Planning Board to Hear Presentations on Ken Smith, 'Enclave' Housing Projects

Two of the most controversial downtown housing development proposals in Ridgewood will be fleshed out Monday night at a special planning board meeting.

In September, Patch broke the news that the Ken Smith dealership property on Franklin Avenue is the site of a proposed 114-unit luxury apartment project with 11,0000 square feet of retail space.

On Monday night, the first official governmental discussion will be held, lumped into the larger downtown housing development study undertaken by Village Planner Blais Brancheau. Dinallo Construction Corp., the developer, is scheduled to make a formal presentation, according to the agenda.

The developers from 257 Ridgewood Avenue LLC. – headed by Ridgewood library board president John Saraceno – also will be making a presentation for "The Enclave," a 52-unit transformation of the "Sealfons building."

Since 2011, Brancheau has been tasked to determine the appropriate standards for multi-family housing development in the downtown. The cost of the overall study, which includes the services of a traffic engineer, has been paid for by the developers of Chestnut Village, The Dayton, and The Enclave in an escrow account.

Dinallo Construction has not contributed to the escrow fund as of late December, according to village sources. How that impacts the overall study undertaken by the village is not yet clear.

A discussion on a draft ordinance is expected to follow the presentations.

Should the planning board pass an ordinance rejiggering downtown housing development parameters, it would also need to be approved by the village council.

The meeting starts at 8 p.m. in the Sydney Stoldt court room. Stay tuned for coverage on the latest plans.