Public comment on Ridgewood housing proposals coming in 2014
Thursday December 5, 2013, 3:27 PM
BY DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER
The Ridgewood News
Residents will have an opportunity to openly comment on a proposal that, if approved, would allow high-density, multi-family housing in downtown Ridgewood, but the public’s time will come after the new year.
Attorneys representing three of the four developers who are seeking a master plan amendment permitting such developments offered introductory remarks at Tuesday’s Planning Board meeting. A lawyer hired by a grassroots non-profit group of concerned citizens did the same.
But shut out of this week’s public hearing, the first session of what is expected to be a lengthy process, were the nearly 200 residents who filed into the Benjamin Franklin Middle School auditorium. Many expected that they would have been afforded time to comment, and several attendees, including some who waited nearly four hours, stormed out after board officials explained their chance to speak will be offered on Jan. 7.
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/234639801_Public_comment_on_Ridgewood_housing_proposals_coming_in_2014.html#sthash.iNmctfT6.dpu
None of the residents dispute a need for “empty nester” housing options, affordable housing or more options for special needs residents. What residents are wary of is raising the density from 12 units to 50 units per acre. Why so high? 50 units per acre is a density comparable to Fort Lee.
In 2006, Blaise Brancheau was the town planner for Westfield NJ. He prepared an ordinance for the Westfield Council that was passed on to the planning board. This ordinance required developers to construct one affordable residential unit for every eight market-rate dwelling units constructed. The ordinance also pointed out that a developer will NOT be permitted any INCREASE IN DENSITY of a building beyond what is already stated within the town’s zoning regulations. Why can’t Ridgewood do the same?
Why is Blais recommending something different for Ridgewood? Ridgewood and Westfield are almost identical towns. Yet, Westfield did not allow densities to increase. Blais is recommending we raise our densities by 400% in a 10 acre zone. Westfield did not even allow an increase of 1%.
https://archive.wmlnj.org/TheWestfieldLeader/2006/2006-04-06/pg_0002.pdf
Blais is just following orders.
Let see if the three new Council people that the Citizens For A Better Ridgewood helped get elected vote. Ironic isn’t it?
That was a different group #3. This group was formed last April, way after the elections. No irony at all.
These apartments will absolutely destroy the village and it just amazes me that the fools on the council are content to give up the Village. Its important to make sure you speak up — when you see them in town, at meetings, etc. The developers are spending quite a bit of time schmoozing with them, and the rest of us should let them know what a disaster they are planning for us. We should let them know we don’t want them to tun the Village is a complete wreck between the overbuilding of the Hospital and the 500 new apartments.