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Ridgewood Mayor Presents $12M Bond Ordinance For Parking Deck

RIDGEWOOD, N.J. —Ridgewood Mayor Paul Aronsohn said he intends to introduce a $12 million bond ordinance on Dec. 9 to help fund a proposed Hudson Street parking deck.

Mayor Paul Aronsohn and Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld brief guests on Ridgewood's proposed parking garage.

Mayor Paul Aronsohn and Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld brief guests on Ridgewood's proposed parking garage.

Photo Credit: Cecilia Levine
A rendering of design option A for the Hudson Street Parking Deck.

A rendering of design option A for the Hudson Street Parking Deck.

Photo Credit: ridgewoodnj.net

Aronsohn made the announcement following an open forum at a Village Council meeting on Wednesday, during which residents shared their opinions on several proposed designs for the deck. 

By a 3-2 vote, the council gave its approval to a "Option A," a 136,550-square-foot structure standing 49 feet tall. The structure — complete with a 68 foot tower — will provide parking for 405 cars, or a net gain of 305 parking spaces.

"I quite literally believe that this is an opportunity of a lifetime," Aronsohn told Daily Voice. "We should therefore seize it, celebrate it and build it."

Ridgewood resident Rurik Halaby said he is "100 percent for it. It is something we have needed for years and years and something I think we can get done."

N. Broad Street's Mango Jam owner Tony Damiano also supports the proposal.

"This is 2015," he said. "How can you promote shopping and dining in our wonderful town without a parking facility?"

Resident Meegan Shevlan said she favors a garage -- but not one that's 136,550-square-feet or on Hudson Street.

"I think we should build it, but I don't think it is an ideal location," she said. "The scope and size of Option A is way too big."

Resident Gail McCarthy said the size of Option A "doesn't fit the character of the town."

"They could build something there, maybe a two deck facility," she said. "But that is not a deck. That would be the biggest building in Ridgewood."

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