John Saraceno says he knows what Ridgewood needs to revitalize its shaky downtown. The developer, known in town for his killed proposal of a parking garage on N. Walnut street in 2009, says a proposed six-story mixed-use building on the lot that currently houses the Sealfons building could transform Ridgewood to a level of vibrancy it needs to thrive.

And he wasn't alone. Members of the planning board on Tuesday night were intrigued with Saraceno's concept proposal, with one member calling the concept "genius" and others lauding the project for a great design, which has a "sweeping facade" that fits into the curvature of Maple Ave. and was modeled after older buildings in the village.

Schier said they "tried to pick up" the motif of individual buildings already in existence and aimed for a "creative" building that was consistent with the context Ridgewood.

The plan

Saraceno, a principal of Onyx Equity LLC, along with architect and planner Ken Schier, unveiled the drawings and answered questions on the six-story, 55,000 sq. ft. mixed use building, which would encase a three-story parking garage adjacent to the Sealfons building. A deal has also been struck with Brake-O-Rama to purchase the property should a proposal go forward, which would see the total project swallow an entire village CBD block.

Called the second 'bookend' by Saraceno–the other being Broad Street–the dual-space would "tie the doughnut" of Ridgewood.

One hundred apartments would sit above a large first floor of retail space and peer onto Ridgewood from its perch on N. Maple Ave and Franklin Ave, should it be approved some day.

Shier touted the use of development of the proposal, stating that it's 'a green concept' because the need to drive to get groceries, go shopping or park at public transportation spots is eliminated, so the plan has economic and environmental benefits.

The 'organic' building would require a height variance, although the developers pointed out that many buildings in the village are as tall, including the Bank of America building, the Education Center and the apartment building across the street on Franklin Ave.

The developers said that due to the lower elevation, the building won't appear as large and moreover, has been "broken up" with visual elements to mitigate some concerns.

Retail

The first floor calls for 20,000 feet of retail space, split along three sections. The prospective stores are likely to primarily end up serving the residents above it, along with tenants of the nearby six-story apartment building on Franklin Ave.

It's possible larger retailers could move in, Saraceno said, and he's in the past expressed the desire to have "anchor" stores move in, though he said the location may not appeal to such a store.

Residential

The concept, which has setbacks ranging from 0 ft. to 21 ft., proposes 78 one-bedroom units and 22 two-bedroom units from the second to sixth floor. One-bed apartments, roughly 750 sq. ft. on average, would likely be priced around $1,700-$1800 per month. Two-bedroom apartments, up to 1,500 sq. ft., would probably be rented for $2,700 to $3,000 a month. The building would likely also hold a concierge service, a fitness center, and a mail room as well, Sarceno said.

Parking

A three-story parking garage would be built adjacent to the entrance of the current garage at the Sealfons building (which is part of the four-property lot), and would house all of the parking for residents (150 spots) along with another 100 spots for shoppers. It would be 20-25 ft.  south of the current garage, Schier said.

The garage, not visible from Maple Ave. or Franklin Ave., would extend above the current village municipal parking lot, which would lose one parking spot under the proposed plan. It would be "slightly visible" from the municipal lot and the western boundary of the funeral home.

Impact on an already over-crowded school system?

Although the erection of the building would represent a density increase by a few hundred people, Saraceno said it shouldn't affect the already crowded schools in Ridgewood, which combine to form the largest public school system in the county.

"These are not condominiums," he said.

"They're apartments."

Vice Chairman Albert Pucciarelli called it an "overdue housing project" that appeals more to singles, couples, older residents but not families. Councilwoman Bernadette Walsh added that it would appeal to more "transient" types.

Although few on the planning board had issue with the design–which was praised by Walsh, members Morgan Hurley and Nancy Bigos, who called the plan "genius" and said it could "be the redevelopment Ridgewood is looking for" to boost its downtown–large hurdles exist if it were to see the light of day.

Challenges

Planner Blais Brancheau said appearing before the planning board "might be a waste of time" if the developer wasn't looking for the board to approve a re-zoning of the site, or possibly the central business district altogether. Brancheau said because of the amount of variances, another municipal body may need to be involved. The village council, he said regardless of other boards' say, would have final word should it reach the dais.

The dual-use building may also have to hit COAH (federal low-income housing requirements) mandates as well, although Brancheau pointed out that COAH is in limbo – the state Assembly recently voted to abolish the program.

Saraceno said he's "flexible" and not necessarily opposed to the idea of COAH housing should it be recommended.

The larger issue if this project is to get off the ground is not only appealing to village authorities, but the county planning board board as well.

Because Maple Avenue is a county road (507), Saraceno would also have to the county approve an application to build such a project, which is virtually guaranteed to increase traffic in what's already one of the worst bottlenecks in the village.

The current proposal would have traffic flowing approximately 20-25 ft. south of Hallmark Flooring on Maple and "there's just no other place to put it," Schier said, who added traffic studies would be done when asked by a board member.

Despite challenges, the planning board seemed enthused by the idea and although much is in the air, Saraceno said it could be up in two-to-three years should approvals be granted.

"Time will tell," he said.