Village Establishes Official Website for COAH Related Updates and Information

Village Establishes Official Website for COAH Related Updates and Information

The Village has established an official website for updates and information related to COAH activities in Ridgewood.

Documents pertaining to a controversial affordable housing structure, proposed for construction on South Broad Street, are available via separate links on the website.

The website is here:

http://www.ridgewoodnj.net/coah.cfm


It is rumored that Village Council members have elected not to schedule a public information session about the Village's COAH submission. Instead, residents may use the website to submit questions and comments about the plan. It appears that Blias L. Brancheau, the Village's Planner, will be responsible for responding to all questions and comments.

Sandra Stotsky Speaks with Village Resident

I had the privilege of speaking with Dr. Sandra Stotsky this morning. She has indeed offered her services to the district and has offered them pro bono requesting that only her traveling expenses be covered. She has not however received an invitation from our district to participate in the process to unify our K-5 math program. Dr. Stotsky has not withdrawn her offer and reiterated to me that she would be pleased to serve in this capacity if asked.

According to Sheila Brogan, the district has budgeted $20,000 to facilitate this process. The modest amount required to bring Dr. Stotsky to Ridgewood should be available. Daro was paid $2500 plus traveling expenses from California and Schultz is receiving $200 per work session for approximately 10 work sessions. Posamentier and Rosenstein are going to make only a token 30 minute visit to the math planning team without compensation.

It is not too late for our administrators to bring someone of Dr. Stotsky's caliber to help ensure the very best outcome for our children.

Sarah-Kate Maskin

"SUPPORT OUR TROOPS THIS HOLIDAY SEASON"

Christian Russo has left a new comment on your post "SUPPORT OUR TROOPS THIS HOLIDAY SEASON":

On behalf of my colleagues at Pitney Bowes (http://www.pb.com) and the American Red Cross, thank you for all of your support in helping to spread the word about the “Holiday Mail for Heroes” program.

We would like you to know that we’ve not only reached the goal of delivering one million cards to US service members, veterans and military families, but we surpassed it! And it’s all because people like you and your blog readers who got involved. View the following video for more details and a personal message of thanks from all of us: http://blip.tv/file/1643672/.

We could not have done it without you.

Congratulations! John LiPuma Appointed As Police Chief

THE RECORD
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
By Evonne Coutros

RIDGEWOOD — After serving six months as acting police chief, John LiPuma has been named to the top post of the 43-member Police Department.

LiPuma, 48, a resident of Midland Park, will be sworn in as police chief at a Village Hall ceremony at 8 p.m., Jan. 14 and brings 23 years of experience to the job, Village Manager James Ten Hoeve said.

"I'm assessing the needs of the police department," LiPuma said Tuesday, just days after the appointment became official.

LiPuma, a 1978 graduate of Ridgewood High School and a 1983 graduate of John Jay College of Criminal Justice, will be paid $158,295, the same salary as William Corcoran, who retired from the post after 27 years.

One priority is to develop team goals and objectives which will be established with the involvement of the entire police management group, LiPuma and Ten Hoeve said.

Another is to improve the Ridgewood Police Department Web site to make public information readily available, LiPuma and Ten Hoeve said.
"John LiPuma has the respect of the entire Police Department and is a highly functioning team builder and a proactive proponent of working with the council and the public," Ten Hoeve said.

Close Encounters Of The Jersey Kind?

http://wcbstv.com/local/strange.lights.ufo.2.901376.html

Cops, Residents Puzzled By Bizarre Lights Over Morris Co.; Flares? Balloons? Pilot Tells CBS 2 HD He's Baffled


MORRISTOWN, N.J. (CBS) ―
Click to enlarge
Strange lights were seen hovering over Morris County in New Jersey on Jan. 5, 2009.
CBS

Was it a UFO or is there an explanation for it?

Strange, red, blinking lights could be seen across Morris County on Monday night, and officials thought they had figured out what caused them.

Now, they're not so sure.

Between 8:30 and 9 p.m., the Hurley family in Whippany captured images of a bizarre object in the sky and contacted WCBSTV.com.

"It was unsettling for sure," said Cindy Hurley. "It was something you've never seen before, and a very strange pattern."

Eleven-year-old Kristin was the first to spot them, a group of three lights together, and two lights together, seen in the horizon through the trees. "I looked up outside. I was really scared and saw five red lights," she said.

The family all went out onto their deck to look at the strange sight. Paul Hurley, a pilot who works at Morristown Airport, said they weren't planes.

"I've been in aviation for 20 years and never seen anything like it," he told CBS 2.

Paul was one of several people who e-mailed WCBSTV.com after witnessing the lights.

"Red lights in the sky over the Morristown-Morris Township area, 5 red lights in a weird pattern over the area," one viewer wrote.

"The formation of 5 lights were first noticed over Cedar Knolls and then as they approached the Madison/Morris Township border the rear half of the formation slowly faded and appeared to drop from the sky and then the front part of the formation went out one by one," wrote another.

At 8:28, the Hanover Township police received the first of seven 911 calls.

"It looks like flares attached to balloons," said a caller.

