JULY 16, 2015 LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, JULY 16, 2015, 3:37 PM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
The Village Council took the next step toward allowing more residential buildings in the Central Business District with the introduction of five ordinances pertaining to the master plan amendments approved by the Planning Board in June.
All five ordinances were introduced by a 3-2 margin with Mayor Paul Aronsohn, Deputy Mayor Albert Pucciarelli and Councilwoman Gwenn Hauck voting in favor and Councilman Michael Sedon and Councilwoman Susan Knudsen voting against introduction.
Knudsen asked the council to table the introduction of each based on receiving a copy of the ordinances for the first time at the beginning of last week’s work session meeting.
“At that exact moment we received five ordinances, which were a total of 40 pages of complicated, detailed information regarding the changes to the master plan,” said Knudsen. “And I felt at that time because we had just received those documents at 7:30, we didn’t have an opportunity to have discussion and question the village planner in a proper work session.”
ABC, CBS and NBC refused to cover the administration’s official unveiling of a policy as ambitious and politically radioactive as its socialized medicine scheme.
Under sweeping new regulations finalized last week, more than 1,250 municipalities across the country now must diversify neighborhoods through rezoning or risk losing billions in federal funding from the Housing and Urban Development Department.
Besides the fact that legal scholars view the federal mandate — whose goal is racially balancing the nation, ZIP code by ZIP code — as patently unconstitutional, it also threatens to import violent crime into the suburbs while lowering property values and negatively impacting local schools.
As kitchen table issues go, this is huge; yet the evening news didn’t see it that way. In fact, newscasts completely blacked out the issue after HUD released the rule last week.
“Instead of mentioning this expansion of the federal government, the CBS Evening News devoted a news brief to viral video of a ground trap blowing wildly in a rain delay during Tuesday night’s Pittsburgh Pirates baseball game,” NewsBusters noted.
ABC’s World News Tonight, meanwhile, devoted one segment to the announcement that Taco Bell will start home delivery.
After President Obama in his Saturday radio address encouraged civil-rights activists to join HUD in enforcing the new rule to bring more Section 8 housing to the suburbs — “Now you’ll have the data you need to make the case” — the networks still weren’t interested in the story.
On their Sunday news shows, the Big Three networks all ignored the issue again, focusing instead on socialist presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and the sequel to “To Kill a Mockingbird,” which recasts protagonist Atticus Finch as a racist.
Surveys show that most American adults still get their political news largely from the network TV news shows (as opposed to cable TV like Fox).
So the blackout of this radical rule, shrouded in bureaucrat-speak as “Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing,” means that middle-class families — but more importantly, suburban voters — don’t know what Democrats are doing to destroy their way of life.
Make no mistake, this is by design.
The big media support Democrats, and the last thing that they want to do is make suburban integration an issue in the 2016 presidential campaign.
Read More At Investor’s Business Daily: https://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials/071315-761398-big-media-punt-on-covering-hud-plan-to-diversify-suburbs.htm#ixzz3frsoQLXD
A parking garage that close to the train station and bus stop would be sufficient to serve commuters. The street level spaces near the should all be limited to 3 hors for the benefit of CBD businesses and their customers. Oh, and parking should be free on Sundays. Okay, now someone else can be king for a day…
The chamber wants it for increase parking for the business but you say it for the commuters. Can’t have it both way. And if you think that the commuter are going to get off the train and eat and shop in Ridgewood I don’t think so. Commuter just want to get home after a long day. On a side not if they get off the train after 5:30 they couldn’t shop anyway all the store are closed. Which is it?
If it is meant to be a place for long-term commuter parking, then I can see a better chance of it working. For this to happen, the existing all-day parking bays at/near the train station and the bus station will need to be changed to meters that only allow short-term parking intended for shoppers and diners.
The parking garage under consideration would be constructed across the street from Our Lady if Mount Carmel Church. Has this location been determined to be the best? What happened to the lot across the street from TD Bank on Franklin Avenue? Wasn’t that lot condemned for the purpose of erecting a parking garage? And wasn’t a bond issued at the time that we never used to build the structure?
