“Town Garage” looks to make a comeback
September 5, 2012
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, With the Village facing a “”Park-pocalypse” next week the Village council looks to continue discussions during the councils next work session on the recently proposed “Chamber of Commerce” parking plan for the Central Business District and a new plane for the you guessed it “Town Garage” property.
As previously reported members of the Ridgewood business community presented an elaborate, through expensive multifaceted plan last month that included not one but two parking structures and a new retail space as well as a strategy to fund the entire venture. This plan has become known as the “Chamber of Commerce” parking plan.
Criticism has centered on whether the plan can come in on budget to meet the very aggressive requirements to fund the parking complexes without risk to tax payers. A rosie scenario was presented but given the Villages past inability to meet construction budgets ie, the $2 million Village Hall that became a $9 million fiasco or the $400,000 ‘Golden Toilet” at Vets field that much chronicled on this blog leaves readers with doubts .
Tonight the “Town Garage” project is expected to be resurrected by the owners .Village Council members are expected discuss the plan at length. Past plans for the property have always been based on the socialized taxpayer financing with profits kept in the hands of the few. Taxpayers in Ridgewood up till now have been in no mood to finance someone else’s profits., but with the new regime the jury is still out.
There is also the issue of old fuel tanks , and soil contamination at the site if needed with no one really sure what the Village is on the hook for.
James, can’t we get a topic posted for dicussion that doesn’t have the writer’s opinion already made?
It might be helpful don’t you think?
how about you number1 any chance you could drop the partisan politics ???
All the points made in the post are valid ,, to anyone who can think for themselves , if the proponents can overcome these objections we might get some parking yet . As for me I think the Chamber is beyond clueless so I am like many quite skeptical
Thanks, for your useless comment Eli … surely you will be at the Village meeting tonight. Contributing nothing again.
You #2 are the one who is CLUELESS!!!!!
got to laugh at #3 and #4 your either a vested interest or you haven’t lived in Ridgewood long , you forgot the dopey “no more banks allowed in Ridgewood” or the attempt to ban “steak houses ” .Mean while the CBD continues to lose business after business to other towns and what about the Blend , residents are starting to think the place has been nothing but some kind of tax scam .
the Village of Ridgewood and on Budget Construction is an oxymoron
i think the importance of the parking garage has diminished due to the decline in the downtown buisness. less buisness less parking needed.