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Three options considered for Ridgewood parking lot
Thursday, March 4, 2010
BY MICHAEL SEDON
The Ridgewood News
STAFF WRITER
https://www.northjersey.com/news/86375702_Three_options_considered_for_Ridgewood_parking_lot.html
The Village Council is considering a plan to add more parking at the Hudson Street municipal lot that bears some similarities to the one previously abandoned at the North Walnut Street Redevelopment District.
At its meeting Wednesday, the council floated the idea of issuing request for proposals (RFP) to get design concepts and cost estimates for three different options at the site. The first two options would be to add one or two parking decks to the surface lots. The third would be a parking structure that would include big-box retail spaces to attract anchor stores and possibly a developer who would finance the construction in exchange for tax abatements.
“In looking over this, I’m looking for more of a [North] Walnut Street type deal, where it limits the cost to the village, but yet we receive the parking,” Killion said. “In order to do that there has to be retail, and to answer some of the [Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce’s] questions about having these box stores and anchor stores to bring in business. I know the location isn’t prime, but it is in the CBD [Central Business District] area.”
Killion added that if something is built at the Hudson Street site, it would have to fit in architecturally with the surrounding area.
“I don’t want to see a precast formed parking lot in the middle of the [area],” Killion said.
Councilman Paul Aronsohn requested that a study be performed that would look at the impact of additional retail in the CBD, and he asked for an explanation of the difference between a redevelopment district and a special improvement district, which are two options the council would have in moving forward.
“I think we all want parking at no cost to the village, I think that’s fair to say,” Aronsohn said.
Village Attorney Matt Rogers said that the redevelopment district approach, which was taken with the North Walnut Street site, allows the municipality more leeway in dealing with potential developers regarding the building design. Also, he said, the municipality does not have to accept the lowest bidder and it could work with developers through the RFP process. The drawback is the length of the process, which involves a Planning Board review and recommendation to the council for a vote.
Declaring the Hudson Street site a special improvement district would speed up the process and could be done through a council ordinance, but the village would have little leeway in design changes and it would have to accept the lowest bidder for the project, Rogers said.
Mayor David Pfund said the village entered into discussions with the Chamber of Commerce “years ago” about a possible special improvement district, but because state statute requires that all businesses in the area would have to pay extra taxes to cover the cost, the chamber was uninterested in pursuing that option.
Councilman Pat Mancuso suggested using Hudson Street as a “measure” to find the “least expensive route and the fastest route” to get additional parking in the CBD. He said if the village’s plans for additional parking at Hudson Street are successfully carried out, the council should look to place similar parking structures at other municipal lots around the CBD.
“Add one deck [at Hudson Street], and at least demonstrate to the CBD and the residents that we are moving in that direction,” Mancuso said.
Village Manager Ken Gabbert said there currently are 80 spaces at the Hudson Street lot, and an additional deck would net 70 additional spaces, for a total of 150 spaces.
Councilwoman Anne Zusy said she was in favor of adding a retail component to the project.
“I’m not so sure 150 parking spaces or 70 is going to cut it, given the residents and people who shop in town and also commuters,” Zusy said.
E-mail: sedon@northjersey.com
https://www.northjersey.com/news/86375702_Three_options_considered_for_Ridgewood_parking_lot.html
