Reader : The notion that the 500-1,000 new residents would live in their little downtown ghetto and never venture out in a car is ridiculous
The notion that the 500-1,000 new residents would live in their little downtown ghetto and never venture out in a car is ridiculous. The notion that we need to cram more people into less breathing space is beyond stupid.
And the underlying notion that you need to change zoning laws to save the downtown is completely misplaced. A downtown exists to serve the surrounding community — not the other way around. Why are people espousing this idea that to “save” the downtown we need to put the rest of the town at risk?? Let market forces work and the downtown will stabilize. But, that’s not going to happen as long as people buy into the propaganda that we need to cram more people into town in order to help the downtown property owners. Let them lower their rents. Let them improve their properties. Let them change uses within the existing master plan to meet changing needs. Why should the rest of the town bailout the downtown property owners at our expense? Why should we fund or guarantee their profits??
Developers bought downtown properties hoping to make a profit. And now they are trying to convince the uninformed and the ignorant that somehow world peace will be achieved if only they are able to change existing laws and cram more people into the downtown.
You can’t live in the burbs without a car. There is only so much shopping, working and socializing you can do in downtown Ridgewood. How would you get to a store like Staples if you needed to rely on public transportation and how long would it take? Do we all need to sit at home and shop online?
Here is a secret – on a Saturday night we go out to dinner in other towns! I visit friends in other towns and some who live in Ridgewood (lower Midland Park?) and I need to drive. My universe is not Ridgewood I just live here.
Well there is no use in posting any of this . It looks like the majority of the Council are for these developments.
Does anyone know why DEPUTY MAYOR ALBERT PUCCIARELL has recused himself from the last meeting on this subject? It seems to me that he was very excited about the projects and did attend several planning board work sessions on the CBD master plan.