>There have been a number of comments lately about how “Ridgewood” (read, the Village Counci) is unfriendly to business. Some have suggested that this is a contributing factor to why so many businesses have left Ridgewood in the last 18 months. Personally, I don’t think the parking rate increase is as much of a problem as some have claimed. No doubt the economic recession has accelerated the exodus of business from Ridgewood. But, if we are really honest, that trend was well established years before the recession was ever upon us or before the VC raised parking rates.
The real impediment to business in Ridgewood is the unrealistically high rent rates. Go back and read blogs from two or three years ago that complain about the proliferation of banks and restaurants, because they are the only ones who can afford to locate in Ridgewood. The lack of easy parking is also a significant issue, if we want to attract the nationally known, high end retailers. Of course, we can only blame ourselves for blocking progress on a suitable parking garage. Perhaps we should be focusing our attention on these issues, rather complaining about a 15 cent meter increase or suggesting that Mayor Pfund, perhaps the most consistent and responsible council member, is to blame for Ridgewood’s problems.
