Reader says , The truth behind Valley’s fantasy is the massive structure is simply already too big to expand any further
I am glad the Bergen article used the correct measure — the Hospital is going to severely expand, not reduce. Valley tried to get 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.