Paul Hurley, who called the Morristown Airport control tower, says the lights had also been spotted from there, and they caused no interference with flight operations. Between those officials and the Morristown Police, the best guess as to what the lights were: nothing more than a prank, roadside flares attached to helium balloons. Yet, they left rather quickly.

"It like, it took off, very strange," said Paul.

There's been no report of any recovered, and police don't know who released them.

The Federal Aviation Administration tells CBS 2 news, with the exception of laser lights and weather balloons, there is no regulation on releasing balloons or lights into the sky.

Village Hall Courtroom Closed Indefinitely Due to Safety Concerns

Sources in Ridgewood's Building Department

telephoned The Fly late this afternoon to report that the Sydney V. Stoldt, Jr. Courtroom in Village Hall has been closed to public access indefinitely due to a life threatening safety hazard. No further details are available at this time.

Watch for postings on the doors to Village Hall for advisories related to alternate meeting locations. Upcoming meetings likely to be affected include tonight's Planning Board meeting, tomorrow night's Village Council Workshop, and Thursday evening's Municipal Court session.

Lonegan for Governor Meeting Tonight

BERGEN COUNTY CAMPAIGN MEETING TONIGHT

If you live in Bergen County (or nearby), you’ve probably received a notice about our Bergen County Campaign Organizational Meeting at 7 pm tonight (Tuesday, January 6) at the Paramus Elks, 200 Route 17 North. There will be discussions on strategy and logistics, fundraising, petitioning and grass-roots activity. I will be available to answer questions about the campaign and my vision for our state’s future. I know the weather is expected to be rough but if you aren’t giving up on New Jersey, please make the effort to join me tonight in Paramus.

Steve Lonegan
Republican for Governor

Route 17 & Paramus Road – What to build? – A hotel?

Here’s an aerial view of the vacant property on Paramus Road where the Baker Group wants to build a much debated multi-family housing complex.

This property has been the subject of past controversy with regard to zoning.

A self-storage facility was proposed and rejected, and Ridgewood resident Ned Cancellmo’s plan to move Brogan Cadillac to the location was met by blank stares and frowns from the previous Village Council. State DOT officials also talked about moving a salt shed to the property; this too was deemed as being “not appropriate.”

Now it is rumored that, in all likelihood, Zoning Board of Adjustment members will reject the Baker Group’s multi-family housing proposal.

So what do Village officials have in mind for this property? Certainly, they don’t expect anyone would build luxury housing there, do they? What then?

Rumors have circulated for several years now about a group of local investors wanting to build a hotel in Ridgewood. Now that the Schedler property is targeted for preservation as open space, could this be only remaining vacant site where construction of a hotel could be possible?

Please read this condensed biography of Albert J. Pucciarelli, Vice Chairman of Ridgewood’s Planning Board, and let The Fly know what you think about the possibility of a hotel being in Ridgewood’s future.

Albert J. Pucciarelli

Partner

McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney, and Carpenter, LLP Attorneys

Ridgewood, NJ

Chair of the Hotels and Resorts Practice Group

ALBERT J. PUCCIARELLI is admitted to practice law in both New York and New Jersey. His practice is concentrated in the areas of hotel and resort development and hotel operations, aviation law, general corporate law and real estate law. In 1999, he co-founded the law firm of Hooker Pucciarelli & Tibbs, L.L.P. in which he was a partner until joining McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter, LLP in 2005 as Chair of the firm's Hotels and Resorts Practice Group. From 1988 through 1998, he was Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Inter-Continental Hotels & Resorts with over 200 hotels in 70 countries. He served on the Board of Directors of Inter-Continental, was chair of the company's Life Safety and Security Committee and a member of the Development Committee and the Pension and Benefits Committee. Prior to joining Inter-Continental, Mr. Pucciarelli served as Vice President and Counsel to Grand Metropolitan (U.S.) and its publicly owned (NYSE) predecessor, Liggett Group, Inc. He has served as Chair of the Hotels, Restaurants and Tourism Committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York (2001-2004) and as Chair of the Aeronautics Law Committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York (1998-2001). He has served as a member of the Hospitality Law Council of the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel & Restaurant Management, University of Houston (2003-2004), and is a member of the Hotel Industry Liaison Committee of the ABA Committee on Hotels, Resorts and Tourism. He has taught International Business Law as an adjunct professor at the Fordham University Graduate School of Business, and was member of that school's Advisory Board (1996-2004).

Mr. Pucciarelli is fluent in Russian. He is an instrument-rated commercial pilot, an FAA certified advanced ground instructor and an aircraft owner. He serves his local community as Vice Chairman of the Ridgewood, New Jersey, Planning Board and is a Director of the Board of the Ridgewood Public Library Foundation. Until 1998, he was Vice Chairman of the Ridgewood, New Jersey, Zoning Board of Adjustment on which he served for ten years.

Mr. Pucciarelli's clients include the owners and developers of Marriott, Courtyard, Ritz-Carlton, Fairmont, Mandarin Oriental, Hyatt, St. Regis and Westin mixed-use hotel and resort projects, hotel management companies and owners, several closely held companies in a variety of businesses, including hotels and restaurants, the second largest dealer of Cessna aircraft in the U.S. and purchasers and sellers of general aviation aircraft.

