The Ridgewood Planning Board is currently considering amending the town’s Master Plan with three re-zonings to accommodate four high-density developments. The re-zoning will change the current limit of 12 units per acre to 40-50 units per acre and will allow building heights up to 55 feet. This will enable real estate developers to build towering,high-densitystructures designed to attract hundreds of new residents to Ridgewood's Central Business District (CBR). The current proposal would allow the addition of over 400 residential units to the CBR. This will undoubtedly bring amajor influx of new students to our already overtaxed schools,significant traffic to our already congested streets, more strain on municipal facilities, less attractive views, less parking and less open space.

Theimposing structures beingproposedwill damage the character and attractiveness of our town and be the first step in turning our Village into a city. Not even the much more urban town of Hackensack allows a density as high as the 47 units per acre being proposed. Should this plan go through, other developers will certainly argue that they too should be allowed to build on the same scale. It is a slippery slope.

Who, other than the four developers will benefit from these new mixed-use housing developments? The addition of four massive, high-density housing units will not help the Village of Ridgewood. We do not believe that the Planning Board and Mayor and Council should make such far-reaching, irrevocable and damaging changes to the Village, which only benefit a limited group of developers whose sole interest is to maximize profits.

We believe that the current zoning ordinances permitting a maximum of 12 acres should remain intact (or be increased only slightly) and that the Ken Smith, Brogan, Chestnut St. and Sealfons lots should be redeveloped as beautiful, multi-use, well-planned properties that:

Work within the letter and intent of current zoning law, or with only a slight increase in density.

Provide a look, feel and size that compliment, not change, our downtown.

Provide much needed additional public parking and green space.