the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, during the January 14, 2026, Village Council meeting, Councilman Evan Weitz didn’t just defend the new affordable housing ordinances (4071–4075); he took aim at the residents concerned about them. In a series of pointed remarks around the 01:24:00 mark, Weitz cautioned the public against “social media misinformation” and made a definitive promise: “The village won’t look like the pictures that people keep sharing.”
To the casual observer, it sounded like a protective stance. But for those who remember the last decade of Ridgewood politics, the words rang hollow. Why? Because Evan Weitz has spent years building the very infrastructure that makes high-density “urban” development possible in our Village.
Dismissing Resident Anxiety
Weitz’s remarks were less about policy and more about policing how residents inform themselves.
The Quote: “If you’re getting your information from Facebook or social media, you are likely getting a version of the truth that is designed to make you angry…”
The Reality: Dismissing public outcry as “social media anger” is a convenient way to ignore the fact that residents are looking at the literal text of the ordinances, which permit heights of 50+ feet, and comparing them to the 2022 Master Plan that promised to protect our historic village scale.
The irony of Weitz’s promise that the Village “won’t look like” high-density urban renderings is that he was a primary architect of Ridgewood’s most significant leap toward urbanization: The [mostly empty] Hudson Street Parking Garage.
1. The Financial Lead: Long before he was a Councilman, Weitz was the Chairman of the Financial Advisory Committee (FAC). In 2017, he didn’t just support the parking deck; he led the financial studies that justified it. He championed the idea of the parking utility as a “money maker,” a move that prioritized commercial revenue over residential character.
2. The Infrastructure for Growth: You cannot have 30-unit-per-acre housing (as seen in Ordinance 4073) without the massive infrastructure to support it. By pushing through the Hudson Street Garage, Weitz paved the way, literally and financially, for the “CBD Vibrance” model that now demands 4- and 5-story buildings.
3. The “Ridgewood 2020” Legacy: Weitz ran on a platform that centered on large-scale infrastructure projects. His career has been defined by a belief that “bigger is better” for the downtown economy, making his recent claim that the Village won’t look “different” feel like a tactical pivot rather than a sincere belief.
Councilman Weitz asks us to ignore the renderings of looming buildings and trust his “professional” assurance. Yet, the Hudson Street Garage stands as a permanent, concrete reminder of his vision for Ridgewood: a vision that favors towering slabs of concrete, mass and utility over the “Village” aesthetic.
When an official whose record is synonymous with infrastructure expansion tells you not to worry about expansion, his words aren’t just hollow, they are a distraction. Residents aren’t “angry” because of a Facebook post; they are vigilant because they have seen what happens when Evan Weitz’s financial models become Ridgewood’s reality.
I generally find the parking deck pretty full on weekend evenings.
Yes, it’s full and the council made it free on weekends.
The scruffy beard is a device to hide a double chin…
The Bond King knows what’s best for you.
What happened to Keith’s “Fact Check Friday?”
To sustain economically viable businesses, density in the downtown business district will need to increase. Doing it there protects the residential neighborhoods.
i still dont think this guy is really a lawyer
Thank you to the Blog writers for putting a face to a problem.
What happens when the wells run dry?
The well is going dry, that’s why they are borrowing a shit load of money. How much money are they in the hole now? How much is their debt 75 million
Do you see any pattern in Paul Aronson, Alexandera Harwin and Evin Weitz? They all ran for council to support high density housing within two years of their move to Ridgewood!
They all were funded by same large housing developer who has something in common with those three!
And Harwin is at the bottom of the totem pole, acting as the DEI liaison between the “community voices” committee, formerly “DEI Group” and the schools.
She may be the bridge between the schools and council.
The contracts brought in by the BOE BA recently are big Passaic County Democrat donors and have strong Paterson BOE and mayoral connections.
Mikie Sherrill even attended Paterson BOE swearing in ceremony, thanking one of the elected board members who is also a big Sherrill supporter.
Ridgewood’s Supt and BA were brought in for political reasons. And we are seeing it materialize in real time.