Mr. Pucciarelli is nationally recognized for his expertise in hotel management agreements and hotel and resort development. He has recently published "Be Smart When You Negotiate" that appeared in the June 2008 edition of Lodging Hospitality, "Hotel Owner’s Budget Approval Rights in Hotel Management Agreements” in the October 2007 edition of Hospitality Lawyer Newsletter, “Smoothing the Legal Path to Development” that appeared in the April 2007 edition of Lodging Hospitality, a two-part article, "Structure of Mixed-Use Hotel Residential Resort Projects" for HospitalityLawyer.com (March, 2006), "Selling and Buying an Existing Hotel - Structure of an Asset Transaction" for Hospitality E-Newsletter (July, 2006) that he co-authored with Eunice Moon, "Recording Hotel Management Agreements - Why?" that he authored for the 16th Annual Real Property Symposium of the Real Property, Probate and Trusts Law Section of the American Bar Association in April, 2005, and "Hotel Mixed-Use Development Projects" that he co-authored for the 2004 Hospitality Law Conference sponsored by the University of Houston School of Law in February 2004. He participated in two panel discussions at the 2006 Phoenix Lodging Conference on hotel and resort development and led a panel discussion at the 2007 Hospitality Law Conference in Houston on the subject of hotel general counsel’s selection and utilization of outside counsel and will speak at that conference in 2009 on the subject of Incentive Fees in Hotel Management Agreements.

... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO NOON EST WEDNESDAY...

... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO NOON EST WEDNESDAY...

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO NOON EST WEDNESDAY.

SNOW IS EXPECTED TO ARRIVE BY THIS EVENING ACROSS NORTHEAST NEW JERSEY... AND DURING THIS EVENING ACROSS NORTHEAST CONNECTICUT. AS WARMER AIR MOVES IN ALOFT... PRECIPITATION SHOULD MIX WITH AND CHANGE TO SLEET BY MIDNIGHT... THEN CHANGE OVER TO FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET OVERNIGHT. THE FREEZING RAIN... POSSIBLY MIXED WITH SLEET... SHOULD CONTINUE INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING... THEN GRADUALLY CHANGE TO PLAIN RAIN BY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AS WARMER SURFACE AIR BEGINS TO MOVE IN FROM THE EAST. THE PRECIPITATION WILL THEN CHANGE TO ALL SNOW BEFORE ENDING WEDNESDAY EVENING.

TOTAL SNOW AND SLEET ACCUMULATION OF 1 TO 2 INCHES IS EXPECTED TONIGHT... FOLLOWED BY A TENTH TO ONE QUARTER OF AN INCH OF ICE ACCUMULATION FROM LATE TONIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING. UP TO AN ADDITIONAL INCH OF SNOW AND SLEET ACCUMULATION IS POSSIBLE WEDNESDAY EVENING BEFORE THE PRECIPITATION COMES TO AN END.

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY MEANS THAT PERIODS OF SNOW... SLEET... OR FREEZING RAIN WILL CAUSE TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR SLIPPERY ROADS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES... AND USE CAUTION WHILE DRIVING.

More Information
... WINTRY WEATHER ON THE WAY FROM TONIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY EVENING...

.LOW PRESSURE TAKING SHAPE OVER THE TENNESSEE RIVER VALLEY TODAY WILL HEAD NORTHEAST ALONG THE SPINE OF THE APPALACHIANS INTO WEDNESDAY... WHILE ITS LEADING WARM FRONT LIFTS NORTH TO THE MID ATLANTIC COAST. A SECONDARY LOW IS EXPECTED TO FORM ALONG THE WARM FRONT ALONG THE MID ATLANTIC COAST... AND THEN PASS JUST SOUTHEAST OF LONG ISLAND BY WEDNESDAY EVENING. THIS COMBINATION OF SYSTEMS WILL BRING WINTRY WEATHER TO THE AREA FROM TONIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY EVENING.

What is a “Builder’s Remedy Lawsuit?” – Why worry in Ridgewood?

A “Builder’s Remedy Lawsuit” is simply legal action taken by a property developer in an attempt to force a municipality to permit construction of a large, multi-family housing structure or complex.

Typically, the developer’s court brief will make specific mention of the Mt. Laurel decision, a landmark case that holds municipalities responsible for providing affordable housing to low and moderate income households.

Many local officials believe that “Builder’s Remedy Lawsuits” are used by developers to force the construction of unneeded housing under the guise of providing affordable housing for those that need it most, when in reality they are only interested in building large quantities of market rate homes for profit.

By filing an affordable housing plan with the Council on Affordable Housing (COAH), the State of NJ office responsible for determining affordable housing requirements, municipalities can protect themselves against “Builder's Remedy Lawsuits.”

In Ridgewood, there is currently only one pending zoning application associated with the proposed construction of a large, multi-family housing structure/complex; submitted by the Baker Group, for property located on Paramus Road, just north of Linwood Avenue.

It is being speculated that Zoning Board of Adjustment members will reject the Baker Group’s application, primarily due to heavy opposition being voiced by members of the Salem Ridge Homeowners’ Association.

