In accordance with the provisions of the “Open Public Meetings Act,” please be advised that the Planning Board has scheduled a special public meeting for Tuesday, May 6, 2014 at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium at the Benjamin Franklin Middle School, 335 North Van Dien Ave., Ridgewood, NJ.
The Board may take official action during this Work and Public Meeting at which time the Board will:
• Continue the public hearing on the proposed H-Hospital Zone amendment to the Master Plan.
• Continue the public hearing concerning a proposed amendment to the Land Use Plan Element of the Master Plan which would recommend changes in zone district classifications and boundaries within the Central Business District and surrounding area including AH-2, B-3-R, C-R and C Zone Districts.
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.
Readers continue to question Gail Prices Objectivity
It might also be time to start to examine what the Village pays for Gail Price’s services. She was supposed to have these hearing wrapped up by LAST June yet no end is in sight. By all appearances she plans to instruct the Planning Board to give Valley what they wanted last time or give them what they want this time. What do we pay her per hour? What financial motivation does she have to wind this process down?
On top of this conflict of interest, she is clearly not impartial and has allowed Valley and its disgraceful attorney to call all of the procedural shots.
Reader says Planning Board Proceedings are a “Sham”
If you haven’t actually been at a meeting then you cannot comprehend the absolute sham these proceedings are. The citizens of Ridgewood raised $10,000 to hire an urban planner to represent them and refute the one-sided view put forward by Valley’s experts. I don’t think he even uttered more than 10 sentences. Valley’s lawyer was up objecting to every word out of his mouth. He literally demanded FedEx receipts for a stack of documents from the state, every page of which was stamped by the state. We have come of age with movies like Erin Brockovitch or A Civil Action, where right overcomes money, inside interests and political power. These make good movies, but it is not what is happening in Ridgewood. People aren’t going to the meetings anymore, because it has become clear that the voice of the residents is not wanted, or heard, or even allowed to be spoken. But I think the large number of lawn signs for Sedon and Knudson, indicate that people are not happy with what is happening in our town. Hopefully, elections still remain relatively free of the mix of money and influence that appears to guide many of the regulatory proceedings in this town. And if anyone thinks that their vote doesn’t count – let me remind you that if 12 more people had voted for Keith Killion in the last election, we would be looking at a very different scenario for our town across a multiple of issues. So vote either way May 13th, but do vote.
Amendments to the redevelopment plan for the North Walnut Street Redevelopment Area.
PLANNING BOARD PUBLIC MEETING NOTICE/AGENDA
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Village Hall Court Room – 7:00 P.M.
(all timeframes and the order of agenda items below are approximate and subject to change)
1. 7:00 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.
2. 7:05 p.m. – 7:15 p.m. – Public Comments on Topics not Pending Before the Board
3. 7:15 p.m. – 7:20 p.m. – Correspondence Received by the Board
4. 7:20 p.m. – 9:15 p.m. – Mr. & Mrs. George Halwagy, 313 West Glen Ave., Block 1607, Lot 3 – Minor Subdivision application (Underlying Remand Proceeding) – Continued from April 15, 2014
5. 9:15 p.m. – 9:45 p.m. – Scherrer Enterprises, LLC, 160-166 S. Broad St., Block 3905, Lots 4 & 5 – Clarification of conditions of approval and timing of permits and certificate of occupancy.
6. 9:45 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. – Discussion re: Referral of Ordinance #3411 – Amendments to the redevelopment plan for the North Walnut Street Redevelopment Area.
7. 10:00 p.m. – 10:05 p.m. – Approval of Minutes – October 29, 2013
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: Mayor Paul Aronsohn, Nancy Bigos, Councilman Pucciarelli, Charles Nalbantian, Morgan Hurley, Kevin Reilly, Richard Joel, Wendy Dockray, Michele Peters
Professional Staff: Blais L. Brancheau, Planner; Gail L. Price, Esq., Board Attorney; Christopher J. Rutishauser, Village Engineer; Jane Wondergem, Board Secretary
Ridgewood Planning Board Continue public hearing on the proposed H-Hospital Zone amendment
PLANNING BOARD AMENDMENT TO MEETING SCHEDULE
Special Public Meetings: Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Note Village Calendar says 12 noon the announcement says 730pm
In accordance with the provisions of the “Open Public Meetings Act,” please be advised that the Planning Board has scheduled a special public meeting for Tuesday, May 6, 2014 at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium at the Benjamin Franklin Middle School, 335 North Van Dien Ave., Ridgewood, NJ.
