How does anyone that has half a brain think that we as Village tax payers should pay for a parking garage in order to prop up the various trinket stores or shops in this town? Online shopping is not going away and will only get bigger. The argument that we need a garage to accommodate shoppers is absolutely incredible. If shop owners in this town think that slumping sales are due to lack of parking near their stores and not due to Amazon and other related online outlets, they are in denial. We all need to come to the realization that the retail landscape is forever changed, by building a garage, we are not going to stop or slow the inevitable outcome. If stores have to close, as unfortunate as that is, it’s reality….hopefully, fixed costs such as rent going down etc will help alleviate the pain of slower sales, but don’t be fooled…there is less foot traffic for retail and it’s only getting worse. I’ve sat here and read all the arguments for a garage, all claiming that no ones coming to Ridgewood to shop because of lack of parking….really? Are we that gullible to believe that? Less people are coming to this village because they can sit at home, go online and get whatever they order in a day or two…FACT.
The thinking behind building a large garage is “if you build it they will come”. That’s the unbiased logic. There’s also the opportunistic logic of those who stand to financially gain from building a garage (e.g. the lawyers and the various parties who will be involved in the construction project). Then there’s the ultimate beneficiaries, the business owners (mostly restaurants) who believe that they will get more revenue as a result of increased customers). Even if there will be increased customers, which I highly doubt, then why should the Ridgewood taxpayers be on the hook for increasing these business owners net worth?
Parking in Ridgewood right now is no problem, other than Friday and Saturday evenings The dinner rush. Even then there’s enough parking. The folks who think there isn’t simply want to park within a block of their restaurant of choice. Do you honestly think that these same people are going to park their cars in a parking garage?
I ask again. Why am I paying tax dollars to improve the net worth of a select crowd of business owners?
Agree with 9:06. I went to oak street for 7pm dinner last night (Sat). Ample parking at lot by bus station.
Park and walk
Will never use garage if it is built. Will stop going downtown if meter fees are expanded or increased.
Totally agree with this post – – the concept of a garage solving all our downtown problems was the narrow minded vision of those two buffoons Arohnson and Pucciarelli. They were totally out of touch with reality and where our society is heading.
Unfortunately, their mantra of “we need a garage” caught hold of others. But, we don’t need a garage. We need downtown landlords and businesses that are willing to adapt to our foot print and the needs and wants of a citizenry that now lives in the 21st century. The so-called progressives who ran for council last time around on placards of “let’s build garages and blocks of apartments!” are simply out of touch with reality. Building a garage is not going to bring back Mayberry RFD nor is it going to turn us into Futureworld. Its only going to saddle us with an eyesore and make it harder to adapt to chaning circumstances and lifestyles while preserving our standard of living..
So, let’s preserve our Village and stand up to the developers and others who simply want to shake us down like an immmense piggy bank and watch our loose change fall into their pockets. Tell the council not to go forward with the garagemahal. Haven’t we already been saddled with enough unwanted building?