Ridgewood is where it is because our Council has been governing for the benefit of the few and not for the benefit of the many. The tax payers have been fed a steady diet of “take it or leave it”, oversized initiatives with no option to compromise. Why? Because the Council majority has been answering to Valley and the developer special interest groups. If Valley Hospital could have moved off of its completely unreasonable expansion plan 10 years ago, they’d be finished with their construction by now and we’d have a more modern hospital. Whose fault is that? Same goes for the CBD – not a single person who thinks 35 units per acre is too dense has ever advocated for vacant car dealerships. That is the rhetoric of the now-vanquished Ron Simoncini and his “Truth About Ridgewood.” The recent election has shown that two thirds of the electorate favor more moderate development projects. It’s time to undo what the last Council has put in place and start over. Smaller hospital, smaller garage, smaller apartments.
We’ll see if anything smaller actually happens.
Less is much, much more.
We don’t need any apartments in CBD. Build the apartments on the other side of 17, where land is available for them. We don’t need a parking garage. Shortage is only on Friday/Saturday night and restaurants should pay for it if it’s built.
The Village should sell Schedler and Habernickle to a condo developer… Why the Village owns these properties and listens to the neighbors on why these properties need to be protected is beyond me. The Village isn’t a property manager and taxpayers shouldn’t be funding land holdings that benefit so few Villagers. Sell them.
So agree! Less is much,much more. To 12:37’s comment: we used Green Acre Funds to purchase these properties and they do add value to Ridgewood as they are now. I would like to gain the Town Garage property thru eminent domain, clean it up and then we decide what we want to do with it. Land is one thing we lack an abundance of and letting potential developers run the show I’d not in our best interest.
I agree with 12:37. Sell Hilcrest Park and Schindler to who ever wants to pay.
I agree 2:54. Sell both properties along with any other properties the Village can unload. How about selling Village Hall to the highest bidder. It would then become a taxable property from which the Village would derive income. There is plenty of unused or underutilized office space in Ridgewood for which the landlord would be happy to get a steady tenant…..albeit one that would insist on favorable lease terms… .ie: low rent !
Sell Village Hall so then all the employees can work from home.
Wrong, the electorate doesn’t want any development.
6:44 I suggested that was sell the controversial fields. We still need our public buoldings.
That is until the towns consolidate and we have a Ridgewood/Glen Rock/ hohokus town. Then we can sell the extra buildings. The future is consolidation. Just like business there will be mergers and economies of scale.