The Board may take official action during this Work and Public Meeting at which time the Board will:
Continue the public hearing on the proposed H-Hospital Zone amendment to the Master Plan.
Continue the public hearing concerning a proposed amendment to the Land Use Plan Element of the Master Plan which would recommend changes in zone district classifications and boundaries within the Central Business District and surrounding area including AH-2, B-3-R, C-R and C Zone Districts.
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.
Readers are not sympathetic with Valley’s business plans
Valley was told that they could not expand the campus years ago. If only Valley had developed a strategic plan at that time we wouldnt be blogging about this.
Why are Valley’s expansion plans somehow given equal status to the land owned by the BOE and the Village residents?
I do not care if Valley never expands. Their business plan is not my problem. They have no special rights. Expand in Paramus.
No matter what Valley has been given in the past, they always want more. The BF field purchase would not have been the last thing they wanted they still would want to modernize their buildings and they would have needed more space to do that. They were told 20 years ago that enough is enough and yet they haven’s gotten the message. It is so frustrating that this is Ridgewood’s problem and not Valley’s problem.
Valley can remain where and how it is, if they (valley) don’t like it let them move elsewhere.!!
Valley Expansion Supporters Resort to Fear mongering
Fake Valley Supporter attempts to post erroneous information , pretending Valley is in “secret ” negations with a private prison .
And supports of the Vlley Expansion wonder why people have no respect for Valley
Anonymous 0 approved 108.59.11.116 Submitted on 2014/04/21 at 4:00 pm
#8, Think you are unhappy with Valley now….You are going to be more unhappy if the secret talks with https://cca.com/locations results in Valley selling their Ridgewood Property.
Reader claims had the BF field been sold and leased back to the BOE under the long-term lease, as proposed the entire need for Valley to expand with taller structures today would have been avoided
Had the BF field been sold and leased back to the BOE under the long-term lease, as proposed, Valley would have placed parking under ground and the entire need for Valley to expand with taller structures today would have been avoided. But, the same NIMBYs, who prevented that plan, are the ones opposing Valley’s expansion plans today.
BTW, part of that proposal was to provide a turf facility at BF for free, which would have saved the BOE (taxpayers) almost $1mm. Go over and look at the “recently improved BF field” today. It is a dirt lot!!! And, the spring season is only 3 weeks old.
In retrospect, working with Valley to create a win/win for the village back when they presented the BF field proposal would have been a pretty good/smart idea. Anyone, who is proud of shooting that idea down is part of the group who is responsible for the current state of Ridgewood
Reader says all we have been saying for 7 years is Valley’s proposal is too big for Ridgewood
If, FOR SEVEN YEARS, you had been attending meetings, spent hours on your computer trying to educate and inform people on the issue and get them to meetings, fundraised to pay lawyers and planners to get a reasonable proposal and donated thousands of dollars of your families hard earned money towards getting a reasonable proposal, you’d be a bit venomous too.
I think it would be a great idea for you to attend an upcoming Planning Board meeting and tell the Planning Board (and Valley Hospital) exactly what you just said…”You’re a friend/supporter of the hospital, but their proposal is too big for Ridgewood.” That’s all we have been saying for 7 years!!!
Reader says Ms. Hauck has a long and close involvement with Valley Hospital and should recuse herself on any Valley vote
A perceived conflict of interest by legal definition need not entail any financial or business relationship to make it appropriate for an elected or appointed official to recuse on a vote.
Ms. Hauck accepted over $800 on the day of her election from an officer of Valley Hospital. So there’s a little financial hit–not much, but it’s telling. She says she paid it back–so what? It’s on her official campaign contribution list that must be submitted and is posted online.