Despite the absence of COAH designated affordable housing units in the Baker Group’s original plan, rejection of their application could trigger a counter proposal from Baker, that includes affordable housing units (more units in total), and a subsequent “Builder’s Remedy Lawsuit” against the Village if the revised plan were rejected.

Additionally, Village officials are still fearful that a developer might snatch up the Schedler property, and subsequently apply for permission to construct a large number of housing units there (and file a “Builder’s Remedy Lawsuit” if such permission is denied). This is why Village Council members have targeted the purchase of Schedler for open space use.

It would seem the only place Planning Board and Village Council members seem willing to accept the construction of new, multi-family housing is on South Broad Street.

And since there has been absolutely no open public discussion about this topic, The Fly is at a total loss to explain why affordable housing is fine for South Broad Street, but bad for every other neighborhood in which it was even suggested as being a possibility.

What’s your best guess?

I enjoyed our conversation today with regard to COAH

Dear John Q Public:

I enjoyed our conversation today with regard to COAH. The following is a link to the New Jersey Legislature website: http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/. You can see that Assemblyan Rumama has sponsored many bills on COAH to combat the new regulations.

Also, on that page you can locate the other members of the Assembly and State Senate and then review the towns in their districts to identify where your family and friends reside. Please contact them to pass along information that you learned at our meeting and then request that they contact the Assemblyman and Senator from their district to demand that they change the affordable housing policy.

In addition I also want to advise you of some of the current developments relative to COAH. On November 17 the Office of Legislative Services, which is a nonpartisan office within the state government prepared an analysis which stated that the implementation of these new regulations throughout the state will leave a deficit of over 2 billion dollars of annual resources for fair share housing obligations.

Furthermore, on November 24th the League of Municipalities wrote to Governor Corzine requesting a six month reprieve to extend the current December 31 deadline by a period of six months. This request was not granted so municipalities were required to file their plan with the state by December 31, 2008.

Our office will continue to keep you up to date of any other developments as they transpire. Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any questions or comments regarding the above.

Thank you for your kind attention to this matter.

Very truly yours,

Scott T. Rumana

Assemblyman 40th district
Bergen-Passaic-Essex
(973) 237-1362
Email: AsmRumana@njleg.org



Ann Mary O'Rourke
Chief of Staff
Assemblyman Scott T. Rumana
Bergen-Passaic-Essex
Telephone: (973) 237-1362
Facsimile: (973) 237-1367

Planning Board Meeting – Tuesday night, 7:30 PM at Village Hall

The folks who conceived Ridgewood’s latest travesty - a proposed 400 foot long, 50 foot high, brick/concrete/steel structure, possibly with minimal setback from it’s proposed South Broad Street location, containing 30,000 square feet of retail space and 88 housing units – will meet beginning at 7:30 PM on Tuesday, January 6 in the Sydney V. Stoldt, Jr. Courtroom at Village Hall, Floor 4, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood.

Show your support for the South Broad Street area, and for the Orchard School community, by coming down to Village Hall on Tuesday night and saying hello to your neighbors listed below, who conspired as a group in several Executive (closed/private) Sessions to devastate one of Ridgewood’s most historically significant and culturally diverse neighborhoods:

Planning Board Members:

David Nicholson - Chairman
Albert Pucciarelli - Vice Chairman
David Pfund - Mayor
Ann Zusy - Councilwoman
Morgan Hurley
James Bombace
Anne Ward
Nick Tsapatsaris
Charles Nalbantian
Richard Barclay - Alternate Member
Thomas Riche - Alternate Member

Local Democrats Oppose Unfolding COAH Nightmare

January 5, 2009 Contact: John Gorman / (609) 292-5199

Senator Kevin J. O'Toole (R-40) Local Democrats Oppose Unfolding COAH NightmareTrenton

Democrat Leadership Silent as Chorus of Opposition Grows

Senator Kevin O’Toole (R-Bergen) called upon Trenton Democrats to reverse course and abandon their new subsidized housing law as the groups of officials calling for a change in policy has grown to include local Bergen County Democratic officials.

“Republicans have been saying for months that the new Democrat subsidized housing law would wreak economic disaster in our State,” said O’Toole. “Now local Bergen County Democrats are using terms like ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and ‘disaster’ to describe the impact of the COAH housing law that was rushed through the Legislature with little debate or deliberation. If the Trenton Democrats cannot listen to Republicans and work to repair the debacle they have created, maybe they should listen to the members of their own party who are ridiculing this incoherent and unworkable law.”

Media reports have indicated that the elimination of “regional contribution agreements” in the Council on Affordable Housing law has placed a home-improvement program that has helped 98 individuals and families in Garfield since 2004 in jeopardy.

“The Trenton Democrats must finally come to grips with the fact that members of their own party have concluded that the COAH law is now hurting the very middle class communities that it purports to help,” said O’Toole. “When a former member of the Assembly Democratic caucus calls the law a ‘disaster, ‘ you would think that somebody in the present legislative leadership would take notice.”

Under the newly adopted COAH law, municipalities such as Wallington would need to create 147 new affordable housing units, Woodridge 171 and Fort Lee 569.

