Ridgewood council endorses fourth-round housing element and fair-share plan; some residents urge greater inclusion

The Ridgewood Village Council on July 9 formally endorsed the fourth-round housing element and fair-share plan adopted earlier by the Ridgewood Planning Board.

The endorsement was included among a package of consent resolutions the council adopted that evening. The plan and endorsement are part of a state-mandated process to establish how municipalities will accommodate their fair-share affordable housing obligations in the fourth round of the statewide program.

Why it matters: fair-share plans determine where and how municipalities can site affordable housing and are subject to state and court oversight. Changes in the plan can affect the number of units the village is required to plan for, development potential and local zoning tools.

Public reaction and council response: resident Anne Loving told the council she was disappointed that the village’s fourth-round obligation dropped from “427 to 4,” saying the change felt exclusionary and made her concerned Ridgewood was working to keep affordable housing out of the village. Anne Loving: “It feels kind of elitist. It feels kind of like we’re trying to keep the others out.”

Council members responded that the endorsed plan reflects a realistic assessment of Ridgewood’s development potential and noted multiple layers of external oversight including court review and advocacy organizations that evaluate municipal plans. The council emphasized that the village’s built environment — with limited vacant land and many overlay-zone constraints — constrains where new development can realistically occur. The transcript records council members saying developers and state oversight provide checks on municipalities’ plans, and that the plan submitted to the Department of Community Affairs reflects the properties realistically available for development.

What the meeting record shows: the endorsement was adopted as part of the consent agenda (motion adopted by roll call). The transcript records public comments criticizing the reduction in the village’s fourth-round numerical obligation and a multi-member council reply explaining the technical constraints and oversight involved in the fair-share process. The transcript does not record precise parcel-level commitments or a step-by-step timetable for creating new units; such specifics reside in the planning-board documents and the fair-share plan submitted to the Department of Community Affairs.

Next steps: the fair-share plan and the village’s endorsement will continue through the state review and any required court procedures. Residents interested in the plan’s parcel list, unit counts and implementation schedule should consult the planning board’s adopted element and the documents filed with the Department of Community Affairs, or contact the planning department for copies and further explanation.