Our Concerns

Project-Specific and Village-Wide

Ridgewood United’s concerns fall into two categories:
how specific projects are proposed, and what they mean for Ridgewood as a whole.

Project-Specific Concerns

🚦Traffic & Safety

The location is a main vein for our youngest residents to commute via foot to The High School and to the Benjamin Franklin Middle School, and a lot of residents on the East side of the town who walk to Downtown. N Maple, Franklin Ave, and Marshall St are two of the busiest pedestrian areas in the village. A massive development on this intersection will create:

• Safety risks for students, young families with children, pet owners, elderly members of the community, and the disabled. Please note that this intersection is not even ADA compliant. The Ridgewood master plan identifies this intersection on p.87, as "Unsafe".

• Increased vehicle flow of staff, who come and leave in two shifts: 6:30-7:00 AM, and 2:30-3:00 PM. This will create chaos with school pick-up. 24/7 Ambulances, deliveries, and visitor traffic, which, as presented by Kensington, is between 15,000-20,000 per year. Or 1 vehicle every 2 minutes.

• Parking overflows into the surrounding residential streets may cause further traffic delays for highly narrow street

• More calls for EMT, firefighters, and police, potentially quadrupling response times in Ridgewood.

• Added strain on aging Village infrastructure: Sewer, Power, Gas, Stormwater.

🔃 Process & Transparency Concerns

Many residents have questioned whether this project has been advanced without enough public involvement:

• Limited notification — some residents received only one letter of the zoning notice and had minimal time to prepare feedback.

• Perception that plans were already in motion before community input began.

• Calls for clearer communication, more public workshops, and independent studies before any decision is made.

🌱 Flooding & Environmental Impact

High coverage and grading changes can worsen street and basement flooding without strong mitigation and maintenance:

• The area already experiences regular flooding events.

• Potential water hazards from disposing of medications down building drains, mixed with industrial cleaning products.

• A massive building with a massive impervious surface coverage.

• Inadequate stormwater management for the facility size.

• Loss of critical green space and mature tree canopy.

• The building structure will block sunlight and airspace for local residents on Franklin/Marshall.

🏢 Out-of-Scale Development & Compatibility

The project seeks zoning allowances for a structure much larger than anything nearby. Even if reduced in size, residents are concerned about:

• Height & Massing - Building height that overshadows nearby homes and streets. The proposed height was up to 71 ft, which is two times plus 10 ft higher than the existing building.

• Density - 85% lot coverage leaves minimal green space.

• Reduced setbacks by removing green buffers and visual openness.

• Noise pollution and constant activity from round-the-clock operations 365 days of the year.

• Light pollution will impact the homes behind the facility, affecting the circadian rhythm (sleep patterns) of the homeowners.

• Risk of soil contamination of the nearby homes with the facility's septic tanks.

• Mismatch - Erosion of the small-town character described in the 2022 Ridgewood Master Plan.

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Village-Wide Concerns

🚦Precedent Setting

Approving an overlay zone here could encourage other developers to seek similar “spot zoning” exceptions, leading to large-scale projects in other parts of Ridgewood.

🏛️ Loss of Local Control

The Kensington build has proven zoning and local ordinances are being overridden by the state. Future Compliance with Mount Laurel Act is State Mandated. This can impact your neighborhood and all of Ridgewood, allowing other developers to carve up spots. The Village planner has suggested all lots of ¾ acre or more, or combination of smaller lots to equal ¾ acres, can be considered for High Density Housing.

🧩Rushed Planning

Affordable housing obligations are real — but rushing solutions can produce worse outcomes than careful, distributed planning.

Our Position

Affordable housing is not optional.

Poor planning is.

Ridgewood can — and must — meet its obligations without sacrificing safety, character, or democratic process.

Why This Matters to All Ridgewood Residents

The five ordinances are more than what's on paper — it’s a test case for how Ridgewood handles development, zoning exceptions, and affordable housing obligations. Decisions made here could shape future projects across the village. Once exceptions are granted, they are hard to reverse. This is why residents are speaking up now — to ensure development fits the community’s character, protects safety, and uses resources wisely.

”That corner is already dangerous with students crossing to the high school and BF Middle School. Add delivery trucks, ambulances, visitors, and it becomes a hazard we can’t accept.”

”We’re not against seniors — but this needs to be in the right place, and done in a way that works with traffic, parking, and the schools. This isn’t a NIMBY issue, it’s a planning issue. We need a plan for the whole village, not just one project at a time.”

Voices of Ridgewood Residents

”Why is this being pushed through so quickly? We had one letter, just a couple of week to respond... This is a permanent change to the neighborhood. There should be months of study and public discussion before you even think about a vote.”

”It feels like we’re being managed, not represented. The role of the council is to advocate for us, not to push through what the developer wants.”