“To use the words of one of my Democratic colleagues, the COAH law is pushing New Jersey into an ‘economic abyss’ at the worst possible time. Reasonable Democrats must tell their leadership to come to the table and work with Republicans to scrap this disastrous law before even more damage is done.”

Link to Post:

http://www.senatenj.com/index.php/otoole/local-democrats-oppose-unfolding-coah-nightmare/1953

Restaurant Month in Ridgewood

From January 5 to February 5, the Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring Restaurant Month in Ridgewood, each Monday through Thursday. Enjoy eating out in Ridgewood .

we would like to hear your thoughts and feed back ......


http://www.ridgewoodchamber.com/downloads/RestaurantMonth2009.pdf

Ridgewood School District Turns Down Pro Bono Services of Eminent National Mathematics Advisory Panel Member

Dr. Sandra Stotsky, a member of the President's National Math Panel who had learned of Ridgewood's internal math divisions, offered to make her extraordinary expertise available to Ridgewood's administrators seeking to align the district's K-5 math curriculum for students. Stotsky, if invited, would have joined the process already underway to learn from various experts in the education and mathematics fields. A quick read of Dr. Stotsky's background brands her as a stellar light in the mathematics field, with tremendous national and international recognition. An accomplished mathematician, consultant, author and speaker, Stotsky advised Massachusetts, which was one of only two U.S. states to receive top scores in the international TIMMS tests, scores that rank them near the Asian countries that lead the TIMMS every year. None of the experts selected by Ridgewood for math guidance compares to her background, experience and achievements. Instead, Ridgewood's top administrators prefer to hear from its unbalanced and patently reformist math panel of Philip Daro, Nancy Schultz, Alfred Posamentier, and Joseph Rosenstein. So with two years into our local math wars, and no solution in sight, why would Regina Botsford and Daniel Fishbein pass up such an offer? It's anyone's guess.

Sandra Stotsky - Harvard Graduate School of Education
Research Scholar in the School of Education at Northeastern University
Senior Associate Commissioner at the Massachusetts Department of Education
Research Associate at the Harvard Graduate School of Education
Consultant, United States Information Service and the U.S. State Department (developed civic education programs in Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine, and Romania)
Chair, Sadlier-Oxford Mathematics Advisory Board
Member, Advisory Board for the Advanced Math and Science Academy Charter School, Marlborough, Massachusetts
Member, ERIC Steering Committee for the U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences
Member, Steering Committee for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading assessment framework for 2009.
Editor, What's at Stake in the K-12 Standards Wars: A Primer for Educational Policy Makers (Peter Lang, 2000)
Author, Losing Our Language (Free Press, 1999, reprinted by Encounter Books, 2002)
Her publications address "School-related influences on grade 8 mathematics performance in Massachusetts"(Third Education Group Review, 2005) and Progress in Mathematics Research Base (a 2005 review of mathematics education research and related reading research, for W.H. Sadlier, Inc.).
Teacher, elementary school, French and German at the high school level, and undergraduate and graduate courses in reading, children's literature, and writing pedagogy.

Panel suggests N.J. consider driving privileges for undocumented immigrants

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/01/report_nj_may_consider_driving.html


A panel advising Gov. Jon Corzine on immigrant issues is considering recommending the state allow undocumented immigrants "driver privilege cards" and in-state college tuition rates.

Two Hispanic leaders told the Record that the state's public advocate, Ron Chen, told them the measures would be included in a panel's report to Corzine.

But a spokeswoman for Chen told the newspaper that it hasn't been decided what would be included in the report.

The "driver privilege cards" and in-state tuition would need legislative approval before becoming law. Groups that support tighter immigration control have said they'd oppose the measures.

Corzine assembled a panel on immigrant rights with the idea of passing comprehensive immigration reform.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/01/report_nj_may_consider_driving.html

COAH : height of hubris and offensive

Even if the VC was hoping to get "offset" agreements with other towns, they should have had a well thought out “Plan B.”

As for having state politicians mandate that a community make it affordable for a designated, less affluent, socio-economic population to live amongst it, is the height of hubris and offensive.

I want to live in Tuxedo Park. Do you think they’ll be building “affordable” housing for me to live there any time soon? Affordable; being relative to the price of homes in Ridgewood versus Tuxedo Park.

This is another example of liberal social engineering at its worst. Are we to believe that there aren't enough homes in communities that would be more compatible with the socio-economic circumstances of the people the state proposes to help?

This kind of social engineering defies capitalism and destroys the incentive for people to get ahead. People work hard to save enough money to buy a home in communities like Ridgewood. Often their first homes were in far less affluent communities. Having succeeded in life to the extent that they can now afford to live in Ridgewood, why should they be asked to subsidize others to do the same?

What’s next, shall the government mandate that a certain number of luxury cars be subsidized by those who purchase them at full price for those who couldn’t otherwise afford them?

Heck, I think I’ll just stop working and go live in one of those “affordable” housing units we’re building. Think of the taxes I’ll save while enjoying all the amenities the village has to offer. Maybe by the time these apartments are built they’ll give me a new Cadillac to go along with it.

