The Village Council Meeting of March 23rd will be held at the Campus Center of the Ridgewood High School, located at 627 East Ridgewood Avenue.
Match 23,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ , The March 23rd Work Session meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. During the Work Session there will be a Special Public Meeting for the Public Hearings and vote on the multi-family housing ordinances as well as a public hearing and vote on the bond ordinance to appropriate money for the Hudson Street parking deck.
The meeting will be streamed live using UTube. This location is not equiped to broadcast the meetings live on the cable stations. The meetings will be filmed and available both on UTube and the Village Public Access Channel (Cablevision 77; Fios 37) the following day.
The Final Downtown Zoning Impacts Analysis that address the four multifamily housing study areas is now available. For the complete document Click Here
Click Here for the Reexamination of the Master Plan and Development Regulations adopted by the Planning Board February 2, 2016.
Atlantic City Mayor Don Guardian spoke at Monday’s meeting of the Assembly Budget Committee in Trenton to voice his opposition to the state takeover effort. The Assembly will be the determining factor now that the takeover package from Senate President Steve Sweeney (D-3) has cleared the Senate. Assembly Speaker Vince Prieto (D-32) has said that he objects to allowing the state broad powers in altering collective bargaining agreements and may not put the bill to a vote. JT Aregood, PolitickerNJ Read more
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)
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.
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
Valley sued the Village of Ridgewood claiming an unfair process in the deliberations. Many thousands of dollars was spent by groups opposed to the renewal and for very substantial and convincing reasons. New Jersey requires that we go through a mediation process, it does not require that either party has to accept the results.
Valley’s “compromise” includes a 1700 spot parking garage on the cornet of Linwood and Van Dien! We have spent years discussing an approx. 400 space parking garage on Hudson Street which is not in the middle of a neighborhood, next to a school and on one of the busiest corners in all of Ridgewood.
The planning board is duty bound to protect our village from over development not to appease an entity that has enough money to keep the battle on going. We have a Master Plan and zoning ordinances to protect us. If the Planning Board is wiling to change them in order to allow Valley to go ahead with its plan to almost double its size in the middle of a neighborhood, then we need a new Planning Board that is looking out for the Village of Ridgewood. I say village because many seem to have forgotten that .
We worry about signage that isn’t in keeping with our aesthetics. We tell businesses in town what colors they can use on their store fronts and yet we would consider a massive expansion in the middle of a residential area? Our priorities need an overhaul and there is no time to do it. The Planning Board is holding 5 hearings all within a few days of each other starting at the end of March and ending in early April and before an election in May which will change the council by 3 new members.
One of our current council members Gwen Hauck has stated in public that she is “beholden to Valley”. She should recuse herself from any vote on Valley and we may have the law on our side regarding a conflict of interest.
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
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood high density housing issue is upon us again. The Village Council will be meeting at the Campus Center of the Ridgewood High School.
The Village Council Meetings of March 23rd ,Work Session meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m.During the Work Session there will be a Special Public Meeting for the Public Hearings and vote on the multi-family housing ordinances as well as a public hearing and vote on the bond ordinance to appropriate money for the Hudson Street parking deck.
The meetings will be filmed and available both on YouTube and the Village Public Access Channel (Cablevision 77; Fios 37) the following day. According to a March 10th update “streaming on YouTube from this location on March 9th proved successful and will be again be done for the March 23rd meeting.
According to the previous meeting the high density housing will have “No impact” on traffic, schools, water ,sewers in the Village .
The current council majority know on this blog as the three amigos , have all declined to run for reelection for various reasons , so the fate of the Village of Ridgewood will be settled by parties who are no longer vested in the Village.
YARD WASTE COLLECTION BEGINS APRIL 11 – PLEASE ADHERE TO SCHEDULE
Ridgewood Nj , Yard Waste season will start on April 11th in Area A. Please do not place any yard waste (branches or twigs) at the curb until your date for yard waste collection begins. The schedule is printed in the 2016 Village Calendar. The Village is divided into four areas and collection takes place at the curb following that schedule. The Recycling Center on E. Glen Avenue will take yard waste now if you want to drop it off. For further questions, please call 201/670-5585.
