The final Comprehensive Master Plan for the Village of Ridgewood represents the culmination of nearly four years of substantial work and effort by the Village Planning Board and the Master Plan Sub-Committee to development the Village’s first comprehensive master plan in 35 years. Heyer, Gruel & Associates was the lead consultant on the Master Plan, which built on the first visioning phase of the process.

The 2022 Master Plan included 12 elements, nine of which were prepared by our team: Statement of Goals and Objectives, Land Use Element, Circulation Element, Downtown Economic Development Element, Sustainability Element, Community Facilities, Element, Recycling Element, Utilities Element, and a Historic Preservation Element.

As a largely built-out community, Ridgewood faces land use challenges associated with the desire to enhance public parks, open space, recreational opportunities, and community facilities while planning for expected increases in residential development over the next several years. Through the Downtown Economic Development Element, the Plan additionally focuses on ways in which Ridgewood can reinforce and strengthen the downtown core in order to stabilize and support the local business community.

A thorough review of the Village’s zoning ordinances in association with Planning and Zoning Board activity resulted in detailed and technical recommendations for changes to the ordinances that are geared to help clarify ordinances sections as well as reduce redundancy, provide for updated and modern standards, and eliminate conflicts between various sections of the ordinances. An Implementation Matrix was developed to provide a roadmap for policy makers to implement the many recommendations found throughout the various elements in the Master Plan. The Matrix includes estimated time commitments, funding amounts, and identifies the expected responsible parties for completing each task.

The Master Plan presents an exciting modernization and synthesis of the Village’s past and present planning efforts with the goal of creating a sustaiable and healthy future for Ridgewood and its residents.