“January 6th Parking Garage Vote Must Be Tabled”
Regardless of where you stand on development in Ridgewood, one thing we can all agree on is that our Village Council must be held to the highest of standards when it comes to their voting practices and in their commitment to fulfilling their votes.
With this reasoning, on January 6th, our council must table any vote on the parking garage until the comprehensive traffic study is completed.
Let me explain:
On September 30th, the Village Council voted (4-1) in favor of doing 4 comprehensive studies regarding the high density housing issue.
Clerk Mailander’s vote call: “Amended version that we just read: multiple studies, traffic and infrastructure study, financial study, and a school impact study. It’s a comprehensive traffic study as outlined by Councilwoman Knudsen, CBD, surrounding neighborhoods, entire village. OK.”
Regarding what Councilwoman Knudsen specifically “outlined”:
“There has never been a comprehensive traffic study done of the CBD proper or the adjacent communities as a whole. It becomes incredibly relevant when we consider that there are four large parcels being considered for high density development with the north walnut redevelopment zone assisted living facility …… and coupled with the fact that we are engaging in ….a parking garage that would add over 300 vehicles to an already narrow, difficult, congested intersection of Broad Street and Hudson. When you take all of these collectively it really becomes imperative that we do our due diligence and ….get this right….so I think to that question, “What traffic studies have been done?” I think “not enough.”
Seeking clarification on December 9th, I asked Councilwoman Knudsen if it was her “intent” on September 30th that the parking garage be included in this traffic study before the parking garage was to be built.
Her response:
“My intention was that it was under the assumption that it had not been built…I was clear with that intention..Each of these very large projects combined had the potential impact and needed to be studied before we moved forward.”
Based on Councilwoman Knudsen’s original outline of the traffic part of the vote from September 30th and substantiated by the above statement on December 9th, the Village Council has no further recourse but to table any voting or other steps toward choosing a parking garage size, applying for a bond, etc, until the traffic study is first completed.
Having a few extra months of study with regard to the parking garage will only improve the traffic/parking situation and pave the way for perhaps even smarter solutions. For example, resident Rick Boesch observed that the parking app could be GPS enabled to show the available parking spaces at any given moment,thereby helping the situation immensely.
It is only of benefit to Ridgewood that our Village Council follows through with their vote on September 30thin regards to the proposed parking garage, so as to ensure that development in our CBD is handled in a smarter, less expensive and less piecemeal fashion.
Dana H. Glazer
Ridgewood NJ
Good Luck with that. The 3 Amigos have to get shovels in the ground for this garage before the upcoming election. Their motto is ” Dam the torpedo full speed ahead.”
Well, Paul……..we’re waiting to hear from you. Albert?—we know you uphold the law at all costs, fine upstanding attorney that you are. Gwenn, well, come on, surely someone has scripted something that you can read
The more one hears about this then maybe it should be tabled permanently.
It’s a fetid festering Boil being rushed into the OR Before any agreed studies might reveal what an expensive and dangerous mistake that Mega Garage is in that most congested and misplaced location
Just the street widths and tight surrounding blocks will be overwhelmed
At peak discharge at the garage,forget any cafe dining on those blocks.
The Lawyers at Valley are chomping at the Bit to reopen their issues and underground cavernous Garage and building expansion and why not..
This whole Affair is a scandal.
It’s already a done deal. too late
This town is so screwed up..time to sell
Ridgewood News has usual lets paper over the complainers and get on to our glorious futures..complete Puff piece on how everybody was really supporting the 4 studies all along including our recalcitent mayor chiming in on how bright the future looks after Jan 6 meeting then traffic school housing etc studies are all done..Oh joy Paul says it will all be alright despite the small community of objectors to the VC GRAND plans for thee
parking and rental housing megaplex coming soon to your rear view mirrors as the moving trucks are packing up your hard earned equity in this town gone off the Rails
And of course our Deputy Mayor is now all in favor of the studies, even though he HOTLY voted against them in the first place. That Albert switches sides faster than you can say toupee
Albert switches side because he is trying to redeem himself with voters. He is starting to make his bid for re election next year. Notice how low key he has been hoping that voters will forget what he has done. He probably has a running mate already pick out. It is no surprise that he wants to be Mayor. The funny thing is that the same voters that voted for the 3 amigos will vote for Big Al and his new coalition. Right now his buddies Paul is taking all the heat and Al is good with that distraction from him. Don’t be fooled. Al is worse the Paul could ever be. He is a Narcissist and vindictive. So if you don’t want the next four years the same as the last four year then vote and get your family and friends to vote. We must get rid of these three. They are a cancer.
9:54- everything you say is true!!!
Gonna be Albert and another Paul running in the spring – Pucciarelli and Vagianos, mark my words. The team from hell. We will defeat them. Puke and Vag.
Time to sell?
well it’s never to late. As soon as junior graduated we were GONE.
Just like all my neighbors….