It’s on August 5, not August 15 as published previously on the blog. Should be a good turnout
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
RIDGEWOOD, NJ — A controversial proposal is once again on the table as Ordinance #4052 returns to the Ridgewood Planning Board agenda for Tuesday night’s meeting. Local residents and preservation advocates are raising serious concerns about the potential impact of the ordinance, which could pave the way for a luxury, high-density, five-story assisted living facility on North Maple Avenue.
🏘️ What Is Ordinance #4052?
Ordinance #4052 would allow for zoning changes that could significantly alter the residential character of Ridgewood’s cherished North Maple Avenue corridor — particularly the stretch between Franklin Avenue and Marshall Street.
The proposed development includes:
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A 24/7 operated, five-story assisted living facility
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High-density construction uncommon in the Village’s traditional neighborhood layout
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Increased traffic, noise, and strain on infrastructure
🗣️ Community Pushback: “We Are a Village — Not a City!”
Residents are speaking out, saying the proposed facility is out of step with Ridgewood’s identity as a peaceful, suburban village — not an urban center.
“North Maple is no place for this type of high-intensity use,” said one resident. “We support care for seniors, but this is the wrong location and the wrong scale.”
The community is concerned that:
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Property values will be negatively impacted
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Emergency vehicle access and congestion will worsen
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The neighborhood’s charm and walkability will be disrupted
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Environmental impacts and overdevelopment will follow
📅 Planning Board Meeting Details
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Date: Tuesday Night
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Location: Ridgewood Village Hall
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Agenda: Ordinance #4052 and development proposal
All residents are encouraged to attend and voice their opinions. Written public comment may also be submitted ahead of the meeting.
🛑 Why This Matters
Ridgewood residents are defending their town’s character, calling for responsible development that aligns with the Master Plan and community needs — not outside interests.
“This project might be appropriate elsewhere, but North Maple is not the place for a five-story commercial operation,” said a local civic group leader.
🏡 Call to Action
Residents are urged to:
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Show up at the Planning Board meeting
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Speak out against Ordinance #4052
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Share concerns with elected officials
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Support responsible planning that respects Ridgewood’s history and scale
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The developer and Paulie have already negotiated the deal.
Five stories and as many units as you can jam in.
Build it right to the sidewalk.
75% of the population is on vacation in this state the first two weeks of August.
Why the rush? Why not table this until September?
Hmmm. You almost get the sense that the deal is already done and there’s a schedule to follow.
This is the dirtiest, greasiest council Ridgewood will ever see.
terrible communication from Town!! Residents at first meeting in July were told by Mayor that THIS NEXT MEETING would be SEPTEMBER, nope moved to August 13th!!! Now we are told not by our Mayor ( who I saw in person last Tuesday) to confirm that it is intact August 13th!!! Never once mentioned this Tuesday AUGUST 5th!!! PLEASE come to this meeting!!
who is the developer? where can i find more information on the owner / developer? i am opposed to this.
Remember this travesty when you go to the voting booth during the next municipal election.
Yes, remember to vote for 5 amigos at the same time. God forbid you may consider voting for someone who doesn’t look or sound like heavily left leaning. Do not betray your liberal principals.
It’s a done deal.
Your apathy is what allows these projects to move forward.
Ridgewood is not a “village” & there’s nothing special about N. Maple Ave. It’s a large suburban town. You might not like it, but accept it.
voters made sure of that
Ridgewood calls itself a Village so our officials need to act like it is one. What is “special” about that intersection on N. Maple is that it’s a direct pedestrian route to the east side schools for students that bike and walk. It is a route taken by parents driving their students to schools on the east side. It is a route that local residents walk into town on every day. It is a highly trafficked intersection with very few safety features as it is. Adding a facility that operates 24/7 to this intersection is a recipe for disaster.
Rarely see pedestrians at that intersection, all the foot traffic is on ridgewood avenue.
Yes, you are correct. That’s because it’s a well known dangerous intersection. VOR plays the “oh, it’s a county rd, nothing we can do about it” card. Pitiful, one of the most dangerous and confusing intersections in town but it’s ok for a new development.
Most people believe because we have a walkable downtown and community feel, we are called a “Village”, but that is not the case. “Village” is the form of municipal government for Ridgewood, and it is that simple. We could have a skyscraper, big media signage, and a population boom, and Ridgewood will still be called a village because that is our form of municipal government.
Every municipality in New Jersey falls into one of the following five types of municipal government: borough, township, city, town, or village.
Ridgewood started as a Village back in 1894.