Readers say at the end of the Taxpayers will be on the hook for the garage while business,developers and NJT will all benefit from it
My questions:
1. What happens if parking revenues fall short of expectations?
2. What is the proposed parking fee structure for the new garage?
These are very important questions and I will explain why. For the first one, the answer is pretty obvious. The Village taxpayers will be on the hook for it as the construction bond cannot be reneged on just because you hoped there would be enough revenue. The second one will absolutely dictate the success or failure of the entire project. Any fee structure that is more than street parking will completely disincentivize most people from using the garage. They will circle the blocks until a street space frees up, or they will go somewhere else to eat/shop. As I’ve stated before, this garage will represent the parking location of absolute last resort, and I predict it will be viewed in years to come as one of those “what were they thinking” buildings.
Its called a shell game. money from the parking revenue is now used to support the town budget. money from the new garage if a surplus will be used to pay the loan off on the new garage. If revenue from the new garage isn’t adequate the town (I mean taxpayers) will have to make up the shortfall.
Or should the Village tax the CBD landlords for the garage or local businesses, their the ones that are going to profit from it.
JULY 9, 2015 LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015, 2:53 PM
BY MICHAEL OLOHAN
CORRESPONDENT |
WALDWICK SUBURBAN NEWS
Waldwick – Following more than two hours of testimony Wednesday, July 8, by residents who have been opposing construction of an assisted living facility on Wyckoff Avenue, the zoning board voted 5-2 to reject the application after 13 months of hearings.
The board will formalize its decision by resolution at its Aug. 12 meeting, said board attorney John D’Anton. He said the developer, Formation-Shelbourne Senior Living Services, would then have 45 days to file an appeal in state Superior Court.
Formation-Shelbourne had originally proposed an 85-unit, 100-bed facility, to be known as Solana of Waldwick, on 3.5 acres that is now occupied by four single-family homes at 237, 239, 241, and 247 Wyckoff Ave. Formation-Shelbourne attorney Robert Podvey said the applicant had submitted a final revised site plan on July 7 that reduced the number of units from 85 to 79 and the bed count from 100 to 94. He said the facility was moved back on the property approximately 16 feet from Cambra Road neighbors by removing six residential units on three floors.
The applicant’s engineer, Joseph Miele of Dresdner Robin, Fairfield, said it had also slightly reduced the building’s floor area ratio and impervious coverage, though both still required variances. The facility required a total of four variances, including ones for side parking and its height of three stories. It also required a minor subdivision.
Board members Eugene Sullivan, George Tencza, Ken Gurian, Jesus Mones and Stan Wekarski opposed the application, while member George Pedersen and chair J. Patrick Hunter favored it.
JULY 10, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JULY 10, 2015, 12:31 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Print
Council should not rush hearings on downtown housing
To the Editor:
Re: “Council sets up meeting timeline,” The Ridgewood News, July 3, page A1.
Why is the Village Council eyeing its mid-September public meeting as the one and only date on which an official public hearing will be held for as many as four ordinances related to a master plan amendment approved by the Planning Board last month which would permit high-density multifamily housing in the village’s Central Business District?
In 2011, Village Council members scheduled its official public hearing on The Valley Hospital’s proposed expansion over six separate dates. The schedule was developed to ensure there would be ample opportunity for residents to express their views on the issue, and that no individual(s) would miss out due to planned business travel/vacation, family emergency, illness, etc. Council members then were also concerned about meeting room capacity and allowing ample time for comments. Current Mayor Paul Aronsohn was a member of that council.
Although Mayor Aronsohn has indicated that the issue may be brought up during the public comment portion of any council meeting held between now and mid-September, strict time limits may be imposed on comments made during those meetings, and individual speakers desirous of speaking again may not be given the opportunity to do so as is required during an official public hearing.
The question now becomes, what’s the rush here? Why are Mayor Aronsohn and his fellow council members planning to schedule just one official opportunity for residents to comment? The mayor was a primary proponent of a former council’s plan to allow multiple opportunities for official public comment regarding The Valley Hospital expansion plan. Why the change in attitude related to a proposal for high-density, multifamily housing in our Central Business District? Am I missing something here?
In accordance with the provisions of the “Open Public Meetings Act,” please be advised that the Planning Board will hold a special public meeting on Tuesday, July 7, 2015, in the Village Hall Court Room, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ. The purpose of the meeting is to hold the Annual Reorganization Meeting beginning at 7:30 p.m. A regular business meeting will follow.
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.
JULY 3, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JULY 3, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Residents looking to weigh in on the issue of multifamily housing should circle September on their calendars.
The Village Council set forth an ideal timeline for consideration of ordinances relating to a master plan amendment approved by the Planning Board last month.