Reader thinks COAH discussion here would be far more intelligent and productive if you were more informed

You are correct. These are people we are talking about. That is why the Village must consider all of the variables that allows Ridgewood to best serve the needs of these individuals. This includes easy access to a variety of public transportation, food markets, dining, entertainment, etc. both COAH residents and non-COAH residents (who will occupy most of the units). Although those looking for a suburban single family home, may not choose Broad Street as a location, for those with limited housing budgets and/or the need for an apartment/condo (as opposed to a larger home and all the expense that comes with a house/property), a tastefully developed property at Broad Street may be ideal. The potential residents could include young professionals (commuting into NYC), single parents, elderly residents and families, who cannot afford a traditional single family home, to name just a few possibilities.

It is also the responsibility of the Village Council and others to act in a fiscally responsible manner on behalf of all residents and evaluate the cost to taxpayers to develop the proposed property and provide long-term municipal services. Thus, it is REQUIRED that they an we consider what makes "economic and logistical sense" for the Village. To that end, while it sounds appealing to "spread the projects around town", this is not a realistic possibility.

First, there must be a sufficient number of available sites with willing sellers at reasonable prices that are large enough and can be zoned for multi-family units.

Secondly, COAH units are not profitable for a developer. Thus, the project must also include market rate units. By breaking the required number of units into smaller projects spread throughout town, the smaller individual projects may not be economical for a developer. If a single developer could build ALL the properties, it MAY become more economical. However, it would never be as profitable for the developer as a single larger location. At the end of the day, a developer has to be willing to build to units. This is a business decision for the developer, not you or the Village Council. The risks are that no developer wants to build the individual units or that the it becomes cost prohibitive to do so for the developer(s) or that the Village must "give too much" to attract developers to build multiple smaller projects.

Thirdly, there is a deadline imposed by the state. Developing multiple properties throughout town would take years to locate, acquire, re-zone and build, at a far greater expense than a single development on a suitably large and zoned property that is available today. This assumes that surrounding residents in these multiple neighborhoods around town don't protest a development next door and drag the process out for even longer (a virtual certainty). While the idea of multiple smaller projects sounds quaint and appealing, this is not a realistic option.

BTW, I am not a member of the Village Council or the Planning or Zoning Boards. I am simply a resident, who has a reasonable understanding of many of the issues and has spent a little time thinking through the alternatives. If you and others spent a little more time gaining a better understanding of the facts and thinking about all sides of an issue before posting on this blog, the discussions here would be far more intelligent and productive.

Malee Thai Restaurant

Malee Thai Restaurant

Thai Food

2 E Ridgewood Ave
Ridgewood, NJ 07450
(201) 612-7797

We have always liked the place and have noticed many of you share our views:

these are from a site called http://www.yelp.com/biz/malee-thai-restaurant-ridgewood

This is my absolute favorite in Ridgewood. The food is fantastic. This is a family owned and operated restaurant and everyone is so friendly. We have been coming to this restaurant for over 4 years about 3-4 times a month! We know the menu by heart and have never been dissapointed. Start with the delicious Chicken Sate and some Kanom Jeep (dumplings). Then some of my favorites are Pad Thai, Kai Med Ma Moung , all three of the Curry dishes - Massamum, Panang and the Red Curry with Chicken. The Duck dishes are great as well. I highly recommend this restaurant. It is also family friendly. BYO.

and another.......

By far my most favorite restaurant in Ridgewood. This small quaint place is home for me. Excellent service, excellent Thai food. They prepare the food as hot or not as you desire. Their specials always exceed my expectations. I usually start with the papaya salad that just jumps in your mouth! If you like whole fish, theirs is outstanding in a lime Thai sauce that cannot be beat. And if you are the adventurous type, try their devil meat! It is simply divine! This little place is hopping especially during summer since they have outdoor seating!

http://www.yelp.com/biz/malee-thai-restaurant-ridgewood

let us know if you have another favorite spot.... email : onlyonesmallvoice@gmail.com

Man about town....

Laird Hamilton

Wednesday, January 7th - 7:00pm
World renown Surfer, Laird Hamilton will sign his new book: Force Of Nature, Mind, Body, Soul and of course, Surfing! Come meet the man whom Lesley Stahl claimed... "is to his Sport what Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan and Lance Armstrong are to theirs"!

Ridgewood Schools

Schools Re-open
December Recess is December 24 - January 2. Schools will re-open on Monday, January 5, 2009.

Friends of Music Scholarship Benefit Happens January 9
Friends in the Business is the popular musical review put on each year by John Lange and Ridgewood Friends of Music. This year, nationally-acclaimed musicians from Broadway, jazz and opera will come together on Friday, January 9, at George Washington Middle School at 8 p.m. The artists will donate their talents to raise money for scholarships for Ridgewood music students. Tickets are on sale at Town & Country Apothecary, or by mail at "Friends in the Business" Concert, 197 Lincoln Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ 07450. Prices are $20 for adults, $15 for students and seniors. Make checks payable to "Ridgewood Friends of Music."

Fourth Annual RHS Alumni Art Show Opens
The Ridgewood High School Department of Art and Design is holding its annual Alumni Art Show in the RHS Carroll Art Gallery, Room 135, through January 9, 2009. A public reception will be held for the artists on Tuesday, January 6, 2009, from 3-5 p.m. The gallery will be open during school hours for the duration of the show.