If anyone is interested in reading about the 5 forms of municipal government in NJ, I suggest this site. https://www.njlm.org/644/Forms-of-Municipal-Government—New-Jers
A walkable and a if-you-get-run-over-its-your-own-damn-fault downtown.
No, it’s not. We have not expanded the borders of our village . We may have expanded the amount of people living here, which is what they’re trying to do to ruin the charm. and this is not what we moved here for or asked for. This is all about political corruption. I thought I escaped it when I moved here 37 years ago from New York City, but I guess people are people. And you’re going to find corrupt self-serving narcissistic people everywhere.
So you moved to a wealthy county to *escape* corruption? Did we hear that correctly? (Do you want to tell her?)
This is happening whether you like it or not. Nothing you say will stop the tide.
Ridgewood=Fort Lee.
So sad what has happened to this town.
Mayor and Council want us to believe this project can’t be stopped to discourage residents from voicing concerns. Keep up the pressure against this development. It’s not too late!
They do what they want ever since the first gross obnoxious Paul. Now we have this guy
Exactly how they snuck Healthbarn in years ago. No one knew. Neighbors finally caught wind of the nightmare about to hit their neighborhood. Ordinance was changed without public comment from residential to educational and a full blown for profit nightmare began. A business that has full use of the tax apyers park 6 days a week. Be careful they are sneaky. They’ll give you your meetings, they will pretend to listen but they do not care Habernickel park has been stuck with this new imposing loud and busy way of life for 10 years now. Just awful what these people allow to happen in others back yards. Bad to the bone! And they pretend it’s non profit. So they lie too!
It’s sad how divided residents have become in their fights — when in reality, we’re all battling for the same thing: to protect Ridgewood’s character, health, and spaces.
Imagine if this group joined forces with the Schedler Group. Together, they could flip the table on this Village Council. The Schedler Group has stood firm for over 10 years, successfully pushing back despite the odds — and that’s on land the Village already owns. OH and don’t forget what they did with the proposed Billboard.
There’s a Schedler playbook for how to stay organized, persistent, and effective. If these two groups aligned, we’d have the numbers, the strategy, and the moral ground to stop the Village from steamrolling residents.
Divided, they’ll keep ignoring us. United, the VOR won’t stand a chance.
It can work if enough people join forces and attend town planning board and/or mayor/council meetings and keep up the pressure. It worked when Paramus and Washington Twp residents joined forces to have their say regarding the Charlie Brown location on Linwood.
How is the town divided on this issue? I don’t know anyone besides Paul and Frank who think this is a good idea……
This deal was done when PeeWee first got elected. I told you Kensington would come back, and they are trying for the worst place for their third attempt. People get the government they deserve.
This is in direct violation of the Master Plan so proudly adopted in 2022. On page 10 you will find:
Under General/Village Wide Principles:
1. Work to keep a “small-town/village feel” while allowing aspects of the Village to evolve, adapt, or change if necessary and beneficial to the Village in ways that maintain or complement the “small-town/ village feel.”
Under Downtown:
2. Limit further high-density residential development.
they are working off the paul aronsohn playbook , which is destroy Ridgewood and suck it dry
Way too much oversized developments in this town. With the 3 large housing units did they bother to upgrade the water and sewer lines to accommodate all these people? No they did not!
Do not want Ridgewood to turn into a city. The powers that be seem to have their own agendas and it has nothing to do with whats good for Ridgewood.
Take up the fight with Trenton. This is a consequence of affordable housing obligations. The alternative is builders remedy lawsuits where the village has no say in development. Pick your poison.
Maybe this town will consider voting differently. When you have a dictate from a progressive governor who doesn’t care if the village is I’ll equip to build safely, you get the Ridgewood plane which jams affordable housing, primarily downtown. It cheapens our village and has negative impact. Anyone wondering as they if residents will get a proportional property tax adjustment as repair for cheapen the village and changing why people come here??? After 34 years, time to move
when you write a comment because you have freedom of speech but it gets removed……
Perhaps people will consider voting differently…..when you have a progressive governor who dictates , you get the Ridgewood plane which jamming “affordable Housing, primarily downtown. It cheapens our village and has negative impact. Anyone wondering as if we will get a proportional tax decrease based on units built as repair for the changes??????
34 years later, I contemplate leaving
The progressive governor dictates to the town and perhaps people will vote differently.. Will we get a tax cut for the number of units built as repair as repair for cheapening and changing the village
Listen, remember most ridgewood taxpayers voted for these people to begin with
Village leadership never joined the Local Leaders for Responsible Planning coalition to fight the state housing mandate.