As sure as you’re born, a parking garage erected by Ridgewood’s village government will be co-opted for use by out-of-town commuters in accordance with the preferences of those seeking to dismantle New Jersey’s deeply ingrained “home rule” tradition and replace it with a new oligarchical style of regional government. Imagine a regional, multi-county board of overseers populated by Gwen Hauck-type cloned hand-puppets easily manipulated by nameless, faceless third-party wealthy power brokers. That’s what many forward-thinking progressive statists see in their dreams. They don’t give a whit about mere business owners and their parking concerns…
Ridgewood is being groomed for cash cow status by a handful of entrepreneurs who have invested in the old BoA building, the Old Post Office, Park West among others. They’ve spent a considerable amount of money to open establishments in the CBD, and now want to increase the foot traffic needed to make them profitable. Notice that Kidville has no parking? If the clientele is all based in CBD apartments, no parking will be needed.
I find it fascinating that the readers of this “Laissez-faire” blog have a problem with any of this. This is business at work, and the Master Plan is the only thing in the way. Or are we all NIMBY Libertarians here? Regulation is bad, unless it preserves something near and dear to our hearts? You can’t have it both ways.
Property values, especially those within walking distance of the CBD, will only go up as dining an recreation options multiply.
My only problems with the whole agenda is that it relies on New Jersey Transit’s deteriorating service to transport all the new residents to work in NYC. That, and the schools will suffer. I’m already making a backup plan for my daughter if the High School goes the way I think it will between now an when she is in 9th grade.
you missed the hudson county democrat machine which our mayor represents and his here to milk this town for all its got , the only business people getting deals down town are those contributing
Yes, you can have it ‘both ways.” People are free to gather together in a community and create standards that preserves both the quality of their lives and their assets. That’s what Ridgewood has traditionally been all about and the fabric of that tradition is being torn apart.
Property values will only go up around the downtown area if speculators determine they will be able to tear down and build more commercial or multi-family lots. the value of the single family home on the border of over-development always goes down. We have the right to preserve our property values and to keep our tax base low.
Where will the shopper/diners/employees park during construction? A net loss of 80 spots at any given time for three years. Let me remind you $.50/hour per meter. 80 spaces x $.50/space = $40/hour. $40 x 12 hour day = $480/day. $480/day x 465 days x 3 years = $525,600 revenue loss during construction. About the same amount that could pay for the parking study commissioned by the 3 Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
Horsepersons.
11:18
“Keep our tax base low”? It is not low now.
“the value of the single family home on the border of over-development always goes down”
Tell that to anyone who owns a single family brownstone in Hoboken.
If done right, development can shoot property values through the roof. Hoboken is a good example. Despite the schools, places in Hoboken are selling above bubble prices.
S Frapz
“$525,600 revenue loss during construction” Big deal. Rica and his unnamed and un-prosecuted accomplices stole more than that. At least this half million will have some payback.
STOP them now, speak out, shout out. They are spending OUR money faster than we could ever make it.
yes, S Frapz, YES
To 3:14 PM – This isn’t Hoboken. Unless you can magically transport commuters into the city at supersonic speed, Ridgewood will never be Hoboken.
Oh, now i see the master plan – – turn ridgewood into Hoboken. Well, that certainly makes sense. But, wouldn’t we need to move New York City next to Ridgewood?
who will be the new mayor, hummmmm. it will be some one not of the three.
Not yet 4:57but your team is try hard as hell to make that way.
3:14 Hoboken is slum. The typical dweller is a recent college graduate, and relieves them-self on the sidewalk. Anyone who “cares about their kids” sends them to private schools. Still no Ridgewood.
S Frapz, you know how I know you haven’t been to Hoboken in a while?
And I agree with the rest of the posters – proximity to NYC and NJ Transit’s deteriorating service, as I mentioned before, are serious flaws in the plan to Yuppify Ridgwood.