Planning Board to Discuss Master Plan, Application for Near-COAH Casualty

The Ridgewood Planning Board has a collection of old favorites and new classics up for discussion when it meets at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

Lost in the statewide COAH saga , who purchased a vacant property on South Broad Street that she envisioned would someday be a 5,000 square foot doctor's office. Relative to building projects, a building of that size doesn't sound like much trouble at all. But it's zoned in the B-2 zone that had been slated under Village Planner Blais Brancheau's council-defeated COAH plan to meet affordable housing mandates as a dual commercial/residential zone.

The gastroenterologist was not happy, particularly when site approval plans submitted to the planning board were not granted, which her attorney alluded to being a result of the COAH ordinance being in motion. Attorney Charles Collins reported it would have cost the doctor a range of around $750 to $1150 each month to build a site that fulfilled COAH requirements, respectively.

“She considers it an abuse,” Collins said of the proposal. The council met with Brancheau in closed session to determine the new direction of affordable housing mandates in Ridgewood. It would appear, now that there's no threat to re-zoning (for now) or affordable housing requirements she must fulfil, Korkis and her representatives will be putting forward a standard application.

Other things going on:

You could see some cell phone equipment on the roof of 263 Franklin Ave, brought to you by the folks of Metro PCS. There isn't much detail provided (though with a scheduled hour of talk, you're sure to hear a lot of technical jargon at the meeting should you attend) but the building should be familiar – it's the apartment building on the corner of Maple and Franklin, five stories tall with 44 apartments.

The board will hear plans from to replace its fence.

There's also a resolution to deny the subdivision approval of the Jennee/Paladino subdivision application at 975 East Ridgewood Avenue, which the planning board thought with two homes on one subdivided lot.

The planning board will continue to discuss how it will approach the reexamination of the Master Plan.

The board meets at the Sydney Stoldt Court Room on the third floor of Village Hall.