Ridgewood Nj, last nights meeting seem to resemble more of a trip to the land of make believe than serious planning for Ridgewood’s Future . Readers claim it was a complete farce. Once again. They did not allow any public members to question the experts behind the studies. The experts described the developments in butterflies and rainbows terms and could only see positive impacts. Farce.
One expert boldly stated , NO impact from high density housing. Yep. He really said that.
One of the highlights of the evening for Gwenn Hauck was when she referred to resident Dana Glazer’s GoPro harness as resembling a ‘terrorist.’ That was fun.
RIDGEWOOD, N.J.– Ramon M. Hache, 41, is certified to run for one of the three open seats on the Ridgewood Village Council in this May 10th municipal election. Hache, a father of three, sees a need for responsible, balanced leadership to propel Ridgewood forward while respecting its residents.
“I see Ridgewood standing at the crossroads of progress and tradition, and I know that a lot of big decisions will have to be made in the next few years,” Hache said. “I want to make sure that the town is guided through those decisions in a responsible way. To me this next election will provide an important reset for the town.”
Some of the big issues Ridgewood is facing in the future will be a continued push for multi-familyhousing, Valley Hospital, safety surrounding schools and the cost of maintaining and enhancing our athletic fields and parks.
Although the Master Plan was recently updated, Hache feels that it is important to revisit thisdocument, which should provide a detailed roadmap to the future and offer guidelines for smart development.
A 1991 graduate of Ridgewood High School, Hache was raised in the Village, and he is currently SeniorVice President at Permal Group, one of the largest hedge fund investors in the world.
Hache’s volunteerism includes being the treasurer for the Ridgewood High School Football Scholarship Committee, a Ridgewood Soccer Association coach, a member of the Knights of Columbus and an active member, lector and Eucharistic minister at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church.
To contact Ramon Hache: 201-960-4977, [email protected], or visit www.ramonhache.com
I am writing to inform you of a Municipal Information Forum that we will be hosting for Ridgewood residents regarding Ridgewood Water.
The intent of this forum is to educate the public on how water is delivered to your faucet. We will deal with current issues in the news as well as discussing the quality of our water, sustaining water for the future, budget and capital investments and our short-term and long-term strategies.
Our decision to hold this forum emanated from several sources. One clearly is the amount of interest that residents have expressed in learning more about Ridgewood Water; this has definitely been heightened by stories in the news. Secondly, we have held two sessions such as these at both our 2016 budget reviews as well as at a Glen Rock Council meeting. These were two-way dialogues that were well received and I believe went a long way in a better mutual understanding of how the water we consume is delivered to our homes.
We are planning on conducting this forum on two separate dates. The first isThursday April 21st from 9-11 AM. The other is Monday April 25th from 7:30-9:30PM.
Please let us know if you intend on joining us by responding to this e-notice.
Look forward to seeing you.
Best,
Roberta Sonenfeld
Village Manager
201-670-5500, ext. 203
RIDGEWOOD DOWNTOWN ZONING ANALYSIS STUDIES
The Final Downtown Zoning Impacts Analysis that address the four multifamily housing study areas is now available. For the complete document Click Here
Our mayor has brought this village to this state of division and havoc. He is a man who only gets along with those that agree with him, look at his track record of former and current council members. This village never needed a civil committee before his arrival! When you don’t agree with him, he attacks and becomes aggressive and vindictive. Pitting clergy against clergy; neighbor against neighbor; lying to voters; calling hours at the podium where residents plead for a voice in the process a discussion; using committees to prop up your projects all the while lying to them; hiding information from other council members; hiring a VM to do your bidding; calling residents liars; and the ongoing scheming and plotting how subjects and issues will be brought up on the dais have brought us to this ugly chapter. These examples are just from the last 6 months….And people like this guy? I guess the ones who will make a buck off his “leadership” do! I don’t understand how anyone can defend or support someone like him. Scary! July 1st can’t come fast enough!
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
