Reader says Preservation implies a “status quo” do nothing again ,others disagree
By preserving, you are absolutely doing “something”. It is not an easy job either.
In 2011, Ridgewood was ranked #26, by Money Magazine, as one of the best places to live. This year the new list came out and we are not even on it. There are three towns in NJ that are, #16 Parsippany, with 800 acres of “preserved land”, #26 Franklin Lakes – 1/3 of which is farmland or recreation “preservation” and #27 Piscataway – rich in history and “preservations incuding….”. All three of these top NJ picks use the word “Preservation” in describing their towns. By treating preservation as if it “doing nothing” you are moving farther from what makes a place a great place to live.
I agree let’s start “preserving”. Of course you do understand that by reducing ratables your taxes will go up…..big time !! Perhaps you are willing to pay more tax for added ‘green space” but are your neighbors so inclined ? Also, have you seen the giant office complexes along Rt 10 in Parsippany or the huge industrial warehouses in Piscataway ? These complexes offset a lot of the local tax burden. Are you suggesting that Ridgewood allow construction of similar facilities within its borders to help offset taxes here ?
Finding agreement on what you are preserving is needed first. If you don’t have that then you don’t have it.
Put it out to a vote if you want to see what people want.
Radical change in the form of massive apartments where there is no consensus is not the answer.
Restaurants may be going out. Home cooking coming in. If Mark Bittman’s popularity is any indication.
Let’s have a COOKING SCHOOL in the Ken Smith lot. Different levels: starting with basic and going up.
I bet it would be a hit. Even ask Bittman to suggest who should run it.
stop trying to scare people with the “your taxes will go up argument”
if you closed every single business in ridgewood the average household tax bill would go up $135/month
i’m not advocating for that but let’s put what the businesses contribute to the town into perspective…
If you live in a bubble it might work — and we could still blame on Dom.
Preserve Ridgewood. Tax Valley. Problem solved.
Business’s in town only account for about 9% of our tax base. We should look to get more.