January Board of Education Meetings
The Ridgewood Board of Education will hold regular public meetings on January 12 and 26, 2009. The Board meets on Floor 3 of the Ed Center, 49 Cottage Place, at 7:30 p.m.

Coming Soon: RAHP Info Sessions Information sessions for Ridgewood Academy Health Professions (RAHP) will be held in the RHS Campus Center on Saturday, January 10, from 9:30-11 a.m. and Wednesday, January 14, from 7-9 p.m. Current RHS freshmen and their parents/guardians are invited to attend. For more information contact Lucy Fern, RAHP coordinator, at lfern@ridgewood.k12.nj.us. Martin Luther King Day The Ridgewood Public Schools will be closed on Monday, January 19, 2009, in observance of Martin Luther King Day. January Board of Education Meetings The Ridgewood Board of Education will hold regular public meetings on January 12 and 26, 2009. The Board meets on Floor 3 of the Ed Center, 49 Cottage Place, at 7:30 p.m.

Village Council Meetings for January

01/06/09 7:30PM Planning Board Public Meeting

01/07/09 7:30PM Village Council Work Session

01/12/09 7:30PM Planning Board - Special Public Meeting

01/13/09 8:00PM Board of Adjustment Public Meeting

01/14/09 8:00PM Village Council Public Meeting

Attempted Home Invasion in Ridgewood

On Friday evening at approximately 5:45 PM, a person or persons unknown attempted to kick down the front door of an occupied home in the 200 block of Sollas Court. Fortunately, entry was not gained and the home's occupants were not injured.

Police units from the municipalities of Ridgewood, HoHoKus, Paramus, and the Bergen County Police flooded the immediate area in response to a 911 telephone call, but were unable to locate the person or persons responsible.

Recently, there have been local newspaper reports of a burglary team operating in the Northwest Bergen area whose preferred method of entry is kicking down front doors.

The Fly urges Ridgewood residents to dead bolt their front doors even when at home.

New Jersey Is the Perfect Bad Example

Obama should look here to see what high taxes do.

http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB123059756486341161-lMyQjAxMDI5MzAwMjUwOTI3Wj.html


Madison, N.J.

When Barack Obama makes his New Year's resolutions, at the top of his list ought to be the following: "I will not allow America to become New Jersey."

Think of it as our gift to the nation. Other states offer promising experiments in areas such as Medicaid, taxes, education and regulatory reform. In contrast, the People's Republic of New Jersey offers America something truly unique: the perfect bad example.

As harmful as this has been for our own prosperity, our example could be invaluable for President-elect Obama. That's especially true given that his team appears to be considering some of the same things that have long been popular in Trenton. For years, the solons in our state capital have operated on the assumption that you can have high taxes everywhere -- on income, on property, on business -- without suffering any consequences.

Well, Gov. Jon Corzine is now dealing with those consequences, and his budgets show it. Earlier this year, he pushed through a budget that was one of the few in New Jersey history to be less than the one that preceded it. With revenues now running $1.2 billion short of what was expected, the next budget will undoubtedly be tougher still.
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Not all of Mr. Corzine's choices have been good ones. In fairness, however, he is dealing with huge problems that have been years in the making. In some ways, we are a mini-California. That is to say, where New Jersey was once a national leader in terms of economic growth and job creation, more recently we have become a national laggard.

It seems not to have dented the consciousness of our political class that New Jersey's dismal economic performance might be linked to the state's tax policy. According to the nonpartisan Tax Foundation, New Jersey is home to the most hostile tax environment for business in the nation. We also bear the nation's highest burden of state and local taxes. And on the list of the 10 counties with the highest median property tax, we claim seven of them.

During the last recession, we began to feel the full weight of these burdens. Other states responded by cutting back on spending and getting their houses in order. Not New Jersey. Then-Gov. Jim McGreevey added to the burden by borrowing and spending and raising the corporate tax -- including the imposition of an alternative minimum tax on business. And we've been paying for these bad choices ever since.

Mr. Obama might pay special attention to what these measures have meant for jobs, especially given his expressed concern for the struggling middle class. Though the state did ultimately emerge from recession in 2003, private-sector job creation since then has been a pale shadow of what we enjoyed after the recessions of the 1980s and 1990s.

Of course, there was one area where jobs did grow. From 2000 to 2007, says the New Jersey Business & Industry Association, the government added 54,800 jobs. To put that in proper perspective, that works out to 93% of all jobs created in New Jersey over those seven years.
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So how do we respond to these new hard times? Beginning New Year's Day, New Jersey workers will see even more money taken from their paychecks. The money will support a new mandate offering six weeks of paid family leave to almost all New Jersey employees -- right on down to those working in very small operations. In itself, the family-leave tax will not be the ruin of the state economy. But the imposition of yet another new tax at this moment bespeaks a lack of seriousness about what both New Jersey workers and businesses can afford.

For the moment, Mr. Corzine, like Mr. Obama, is putting his faith in public-works spending. Indeed, he has even called on the president-elect to expand his own plans for an infrastructure stimulus to $1 trillion. And it would be hard to deny that our tired infrastructure could use some attention.

