>Valley’s requested changes to the Master Plan are already in effect?
In a recent Ridgewood News article Village Attorney Matt Rogers,implied that the Master Plan or the H-zone has been changed. This process the Village Council is going through is not to confirm those changes, but to enact legislation to implement the changes. The Master Plan has been modified. That’s done.
So, what happens if the Village Council chooses either to (1) do nothing at all, or (2) only write ordinance for a portion of the revised Master Plan? Can the next iteration of our Village Council (e.g. after the next election) decide to revisit this and implement the changes ignored by the current Council?
So now we are told that Valley’s requested changes to the Master Plan are already in effect.
If true, this seems inappropriate and anti-democratic. The contents of the Master Plan should not be subject to change without first being approved of by the Village Council. Particularly when the only reason that changes were being entertained at all was that an entity outside of government proposed them and advocated for them. Federal rules or regulations are typically not put through the final approval process unless and until a governmental body decides it is good and ready to do so. No third party has the right to force the government to amend the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR).
Has Valley exploited a loophole? Or did the VC have a vote at some point in the recent past to prompt the planning board to begin the process of amending the Master Plan at Valley’s request?
I’m also curious to know whether those voting ‘no’ on the VC need to come up with their own personal reasons for voting that way, or if those voting ‘no’ have to agree on a common statement (which will then be attacked by Valley). Village Attorney Matt Rogers, do you know the answer to this question?