUARY 15, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

RIDGEWOOD — One developer proclaimed his firm’s apartment building would have “no amenities” for children. Another said some people will pay more for high-end luxury housing in the village. And a third allowed his proposal to speak for itself.

The three developers, who want to bring high-density multifamily housing complexes to Ridgewood, were given the opportunity to testify this week before the Planning Board, which is considering a master plan amendment that would allow such buildings.

Only one developer declined to address the board, saying he didn’t want to be redundant.

Scott Loventhal, the director of development for Garden Commercial Properties in Short Hills, said the development proposals would “fill a void” in Ridgewood’s housing market and help “make the downtown even more vibrant.”

For nearly five years now, the Planning Board has been considering the amendment to allow such projects in three distinct zones in the village. Four developers initially requested the amendment change; since then, one of the projects has been withdrawn.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/builders-testify-before-ridgewood-board-1.1194572

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The five worst places to drive in the United States

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file photo by Boyd Loving RT 17

The five worst places to drive in the United States

Millions of people traveling for Thanksgiving will face daunting traffic problems that critics say have been magnified by Washington’s inability to move a long-term bill to pay for new highway projects.

With a nor’easter bearing down on the Eastern Seaboard this Thanksgiving, it’s expected to be an especially brutal few days on the road.

Congress hasn’t approved a long-term highway bill since 2005, and it’s become much more difficult to move legislation since then because of a variety of reasons, including the end of earmarks that directed money toward specific lawmaker-backed projects and a financial crisis and recession that made it tougher to move big-budget bills.

Business groups, labor unions and other players have pressed Congress since then to focus on infrastructure, but to little avail.

The crisis is getting worse in some ways, too, since the gas tax used to fund most highway improvements hasn’t been raised in decades and can no longer keep up with the need, according to advocates such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

1.  Interstate 110 in Los Angeles

2.  Interstate 80 in San Francisco

3. Interstate 35 in Austin, Texas

4. Interstate 678 in New York

The West Coast and Texas don’t have a monopoly on bad roads.

New York City ranked sixth on the INRIX traffic scorecard. It is also home to the worst road in the East Coast, according to Texas A&M in the form of a 3.1 mile stretch of highway running from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to the Bronx.

Known as Van Wyck Expressway, the road produced 690 hours of delays per mile and 1,086 wasted gallons of gasoline.

5. Interstate 95 north and south of Washington, D.C.

https://thehill.com/policy/transportation/225464-the-five-worst-places-to-drive-in-the-united-states

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Injured deer slows traffic . . .

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Photo credit:Boyd A. Loving
Injured deer slows traffic . . .
Boyd A. Loving
9:24 AM

Ridgewood NJ, An injured deer slowed rush hour traffic on Grove Street in Ridgewood just before 8 AM on Monday, 08/18.  Ridgewood Police Department Patrol Officer Paul Dinice responded to the scene and attempted to restrain the deer until animal control personnel arrived, but the deer broke free and dashed back into a nearby wooded area.  Glen Rock Police Department Patrol Officer Murray Yang lent a hand.

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Photo credit:Boyd A. Loving

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Ridgewood traffic expert says with any usage, upgrades are needed

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Ridgewood traffic expert says with any usage, upgrades are needed

AUGUST 8, 2014    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, AUGUST 8, 2014, 12:31 AM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER

Village traffic consultant John Jahr told the Planning Board on Tuesday that high-density residential housing would bring less additional traffic to the Central Business District (CBD) than most currently allowable commercial uses — including supermarkets, medical offices and retail stores — would if they were developed.

Jahr also emphasized that whether or not the master plan is amended, current traffic woes, including more than 30-year-old traffic lights and several stressful intersection “pressure points,” need to be addressed along with any future development.

“You already know you have to stay on top of this stuff,” Jahr said. “Very simply, depending on the land use, depending on how you make the changes here to the CBD, it appears to me that multifamily housing … would be a lesser traffic generator.”

If the housing developers’ projects were approved, Jahr said, they would have to contribute to CBD improvements, because “we can’t continue to maintain fixing things after other people come in and break them.”

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/traffic-expert-says-with-any-usage-upgrades-are-needed-1.1064470#sthash.smxTqYhV.dpuf

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Consultant expects increased traffic in Ridgewood

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Consultant expects increased traffic in Ridgewood

AUGUST 7, 2014    LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, AUGUST 7, 2014, 1:21 AM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD
Print

RIDGEWOOD — Traffic in the village will likely increase with the development of three multifamily housing projects downtown, the Planning Board’s traffic expert testified this week.

Jahr testified at the Planning Board’s meeting Tuesday night that zoning regulations permit a myriad of commercial uses at the three properties being eyed by developers for high-density housing.

Jahr’s findings align with those presented previously by the developers’ traffic experts.

Jahr’s analysis on Tuesday will play into the board’s consideration of a master plan amendment that would potentially permit such developments in Ridgewood.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/expert-expects-ridgewood-traffic-to-rise-1.1063975#sthash.rnQfslnj.dpuf

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Improving our Central Business District

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Improving our Central Business District

JULY 11, 2014    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JULY 11, 2014, 8:04 AM
Deputy Mayor Albert Pucciarelli

to the editor:

I had the privilege of serving as a member of the Zoning Board of Adjustment and Planning Board for almost 24 years. I enjoyed that service. I am grateful for the opportunity. I was, however, disappointed in one aspect of the work, particularly on the Planning Board.

