Ridgewood suspends street closings for weekend pedestrian plazas

RIDGEWOOD — Village officials have decided to suspend street closings for weekend pedestrian plazas for the rest of the summer, newly installed Village Manager Keith Kazmark announced Wednesday.

Summer activities posted on the "Destination Ridgewood" Facebook page for Van Neste Park are expected to continue, as well as curbside dining corrals. But the streets will no longer be closed to vehicle traffic on weekends.

"After school let out in June, and the hotter summer months came upon us, combined with record travel numbers across the country, we saw foot traffic fade in the central business district," Kazmark said. "This is consistent with what is happening in other towns in the area."

The outdoor plazas were well-attended in 2020 and 2021, when they provided shopper relief from fears about close contact during COVID. However, the plazas were halted last summer when the Village Council could not reach an agreement on the need to continue the program once fears of COVID faded.

Mayor Paul Vagianos called for a return of the plazas after being elected to the leadership post at the Village Council's reorganization session in January. Volunteers planned an extensive campaign to promote the plazas, but by July 13, village officials announced that Sunday street closings would end.

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At the time, Vagianos cited Sunday closings of some retail stores as a contributing factor, but did not mention reduced foot traffic as a reason for the suspension. He declined to comment further this week.

Retail merchants were divided on the plazas. Restaurants at the west end of East Ridgewood Avenue near the train station tended to favor the plazas, which provided a boost in traffic for the underused Hudson Street parking garage. But merchants who relied on nearby curbside parking or were outside the plaza area were less enthusiastic.

"The chamber has not taken a position on the pedestrian plazas," said Chamber of Commerce President Glenn Carlough, owner of the Steel Wheel Tavern. "But we are happy the dining corrals and year-round dining have returned."

"We will reevaluate bringing it back after Labor Day, with input from our residents and the business community," Kazmark said. "It has been and will continue to be our goal to attract additional patrons to downtown Ridgewood."