Ridgewood Officials Introduce Ordinances That Change Business District Zoning

The Village Council introduced five ordinances Wednesday that permit more residential development in the Central Business District.

The council voted 3-2 to introduce the ordinances. Mayor Paul Aronsohn, Deputy Mayor Albert Pucciarelli, and Councilwoman Gwenn Hauck voted in faovr to introduce. Councilman Michael Sedon and Councilwoman Susan Knudsen voted against introducing the legislation.

Knudsen asked the council to table the legislation because they received the 40 pages of documents at the beginning of the council’s work session last week. Sedon said that if officials want to make any changes to the legislation, it is easier to do so before they are introduced. If the changes are made afterwards, the ordinances must be voted down and then reintroduced.

The vote to table the ordinances was the same as the vote to introduce them, 3-2.

Four of the ordinances create new zones in the business district. The AH-2 zone is a residential-only zone on South Street at the Brogran Cadillac site.

The B-3-R zone is mixed-use zone on Franklin Street at the Ken Smith property and on North Maple Avenue between East Ridgewood Avenue and Franklin Avenue at the Sealfons building.

The C-R zone is a small plot of land on Chestnut Street with the final zone, a C zone, a commercial zone, wrapped around it.

Mayor Paul Aronsohn said that the new zones allow officials to permit more multi-family homes to be built in the district. This would give residents, especially older ones, the option of living in possible condominiums and other multi-unit locations, something the village needs more of, officials have said.

The ordinances will be placed on the village website for the public to read. The Village Council will wait an extra month to vote on the legislation to encourage more dialogue and feedback from residents.