JUNE 1, 2015, 6:02 PM LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, JUNE 1, 2015, 6:16 PM
BY MARY JO LAYTON
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
A Bergen County Superior Court judge has denied Ridgewood’s request to be dismissed from a lawsuit filed by the Valley Hospital after its plan to nearly double in size was rejected.
Judge Lisa Perez Friscia still must rule on whether the Ridgewood Planning Board acted properly in rejecting the hospital’s expansion plan nearly a year ago, the second defeat in four years.
The Ridgewood hospital first proposed a $750 million expansion in 2006 to replace decades-old buildings with modern facilities and all private rooms, an issue that’s divided the village and dominated local politics in several elections since.
Valley’s proposed “Renewal” was turned down twice as concerns grew over the potential impact of construction, increased traffic and the safety of middle school students attending class near the property. The hospital sued in October asking a state judge to end the pricey and protracted stalemate.
Let’s hear it for the Crown Jewell!!!! How much more of our tax money can it waste???
This is very serious. The judge could undermine the wishes of the town. Interesting to note that the judge is concerned about “regional health planning.” If we actually looked at that, now that the Westwood hospital has reopened, perhaps it’s Valley that really needs to downsize.
Ridgewood should counter sue Valkey for wasting the time of the
The Village should counter sue Valkey to recover taxpayer funds wasted on Plannjng Board meetings
Of course the judge is going to “undermine” the town because when you use undermined tactics to stop progress for the benefit of the good people of Bergen County this is what you get. It’s not all about the NIMBY’s and the CRR although they would like to think it is. I have said many times b4 that all that had to be done was to get this issue in front of a judge on neutral ground and Valley would prevail. Blame your planning board for folding like a cheap lawn chair in the presence of the above nay Sayers for the costs, not the Hospital. And I agree it’s a complete waste of tax dollars for needless posturing. The hospital will expand and your taxes are going to rise in proportion to the action of a few who continue to litigate on the wrong side of the argument.
Their plan is simple: Bleed the town dry financially. Suit after suit, until we run out of resources. How fitting that Valley pays no PILOT taxes to the Village it’s trying to run to financial ruin. Nice community hospital anyone?
10:17 — i agree – – Valley owns the Village and Villagers should not dare to think otherwise.
Valley doesn’t ” own” anything…it’s the simple fact that 300 people cannot and will not speak for or obstruct the proposed expansion because they were stupid enough to buy a home in Valleys lap. There’s NO village and there are NO villagers in Ridgewood…it’s a city that is growing and planning needs to be done for the future for it to survive. The actions of the planning board last night are a perfect example of what’s next. All the CRR members and the “save my village crowd” have been defeated and rightly so…you can either join the citizens who embrace the future or catch the next train to Clarksville…
where do you get 300 people?? instead of dropping millions trying to stop pascack they could have sponsored a non binding referendum for a few hundred grand at most…instead they did the bullshit push polls from some pr hack and put misleading facts in the newspapers (majority of residents in FAVOR of Valley ad was total bull)… this will really divide the town and we’re at the point of no compromise so things will get more expensive and more ugly…
You don’t have to own a home in “Valley’s lap” to understand that the only certainties resulting from a Valley expansion and a change in the MP to allow for big time changes downtown are higher taxes and lower property values. A hell of a price to pay for “embracing the future.”
Go to the website historicaerials.com and search for the area around Valley Hospital on Linwood Avenue. The neighborhood has remained largely the same since their first photo in 1931. The hospital, beginning around 1953 and proceed until the 1990’s shows steady growth. It is obvious that the residential character is not changing the neighborhood, the hospital is changing the neighborhood. Well that balloon is about to burst. They are nothing more than an obnoxious bully at this point, they want things their way after they have been granted approval after approval over the years. What next?