The Planning Board is not a forum where our community-at-large can engage in a discussion of a broad vision for our Central Business District (CBD). The “planning” role has become buried in a mountain of complex applications, including applications to amend the Master Plan by applicants who pursue this route rather than trying to obtain hard-to-get variances. That has placed the Planning Board in a reactive mode. Its generous and very capable volunteer members have no choice but to devote the time required to deal with these applications.

As a quasi-judicial body, in the best of times the Planning Board is not suited for an open exchange of ideas. Instead, our citizens who desire to be heard typically are allowed only to react to testimony of an applicant or an expert. Citizen remarks during the comments period are brief monologues that are respectfully listened to, but unfortunately, this is not an opportunity for open dialogue with our Planning Board.

I was elected on a promise to seek a new vision for our CBD, insisting the status quo is not an option. Lack of parking, poor traffic flow and traffic volume, underutilized parcels, haphazard signage, few desirable residences and the shabby appearance of Franklin Avenue and Chestnut Street. Surely we can do better. Even with these issues, our CBD is the pride of residents and a magnet for new residents. Our business community enhances village life not only by the quality of goods and services, but also by many programs sponsored by the Chamber and Guild. Our home values are dependent in part upon the CBD’s vibrancy.

(Editor’s note: A forum on the CBD will be held from 7:30-9 p.m. on Wednesday, July 23 in the Village Hall courtroom. A follow-up session will be announced at the July 23 forum).

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-letters-to-the-editor/letter-improving-our-central-business-district-1.1049965#sthash.IbU6Mp7c.dpuf

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Traffic engineers testify on Ridgewood housing proposals

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Traffic engineers testify on Ridgewood housing proposals

JUNE 5, 2014    LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, JUNE 5, 2014, 3:40 PM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER

Echoing the earlier findings of a consultant hired by the village, traffic engineers testifying at the latest multifamily housing hearing said that their proposed use would result in less additional downtown traffic than other allowable uses.

About 15 residents, including several leaders of the grassroots group opposing unrestrained development, Citizens for a Better Ridgewood (CBR), attended the hearing on Tuesday in the Benjamin Franklin Middle School auditorium.

In the case of The Dayton, where 106 units are proposed for the abandoned Brogan Cadillac site (currently used as a commuter parking lot), an expert said a residential use would generate less traffic than the current use.

“What’s proposed would not result in a detrimental traffic impact … I think that’s important to understand,” said The Dayton’s traffic expert Karl Pehnke, an associate for Langan Engineering. “The applicant could actually produce less traffic than could otherwise be expected.”

The 52-unit Chestnut Village complex proposed for Chestnut Street, on the site of a former vehicle inspection station, would also generate less traffic than other permitted uses, including medical offices, an expert for the developer said.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/traffic-engineers-testify-on-ridgewood-housing-proposals-1.1030111#sthash.6WrFpIJ6.dpuf

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Road project in Ridgewood causes traffic, concerns

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Road project in Ridgewood causes traffic, concerns

MAY 23, 2014    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2014, 12:31 AM
BY DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER

Municipal officials maintain that an imminent street improvement project, when completed, will boost overall traffic safety and aesthetics in and around Garber and Wilsey squares. Several Ridgewood residents, however, contend that the finished job might have unintended and unwanted consequences.

Construction preparation is already underway for the Garber Square Complete Streets Project. This week, crews began cutting asphalt along Garber Square and will continue work on Ridgewood’s west side from Godwin Avenue to Franklin beneath the New Jersey Transit train trestle. In addition to a full paving job, the scope of the project includes the addition of bicycle lanes and a median island as well as the reduction to a single lane for each direction of traffic at the underpass.

In an informational letter distributed this week by Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld, she explained that the project is intended to address pedestrian safety at Garber Square and at the corner of Franklin Avenue and Broad Street.

“Pedestrians will more easily and safely walk to and from the train station elevator area along the street by the Pease Library,” according to the letter. “We are bumping out the curb at Franklin and North Broad Street to reduce the crosswalk length, while providing better visibility of pedestrians to motorists.”

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/transportation/road-project-causes-traffic-concerns-1.1022335#sthash.QS8t7g77.dpuf

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Bergen Record Finally Realizes that in Fort Lee, traffic is an everyday challenge…gee wiz

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Bergen Record Finally Realizes that in  Fort Lee, traffic is an everyday challenge…gee wiz
SATURDAY FEBRUARY 15, 2014, 11:42 PM
THE RECORD

If a manufactured traffic jam at the George Washington Bridge had Fort Lee residents outraged last fall, imagine what feelings might boil up once several thousand residents — and all their cars — clog local streets as a half-dozen planned developments rise up in the borough and nearby towns.

And that’s on top of the other half-dozen apartment buildings that have already been built in Fort Lee and a neighboring community, adding more than 1,000 units in the last decade.

It’s a scenario that consistently frustrates inhabitants of the 2.5-square-mile borough. The mayor says traffic is the complaint he hears about most often from his constituents — besides taxes.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/fortlee/fort_lee_traffic_george_washington_bridge.html#sthash.ortD7W6p.dpuf