Although the issue can be brought up during comment portions of any council meeting, officials are eyeing the mid-September public meeting as the date for a public hearing. An exact date will not be fixed until the ordinances are formally introduced.
In early June, the Ridgewood Planning Board approved a master plan amendment that would create four new zones in the Central Business District, three of which would allow for multifamily housing projects to be built at a maximum density of 35 units per acre for affordable rental units.
Just change the municipality’s name to Ridgewood, and the Mayor’s name to Paul Aronsohn, and this letter would work perfectly. It appeared in today’s The Record.
Mahwah mayor
forgets whom he serves
I was coming of age during the Nixon administration, and although I was not old enough to vote, I knew even then that when political wrongdoing goes unaddressed, it compounds exponentially.
Much like President Nixon, Mahwah Mayor Bill Laforet seems to have forgotten that he serves the people of Mahwah at the discretion of the people of Mahwah. His actions reflect upon the people of Mahwah. Neither I nor my Mahwah neighbors have abandoned due process.
I have no desire to change the township of Mahwah from a democratic republic to an autocratic government. The actions of the mayor suggest that such a change has taken place.
Mahwah is not a business, and it is not set up to run like a business. We have checks and balances, as do all levels of American government. For reasons that I do not understand, Laforet suggests that he runs Mahwah like a business, forgetting that there are procedures that need to be followed. Perhaps Laforet can save the township the embarrassment of a possible recall and, like Nixon, resign.
Discussion? No need for discussion! Gwenn, Paul, and Albert are our 3-person council. Ms. Gwenn might want to recall that she won by 6 votes, while Mike and Susan were voted in on a huge margin. It won’t be too much longer before sanity will rule again. No way are the thre of them getting re-elected
Let me make one thing perfectly clear: Paul Aronsohn and Albert Pucciarelli will not, I repeat WILL NOT, be swayed by public opinion, common sense, or realistic facts. They are going to build this god-forsaken garage and look out anybody who gets in their way. They feel this will make their mark in town. Yep, it will be a mark alright, a gigantic debt and a garage with so few cars in it that it will look like an abandoned property. But they won’t care. In a couple of years Aronsohn will be in DC (he hopes) working as a gopher for Hillary, and Pucciarelli will be living in MidlandPark, and we will be left with this mess, their legacy.
maybe, maybe Gwenn will decide to rein this project in and make it mor sensible and less colossal. Say what you will about Gwenn, but she of the three of them truly TRULY cares about Ridgewood. lately there have been glimmers of hope that she might be standing on her own away from the two of them on a couple of issues. Maybe she will back off on this folly. We can hope.
JUNE 26, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
On Wednesday night, the Village Council revisited the notion of a non-binding referendum for a municipal garage on Hudson Street and also debated the merits of having a similar vote on the plans for the North Walnut Street redevelopment zone since it could mark a significant change to downtown Ridgewood.
The village is in the midst of doing environmental work at Hudson Street while waiting for results from a parking consultant on a recommendation of a traditional or automated parking garage. A $500,000 bond ordinance for pre-construction activities has been introduced and will be subject to a public hearing on July 15.
Meanwhile, officials are currently working with Kensington Senior Development, which has pitched an assisted living facility for the Town Garage property at Franklin Avnue and North Walnut Street. The village is in the process of reviewing financial information from the developer.
RIDGEWOOD NJ, On its June 2nd Vote the Planning Board has approved resolutions of four master plan amendments permitting high-density, multifamily housing projects downtown.The resolutions were passed by the Village Planning board last week in its first meeting since its recent vote increasing the number of allowable housing units per acre in four distinct village zones to 35 from 12.
35 Units per acre was approved by the Ridgewood Planning Board in a 6 to 3 vote, in what can only be described as a victory for special interests over the residents of the Village . Last night the Planning Board approved a change to the Village master plan from a density of 12 units per acre (current) to a density of 35 units per acre (almost triple) , giving the Village Central Business District a higher density than Hackensack 22 units per acre, Teaneck 28 units per acre, or Fair Lawn 17 units per acre. https://theridgewoodblog.net/ridgewood-planning-board-approves-high-density-35-unit-per-acre-plan-for-central-business-district/
The Village Council still has to approve the changes in the Master Plan .The amendments will be discussed by the council for the first time at its meeting Wednesday July 8, were the council will review the draft ordinances and suggest changes. These changes could be formally adopted by September.
