the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, a group of residents on the east side of Ridgewood have organized a petition to protest the clear cutting of over 250 trees. According to the group the condominium community located at Carriage Lane in Ridgewood had a buffer requirement as part of its landscaping plan .
Margaret Sullivan
Prosecutor Village of Ridgewood
131 N Maple Ave
Ridgewood, NJ 07450
Re: Commons at Ridgewood
Summons: SC 015063
Violation: Chapter 190-94d
Dear Ms. Sullivan:
The residents of Ridgewood desperately seek your assistance. The destruction of approximately 250+ trees left residents and their homes exposed to Route 17 and hazardous elements.
In 1988 the Ridgewood Board of Adjustment approved a site plan for the development of a condominium community located at Carriage Lane in Ridgewood, NJ. This approval included a landscape plan with BUFFER REQUIREMENTS. It is a violation of State and Village Code to remove this mandated buffer. (Village of Ridgewood Land Use and Development Code 190-94D and N.J.S.A 40:S5D-2C).
In utter disregard of the laws of this state, and its municipal land use approvals, the owner intentionally and unilaterally truncated the required buffer.
As such, residents and its adjoining neighbors have suffered and continue to suffer severe loss. This development is located next to a major highway, Route 17. Directly behind the development are four, large scale, commercial operations. The buffer removal (over 250 trees) stripped residents of their right to quiet enjoyment, adequate air, and open space. Their safety, health and environment are compromised. Residents are exposed to propane/diesel fumes, wood dust, daily tremors and pounding, which have resulted in visible damage to properties and foundations. Also, the lack of buffer/barrier and increased noise level (from highway and neighboring commercial operation) aided burglars and there have been multiple break-ins. Residents even lost the right to simple things like sitting on outdoor decks, patios and open windows.
The unilateral destruction of the buffer was unlawful. Please order the responsible party to fully restore the buffer as required and outlined in the approved site plan.
Respectfully,
The undersigned residents of Ridgewood
CC: Village Manager
Mayor of Ridgewood
and did I mention the sky is falling?
Well intentioned but the petition is meaningless with signatures from California, the UK etc. You’ll need to get local signatures for the effort to have any effect. And real signatures (on paper), not virtual. Good luck.
Yup!!!!
Laws only apply to those that are forced to comply with them!!!
Must be a DemoRatic Commie run town
Why do they want to remove all these trees. Is there a new construction site happening and we don’t know about out on the rt 17
But no tree clearing was performed to build Carriage Lane??? That properly was full with trees and wildlife before the developer cleared that properly not too long ago (around 30 years).
Ms. Sullivan hasn’t been the prosecutor in several years.
One of the few remaining good things about Ridgewood are the trees.
All of the other good and unique things about RW are long gone.
I am truly confused. They built a condo complex and it required a tree buffer zone. Wasn’t that buffer zone on the condo owned property? So who cut down the trees?
Those trees are gone and not coming back. Take a look at the famous firewood seller DW who has killed countless of trees in his property by the PSEG right of way right off Franklin Tpke. He keeps on cutting and nobody gives a sh!t. His whole property looks like trash, his house has a blue tarp for a roof.
Town doesn’t even care for anything outside of CBD.
Trees have been going fast in RW the last 2-3 years. That’s happens when there are no rules on place to keep cutting under control.
VOR Tree Department needs to step up and care for the thousands of shade Trees lining our streets that are
Overleafed and overloaded and poorly cared for Maintenance Wise .
Love to be proved Wrong
What the hell is going on. The village she tree crew department has been behind for 20 years
The village shade tree department should hire a contractor to remove emergency Rotted trees. Just so they don’t fall on someone, we can avoid a big major lawsuit by doing this.
Ridgewood wants to be Hoboken and nothing is going to stand in their way. Many of the Ridgewood roads have been destroyed by the utility companies,heavy equipment and outrageous traffic. The people in power are creating this mess but will be gone by the time it hits fruition.