Architect says Valley Hospital plan addresses issues residents still skeptical of proposal
Tuesday, April 2, 2013 Last updated: Tuesday April 2, 2013, 11:26 PM
BY MARY JO LAYTON
STAFF WRITER
The Record
Experts for The Valley Hospital presented details of a proposal Tuesday night that would expand the hospital significantly, allow for all-private rooms, create larger treatment areas and relocate selected outpatient services to cut down on traffic and patient volume.
The hospital’s floor space would grow by nearly two-thirds — to 910,000 square feet from 562,000 — but would be 22 percent smaller than under an expansion plan that the Village Council rejected in 2011.
An architect representing Valley, Steve Evers, told the Ridgewood Planning Board that the proposal addressed several concerns that residents and council members had raised about the earlier plan, which the hospital called “Renewal.” An entire below-ground floor was removed from the proposed north building, a fifth floor was eliminated from the proposed west/south buildings, and outpatient services — including breast care and some cardiac services — would be relocated off-campus to decrease patient and traffic volume, Evers said.
https://www.northjersey.com/news/Valley_Hospital_experts_present_details_of_revised_expansion_plan.html
I am glad the Bergen article used the correct measure — the Hospital is going to severely expand, not reduce. Valley tried to got through the night talking about “reductions” in its expansion plans. The truth behind Valley’s fantasy is the massive structure is simply already too big to expand any further, and certainly not on the obese scale presented at last night’s meeting.
From what Valley said last night: The buildings and parking garage will be expanded with a 90% increase in density to what is there now, nearly double the current size. Maximum height will go up to almost 100 feet, further dwarfing surrounding properties. The plan still calls for the same number of parking spaces (2000) so it seems school children and other pedestrians will still face the same amount of increased traffic, despite the claim that certain operations will be conducted elsewhere. There will still be massive excavations impacting our underground water streams, requiring the destruction of bedrock and requiring hundreds of thousands of trips through town by dump trucks carrying off debris. Linwood avenue will be expanded in order to allow for the increased traffic and construction vehicles. (Does this mean the taking of private property from Linwood homeowners?) Today’s technology, we are told, requires larger, single occupancy rooms, yet we are not assured tomorrow’s technology and profit seeking won’t mean large singles are turned into double or triples (and maybe that’s the real reason for the increased number of parking spots.) The loading zone for trucks, with their noise, exhaust, etc., are all being moved down next to BF middle school and the playing fields.
All in all, Valley made it clear that to remain on par with other regional hospitals serving the NorthEast, it needed to expand even if the expansion did not otherwise fit within its space or the neighborhood. Once again, we are being asked to sacrifice our the Village so Valley can remain economically profitable with other major hospitals.
The Mayor asked a very interesting question: last time a prime justification for doubling the Hospital’s size was that overnight hospital beds were needed because of the shrinking number of hospitals. Why then, the Mayor asked, does Valley need the same number of beds as identified in the last expansion plans when Pascack Valley has re-opened down the road. Valley’s answer this time was that it wanted what it wanted. A particularly galling response when one considers Valley uses its financial might (relying on Ridgewood resident donations and funding of Valley’s tax-free status) to fund litigation opposing entities like Pascack Valley from administering to the sick.
I thought one of the most interesting points was not articulated well enough and Valley skirted away from it. Their opening presentation noted that other options, such as moving the entire baby birthing and care operations to another location, was not “feasible.” Valley later explained it was too costly, but it absolutely refused to provide any support for this saying the issue was “private.” In other words, Valley is asking the Village to change its way of public life, while saying the reasons are “private.” Hopefully the Planning Board will see through Valley’s thinly veiled reasons for wanting to expand. I would like to see the Board return to that at the next meeting, and if Valley won’t justify or explain this as one of the reasons for expanding, then the Board should refuse to consider the unavailability of other locations as a reason for expansion.
All in all, a good night for Ridgewood residents who respectfully presented question after question to Valley’s hired guns who sounded absolutely charming, but by the end of the night revealed that, as with the past plan, “these are the things that Valley wants” and that, in and of itself, is the reason the Village should cave and give it to them.
Aronsohn actually asked the question re the point I raised earlier — Valley claims on one hand that there are too many hospital beds in the area, but still wants the same number after expansion. Valley’s argument is illogical and everybody, even their spokespeople, know it and can’t explain it.
Give Valley single beds but reduce the number of beds to keep the size reasonable (ie same footprint and similar square footage). With the increase in outpatient services, Valley shouldn’t need the beds.
Thed
Valley, has become a monster! Valley cares only about Valley and wants what it wants. I sure hope there is a way for Ridgewood to stop this over expansion. This is what it is an: OVER EXPANSION.
Valley will beat Ridgewood down until they get what they want on their Ridgewood Property. Valley has so much room in Paramus that this should not even be an issue.
Present pictures of their Paramus location. They can go up and out there. There are even properties around them to purchase. Why can’t all their expansion happen in Paramus and recondition the rooms in Ridgewood? Paramus is not a residential neighborhood next to a school. Does anyone have any sense any more? The existing H Zone is in place to protect us not allow Valley to change it! Ridgewood needs to grow a pair and stand up to what’s right
Another point from last night — “phase one” entails six years of construction and “phase two” starts sometime after that and there is no time table for how long it will take.
Folks have to go to these meetings and speak louder before half our town becomes a hospital construction zone in perpetuity!!
When the house values plummet around Valley, the Westside will have to pick up the slack. Ad valorem….
If this goes through, EVERY house in this town will go down in value(and up in taxes) as everyone reading the Record, watching the news, etc. will rightly come to the conclusion that the “Village of Ridgewood” will go down the path of Hackensack.
And by the way, for all of you short-timers, Hackensack once had a better than average school system. Bad press will be bad for everybody. What don’t you people pushing this agenda don’t get ?
Yawn. Same poster. Same story. Hint: Next time don’t buy next to a hospital.
7 – troll
#7 Better than a very dumb remark, what is the case for over expanding, rather than improving ?