But amid all the debate over jump-starting the economy through public works, we risk losing sight of a larger truth: What governors and citizens alike need most is a growing economy that is creating jobs for the people and sending revenue to the capital. Over the long run, the only way to have a healthy and growing economy is to do exactly what New Jersey has not: Trust the people with their own money, and create an environment where initiative and enterprise are rewarded rather than penalized.

Absent a thorough-going revolution in Trenton, New Jersey may be lost for some time to come. But if Mr. Obama can learn from our bad example and do the opposite, New Jersey's loss might yet be America's gain.

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Toxic-items disposal offered by counties

Toxic-items disposal offered by counties

Friday, January 2, 2009
Last updated: Friday January 2, 2009, 7:46 AM
BY SCOTT FALLON
NorthJersey.com
STAFF WRITER

Some things don't belong in an ordinary trash can, like computer chips, motor oil or paint thinner.

To help you get rid of some of the more toxic household items, recycling coordinators in Bergen and Passaic counties have set up a 2009 schedule for free disposal.

Computers and electronics: Computers contain heavy metals like lead and arsenic that can be harmful if released into the air through incineration or leaked from a landfill.

Motherboards, monitors, laptops, printers, keyboards, fax machines, hard drives, modems, speakers, wiring and other electronics will be accepted during several dates this year in Bergen and Passaic.

Passaic County officials expect to receive more than the 35 tons collected last year. The bulk of the increase, they say, will come from televisions that can't receive a digital signal.

The federal government is requiring a switch to all digital transmissions in February, meaning some older televisions will require converter boxes.

In Bergen

* April 26, and Aug. 22 at the Bergen County Community Services Building at 327 E. Ridgewood Ave. in Paramus.

* June 13 and Nov. 7 at Campgaw Mountain Reservation at 200 Campgaw Road in Mahwah. Proof of residency is required at both locations. Residential disposal only.

In Passaic

* May 8 and 9 and Sept. 25 and 26 at the Passaic County Para-Transit facility, 1310 Route 23 north in Wayne. Businesses can schedule an appointment for either May 8 or Sept. 25.

Household chemicals: Head down to your basement or out to the garage and chances are you'll find a dusty bin of batteries, paint remover or insecticide. While they may no longer serve their purpose, the toxicity in these items still remains.

"We'll take just about anything: solvents, herbicides, oil-based paints, propane tanks, antifreeze, used motor oil, fire extinguishers, you name it," said Nina Seiden, Passaic County's solid water and recycling administrator.

About the only items Bergen and Passaic officials won't accept are explosives, medical waste and radioactive material.

In Bergen

* April 5, June 28 and Oct. 4 at Bergen Community College, 400 Paramus Road in Paramus.

* March 14 and July 18 at the Bergen County Utilities Authority, Empire Boulevard in Moonachie.

* May 16, Sept. 12 and Nov. 21 at Campgaw Mountain Reservation in Mahwah.

In Passaic

* April 25 and Oct. 10 at the Passaic County-Para Transit Facility in Wayne and June 6 at the West Milford Recycling Center at 30 Lycosky Drive.

Tires: If not properly disposed of, tires can become a fire hazard, a source of air pollution or a perfect incubator for mosquito larvae.

In Bergen

* April 26, and Aug. 22 at the Bergen County Community Services Building in Paramus.

* June 13 and Nov. 7 at Campgaw Mountain Reservation in Mahwah.

Proof of residency is required at both locations. Tires can be with or without rims. There is a four-tire limit per person.

Passaic County does not have a tire disposal program for 2009.

South Broad Street was chosen for COAH housing because . . .

As evidenced by recent postings on this Blog and others, spin doctors with close ties to Planning Board and Village Council members are working hard now to sell South Broad Street as the only "practical/reasonable" location for affordable housing in Ridgewood.

Thus far, we've heard the following rationales:

1) South Broad Street's proximity to public transportation - Isn't the property on Paramus Road where The Baker Organization wants to construct cluster housing within walking distance of several bus stops along Route 17 (including the Park & Ride) and Linwood Avenue?

2) South Broad Street's proximity to shopping - Again, isn't the Paramus Road site within walking distance of K-Mart, Stop & Shop, and other stores on Route 17 in Paramus?

3) The availability of a large parcel, a willing property owner, and interested developer on South Broad Street - Ditto for the Paramus Road location, correct?

It is being widely rumored now that South Broad Street was selected as the sole location for construction of all additional affordable housing units because Planning Board and Village Council members believe residents of the South Broad Street area would be less capable of forming an organized opposition group than residents of any other Ridgewood neighborhood.

Specifically, due to organized opposition to the Baker Organization's Paramus Road cluster housing proposal, neither the Planning Board nor Village Council wanted to designate any area near Route 17 (including the Schedler property) as being suitable for affordable housing.

If Planning Board/Village Council endorsed COAH units had been included in the Baker Organization's plan, it might have increased Baker's chances before the Zoning Board of Adjustment. Neither the Planning Board nor Village Council wished to be in a position of endorsing a project being opposed by a large block of potential voters.

The lesson here folks is certainly that the squeaky wheel gets greased. Like it or not, potential votes matter, even when the next Village Council election is more than one year away.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!