>Council to take up Valley plan
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
BY BARBARA WILLIAMSAND MARY JO LAYTON
STAFF WRITERS
The Record
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RIDGEWOOD — The controversy over whether The Valley Hospital should be allowed to double in size resurfaces tonight as the Village Council holds its first public hearing on the issue.
The proposal, which has divided the community, will be discussed at seven public meetings starting tonight and running through Nov. 29. The meetings will take place at the high school because they are expected to draw hundreds of residents and hospital employees.
“We’re committed to bringing this issue to a resolution as soon as possible,” Councilman Paul Aronsohn said. “There are so many issues involved here. What Valley’s proposing has implications — people can put their own value judgment on that.”
The council is charged with deciding whether to introduce and then adopt an ordinance that will change the village master plan so the hospital can increase to 1.17 million square feet and replace its 1960s-era buildings. The new buildings could reach 94 feet tall in the middle of a residential neighborhood of two-story homes. The $750 million expansion will push the new structure to 40 feet from the property line of Benjamin Franklin Middle School.
Valley officials have said the expansion is essential for them to be able to provide cutting-edge medical care.
https://www.northjersey.com/news/health/129704623_Council_to_take_up_Valley_plan.html