Ridgewood making changes to controversial ordinance
MAY 15, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Arguably one of the village’s most well-known ordinances has been amended to address concerns dealing with some of its language.
The amendment was presented to the Village Council last week.
Ordinance No. 3066, which sets forth the fees and processes involved in applying for an amendment to the master plan or development regulations, was originally passed in July 2007. The ordinance has become the subject of controversy as many believe it enabled the multiple master plan amendment applications that have dominated the agenda at Planning Board meetings.
Part of the basis of revising Ordinance 3066 was to ensure that the Village of Ridgewood is in full ownership of its master plan document and retains the exclusive right to amend it, said Councilwoman Susan Knudsen.
“We own this document, it is our policy document,” she said. “The prevailing concept throughout this revised ordinance is this is our master plan.”
A committee consisting of Knudsen, Mayor Paul Aronsohn, Planning Board Chairman Charles Nalbantian, Vice Chairman Richard Joel, Village Planner Blais Brancheau, and Planning Board attorney Gail Price has been working for the past couple months to differentiate between a typical development application and a master plan amendment.
By state law, a site plan, subdivision or variance application forces the Planning Board, or the Board of Adjustment in some cases, to act on them within a certain period of time and go immediately to a hearing process.
https://www.northjersey.com/news/changes-in-store-for-controversial-village-ordinance-1.1335079
That title isn’t fair – – the village Hall fiasco was “Pfund’s folly” – – or was it one of his other acts…..