Before Aronsohn tapped her, no doubt to her amazement, to run for council and become his lapdog in exchange for a vote on Valley, she spoke publicly at a village council hearing, saying that she would trust Valley implicitly to do whatever they wanted.
There are many more indications of her long and close involvement with Valley, notably when she was vice chair of its women’s auxiliary, fundraising to the tune of millions of dollars–a financial relationship that did not put money in her pocket (she didn’t need it) but did put a ton of money in Valley’s. Suddenly she was running for council and abruptly ceased all Valley fundraising and social events. Very convincing.
In short, this was hardly supporting AIDS funding or any real charity, although Valley continues to call itself nonprofit with a treasure chest of many millions.
Officials have recused themselves from votes for much, much less. She may yet see the wisdom of doing so and should be so advised by the Village attorney–he’s paid to advise the council for the good of the Village, right?–since a vote on Valley from her would have serious ramifications, including opening the Village to lawsuits.
Reader says Beneficial Use Doctrine dictates that even hospitals must demonstrate that the benefits to the community
Inherently Beneficial Use Doctrine dictates that even hospitals must demonstrate that the benefits to the community resulting from development projects must outweigh the detriments.
Valley has yet to prove that doubling in size will benefit Ridgewood at all (less than 10% of Valley patients actually live here), and it is VERY CLEAR that the detriments will be enormous.
Reader says Calling Villagers crackpot laypeople is yond belief. Who was the alleged comment really directed to?
He must have meant the “laypeople” on the planning board — perhaps, those asking questions about the faulty premises in the reports of the developers so-called experts, or maybe those who dare to ask what the effect of 400 new families will be on schools, traffic and other aspects of village life. Shame on those planning board members who dare to ask questions of those who testify before the board!!
Could this really have been the developers’ response to the public or did the paper get the quote wrong. Is Saracino that much of a sniveling buffoon who thinks he can get away with destroying the town by insulting Villagers? I suspect there must have been a mistake. Surely, Mr. Saracino is not an ignorant bully who thinks he can insult and buy his way into re-making Ridgewood a city made in his image.
Reader says I don’t understand the poisonous anti-development sentiment
Is anyone thinking that, as detailed in this post, the inventory of apartments in Ridgewood is old with limited ability to modernize because of the types of buildings that were the style in 1915 and again in the 1950′s are not want people want today? Is anyone thinking that newer and more modern style apartment will attract young professionals who want to start a life in Ridgewood and empty nesters who want to stay in Ridgewood? That combination will bring a vibrancy to Ridgewood so this will not just be a village with parents of school age children who leave when the kids graduate.
As a parent, I find the box of kleenex on the back to school supply list offensive beyond words but I do it and for our children, we write cheeks all year long for teams, field trips, concerts, book fairs, etc., etc. It is called the cost of living in a Village with high expectations for the schools. It is the cost of living so close to NYC.
I don’t understand the poisonous anti-development sentiment and the yard signs that imply the end of the world as we know it if things change.
Reader says Never before have the Ridgewood BOE and municipal budgets ever been stretched so thin
Never before have the Ridgewood BOE and municipal budgets ever been stretched so thin. During each of those waves in Ridgewood’s growth you mention above the BOE was still able to maintain their buildings and absorb the growth that resulted from these apartments. That is no longer the case. Our budget cannot afford to repair our current buildings, hire more teachers or build more classrooms. Unless you are looking for another $48 million dollar bond referendum in less than 5 years.
As a parent, I am tired of paying taxes and then being told that I need to raise money to pay for an outdated and unsafe playground, or new risers to replace the unsafe 30 year old ones for my child’s vocal concert or buy non-fiction books to fill the classroom libraries. All of that was covered by our BOE budget before years and years of this gradual growth.
All this growth also occurred before our streets were so filled with cars that even the traffic experts say we can’t handle one more car on our streets. I’m not sure how many pedestrians were hit by cars back then, but I’m guessing it was less than half the number we have today.
The point is, what is being proposed is a change to the Master Plan which would allow for enormous and sudden growth. Nothing like what you outlined above.
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