There are three proposed developments are The Dayton, a 106-unit luxury garden apartment complex at the site of the former Brogan Cadillac dealership; the 50-unit Chestnut Village, on Chestnut Street; and the 52-unit Enclave, on East Ridgewood and North Maple avenues and of coarse there is also the matter of the new parking garaged planned for Hudson Street.
All three developers still need to file applications with the village, seeking approval from the Planning Board for each of their projects.
Ridgewood NJ, Despite the contention by Ridgewood Deputy Mayor Albert Pucciarelli that nobody on the dais knows exactly how much the new parking garage will cost (“. . . no price has been set. . . “) the number $15 million was put into play during Wednesday evening’s Village Council Work Session. The last I heard (just a few weeks ago), the number being kicked around was $10 million. A 50% increase in less than 60 days; I must say, somewhat surprising, but not utterly shocking.
Ridgewood Mayor Paul Aronsohn said on Wednesday evening that between $10-$15 million in public finding would “presumably” be “asked for.” Then the Mayor read the draft of a question intended to be part of a non-binding referendum the Council is considering including on the ballot of November’s general election.
The draft question was read as follows: “Do you support a proposal to finance and build a downtown parking garage on the Hudson Street lot, located on the corner of Hudson Street and South Broad Street, by bonding up to $15 million of public funds through Parking Utility revenues.”
Remember folks; following damage caused by Hurricane Floyd, renovations to Village Hall were expected to cost $4.5 million (or at least that’s what taxpayers were told). Change orders approved by the Village Council back then escalated the actual costs to above $11 million. How far above $11 million we spent is a closely guarded secret.
So now we’re being told, by our mayor, that we might spend up to $15 million to build a single garage. Anyone out there want to hazard a guess on what the real number will turn out to be? Will history (the Village Hall renovation fiasco) repeat itself?
And what about the language of that draft question (and you can insert any number you want into the equation). Is it just me, or would many of you interpret that language to indicate Parking Utility revenues will completely pay for the project (including bond interest?). Translation, our property taxes won’t increase? Am I the only one who’s a bit worried by that statement?
I am neither for nor against the financing and construction a parking garage at this point, but I am completely against being misled as to projected costs and the impact on an average homeowner’s property tax bill. I refuse to be fooled again.
If there is a non-binding referendum on your November ballot, be sure to read the entire financing plan very carefully before you make a choice.
JUNE 23, 2015 LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2015, 9:25 AM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
With its lengthy hearings dedicated to multifamily housing cleared from the docket, the Ridgewood Planning Board refocused its attention on master plan reexamination discussions, which resumed on June 16.
The board focused on the historic preservation aspect of the master plan, which begins with the historic preservation plan. The village’s Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) recommends to the Planning Board which properties and structures it believes to be worthy of preservation. The board can choose to follow those recommendations or adopt its own.
The HPC recommendations were presented last Tuesday and a representative was on hand to answer questions from board members. Among the recommendations was to include the entire B-1 zone within the village’s center historic district. Village Planner Blais Brancheau is recommending its inclusion be further studied.
“You have these little pockets that can change and be developed non-historically, which would end up totally out of place with what’s there,” said Joe Suplicki, vice chairman of the Historical Preservation Society. “We want to try and keep the continuity there. If something is changed, it’s going to fit in with what’s there, it’s not going to look historic, but it will not look 22nd century.”
The HPC also proposed adding a stretch of Franklin Avenue all the way to Irving Street and sections of the Ridgewood railroad station not already included in the historic district.
JUNE 22, 2015 LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, JUNE 22, 2015, 12:24 AM
BY RICHARD DE SANTA
STAFF WRITER |
GLEN ROCK GAZETTE
The Glen Rock Planning Board has approved a draft ordinance that would permit “S-2” zoning at appropriate sites for the building of multiple-dwelling senior citizen housing, and has recommended its adoption by the Borough Council.
At present, the only option now open to developers of such projects is to apply to the borough for a use variance.
The board’s action came at a special meeting called for that purpose on June 9. Planners had previously reviewed an earlier version of the ordinance at a May session, opting to submit it for professional review.
Planning Board secretary Nancy Spiller said the draft approved last week included recommendations to reduce housing density of any such construction to 30 units per acre from 35 in the original draft; increase the front yard setback to 40 feet from 25 feet; and increase side yard setback to 15 feet from 10 feet. In addition, required total property side yard setbacks were increased to 30 feet from 20 feet, while minimum parking was reduced from two spaces per unit in the prior draft to 1.5.
