Worried about Ridgewood’s future
Regarding “Villagers’ plea: Don’t overbuild” (Page L-1, Feb. 4):
Why do the developers want to build high-density housing in Ridgewood? The answer is that they can make a lot of money, because property values are high.
But why are property values high? It is because people want to live there. Ridgewood has an appealing small-town ambience. And why does it have that ambience?
It is because there is no high-density housing … yet.
The poet Oscar Wilde famously said, “Each man kills the thing he loves.” Except these developers love only the money they hope to make.
As long as theirs is the only such housing, they can still use “Ridgewood exclusivity” as a selling point. But how will the Planning and zoning boards justify saying no to the next high-rise? And the next? Before you know it, Ridgewood would be Fort Lee without the bridge.
By then, why should the initial developers care? Capital has no commitment to anything but itself; it vacuums the value and moves on. Developers get short-term profits and we live with long-term consequences.
Affordable apartments within easy walking distance of downtown and train and bus stations would be a good idea, although I doubt anything built in Ridgewood would be affordable. The Planning Board should leave the master plan as it is, since it already provides for apartments. And the developers should go back to the drawing board, perhaps to produce blueprints that would require only rezoning or minor variances.
A.C. Willment
Excellent letter