Page 4 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • October 31, 2012 Ridgewood Revised zoning ordinance remanded to planners by John Koster The Ridgewood Village Council heard from Ridgewood Planner Blaise Brancheau and from several citizens and then tabled the adoption of a revised zoning ordinance that defined the rights and responsibilities of the village’s houses of worship. Brancheau pointed out in his brief introduction that, of the 22 houses of worship located in Ridgewood, all but two or three are located in residential zones. He said revised zoning in line with recent decisions and planning needs made it necessary to balance the religious rights of worshippers with the property rights of residential neighbors. Two residents who spoke at the meeting said they had no problems with the religious rights of congregations near their homes and said the revised ordinance was a step in the right direction. Both said, however, that they had encountered at least some activities with a church in their neighborhood that seemed to convene activities at 4 a.m. on a regular basis, and that the scale of gatherings sometimes seemed an invasion of their property rights. Michael Lenhard, a resident, said he is concerned about accessory use -- letting people sleep over at the churches on a regular basis -- and about the events that sometimes draw 50 to 100 cars to church events. He said noise from the church made it impossible for him to sleep with the windows open in seasonable weather. Another neighbor spoke briefly and agreed with him. Concerns were raised when some residents retained an attorney, who did not appear at the meeting, and Planning Board Member Albert Puchiarelli suggested that the revised ordinance could stand a little more revision before it was adopted. “I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t take it back to the planning board,” Pucciarelli said. Brancheau said the ordinance was an attempt to deal with some of the problems Lenhard mentioned, and added that the ordinance had been drafted with special attention both to the First Amendment rights conferred upon houses of worship by the Bill of Rights and its interpretation, and then by the needs of residents in a fairly compact neighborhood situation. “My feeling would be to get the good out of the ordinance now, and then adapt it later,” Brancheau said. “It’s better than what we have today.” “I would be in favor of postponing it and asking the planning board to get in back to us within a month,” said Councilman Thomas Riche. The council opted to continue the ordinance for possible adoption on Nov. 28. In the meantime, the council will ask the Ridgewood Planning Board to address some of the concerns raised in the neighborhood. Houses of worship are allowed in all zones of Ridgewood. This is a general practice due to the interpretation of the U.S. Constitution and American tradition. The proposed ordinance, however, would exclude private school operations other than child care centers from church lots. At least one off-street parking space is required for every 200 feet of floor space of any building on the church premises. Houses of worship would also be required to provide at least one off-street parking space for every five seats, or for each 24 inches of pew space. (continued on page 17) The attempted luring of a child from a restaurant restroom tops the list of cases now under investigation by the Ridgewood Police Department. On Oct. 21 at 1:52 p.m., police responded to a report from the Daily Treat Restaurant that an eight-year-old boy who was using the bathroom was approached by a man who tapped him on the shoulder and said, “Come with me.” The boy slipped away and told his father about the incident. His father and the restaurant staffers called the police. The reported luring took place during a benefit for Tomorrow’s Children in which several hundred police and civilian motorcyclists had assembled about three blocks away in Ridgewood. The man was described as a dark skinned, six-foot male with brown hair, a black button-down shirt, blue jeans, and gray work boots. He was said to be carrying a black visortype motorcycle helmet. The area was checked, but no one in the area saw the man described. Anyone who has information about this incident should contact the Ridgewood Police Department. On Oct. 18 at 5:24 p.m., Detective Peter Youngberg and Luring attempt tops police cases Patrolman Sal Damico arrested a 48-year-old Mahwah woman for trying to conceal items in her bag before she left Whole Foods. She faces an appearance in municipal court. At 2:46 p.m. on Oct. 19, Patrolman Jeffrey Kay and Patrolman Rosario Vaccarella arrested a 22-year-old Wyckoff woman for shoplifting at Whole Foods after she placed items in a bag and attempted to leave the store without paying. The same day at 7:32 p.m., Patrolman Paul Knapp and Patrolman Shane Broglia arrested a Ridgefield Park resident and charged her with shoplifting after she was spotted by store security trying to leave the store with items she had not paid for. On Oct. 20, a Ridgewood resident reported that his vehicle was entered while he was at the YMCA and that a wallet that had contained cash was missing. The Ridgewood Detective Bureau is investigating. Police are also investigating the Oct. 17 report of graffiti that was painted on a Greenway Road resident’s garage door.