May 22, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • Page 5 Ridgewood Hotel rumors squelched; safety measures advocated by John Koster Ridgewood Village Attorney Matt Rogers recently explained that rumors of a proposed hotel for the downtown had not thus far survived the developer’s failure to acquire the necessary land: the abandoned Brogan Cadillac site. Rogers told the council and public that he had spoken briefly with a developer, not named, who had been interested in building a hotel in the downtown area of Ridgewood near the railroad, but that the talks never developed into anything substantial, even after Rogers referred the developer to Blaise Brancheau, Ridgewood’s professional planner. “I kept telling him to get in touch with the owners because, without a site, there was nothing to be done,” Rogers said. “I think it’s still a proposal that’s out there, but I have had no discussions with him, I think, since March.” The same Brogan Cadillac site has been mentioned as a proposed location for one of the four multi-floor apartment buildings, some with ground floor retail space, now before the Ridgewood Planning Board. Last week, the planning board discussed parameters for meetings about the proposals, and ways to approach the need for rezoning, since the proposed sites are not now zoned for multi-floor residential buildings. No formal decision was reached at the May 13 meeting, and the plans will be discussed again in July, with no date set for a formal vote on any of them. Any zoning change requested by the planning board would then have to be referred to the Ridgewood Village Council, which would need to approve a change in the Ridgewood Master Plan in the form of an ordinance. Several village residents have expressed concern regarding the four tentative or formal proposals for multi-floor housing in downtown Ridgewood. Village officials would like to see the properties transformed into aesthetically pleasing enterprises that would generate property taxes. However, some of the residents have cited Ridgewood’s traffic congestion and potential pressure on school enrollment as items that should be addressed before any largescale construction can be considered. Ethan Bordman, a new resident, pointed to one recent incident in which a mother and two small children where injured by a motorist at the intersection of Ackerman Avenue and Godwin Avenue. “It’s a terrible, terrible intersection,” said Bordman. “Somebody’s going to get killed there! They have had multiple accidents...It’s a pretty serious situation. I’ve almost been hit a few times myself.” Bordman, who said his father was a 30-year police force veteran, urged added enforcement for motorists who speed or ignore stop signs. (continued on page 8)