Analysis of Downtown Among Planning Board Goals

The Ridgewood Planning Board hunkered down and determined its goals for 2012, according to a report from The Ridgewood News.

The weekly village paper reports the primary goal of the planning board is to do some 'housekeeping' on the Master Plan by more clearly incorporating amendments into specific zones. The report also notes the other major goal includes completing the ; three major developments have been proposed in recent months, and .

The last time the planning board sat down and set goals, the list was quite different.

most notably included sending an ordinance on the "H-Zone" decision to the council, as well as addressing the commercial/residential . There was also talk of determining how to make the downtown more .

The first two goals were realized – an , and though it was , it remains on the books.

Sources familiar with discussions have said the planning board has no apparent interest in rescinding the ordinance and would rather let it play out in court. The planning board chairman Charles Nalbantian and legal counsel Gail Price did not respond to a request for comment in late February. Representatives of Concerned Residents of Ridgewood said they could not discuss the matter, citing .

Portions of the Route 17 corridor was altered from residential zoning to "highway commercial" zoning to better acommodate for commercial enterprises. 

Pedestrian safety issues haven't really emerged at the planning board level, though a number of applications downtown have led to questions as to how to balance a need for modernity while ensuring parking can be found, traffic isn't greatly impacted and pedestrians are safe.

That remains a work in progress and is sure to be a major component of the decisions on the downtown housing proposals.