>A Village Council Special Work Session will be held on Wednesday, May 17, in the Village Hall Court Room, immediately following the scheduled 7:30 PM Budget Hearing. The purpose of the Special Work Session is to discuss the following: AMENDING THE LAND — USE ORDINANCE OF THE VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD IN ORDER TO REQUIRE SITE PLAN APPROVAL FOR DEVELOPMENTS INVOLVING A CHANGE OF — USE. All owners of property in the Central Business District should attend this meeting. It is believed this amendment is being proposed as a method to limit the number of financial institutions in the Central Business District.
I hate to blow against the wind but the Ridgewood Blog is still having a hard time trying to figure out weather this idea has any merit ,we just dont think it is going to do much . More effort should be used to promote the down town inorder to get quality merchants in our down town .When I came back to Ridgewood 5 years ago there was not even a picture of the down town on the internet ? I found this shocking and it was one of the factors that led to the formation of the Ridgewood Blog .
>More parking is the key factor in attracting quality retail merchants. The Council knows this good and well, but for some reason has thus far been unwillling to pull the trigger on constructing a parking garage. Until a garage is built, no retailer in their right mind is going to pay rent that’s now approaching $60 per square foot. If a garage is built, the next step is to force all long term parking to the garage, thus making all surface spaces available for short term use. Why won’t the Council pull the trigger? This isn’t a new issue either; garages have been discussed for the past 25 years – nothing ever happens!
>Rumor is that the Historic Preservation Commission has been a major roadblock in the construction of a garage. If they had their way, we’d all still be using Model Ts or horse drawn carriages.
Reportedly, this small group of “no change is best” individuals has also successfully lobbied the Council to prevent improvements from being made to street lighting in the Central Business District.
I ask you, what’s more important, parking enhancements & pedestrian safety, or historic preservation? Another example of how the Council has catered to a small, but vocal group instead of doing what’s best for the Village as a whole.
>maybe some of the stores should try staying open once and a while ,I am amazed some of the store never seem to be open …