Tag: H-Zone

Ridgewood planner: Balancing act needed for decision on Valley Hospital

APRIL 3, 2014    LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2014, 3:30 PM
BY DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER

With expert testimony winding down, the Ridgewood Planning Board will soon be charged with weighing the benefits of a proposed Valley Hospital expansion against any and all detriments that might arise from the project.

Hoping to guide the board before its deliberations, municipal planner Blais Brancheau on Monday offered his recommendations and a detailed comparison of the hospital zone standards established in 2010 with those currently proposed by the hospital. Valley is seeking a master plan amendment that would allow the health care facility to nearly double its hospital floor area to 900,000 square feet, largely through new construction.

Other key elements of Valley’s application include a maximum building height of 94 feet, inclusive of rooftop mechanical equipment; a limit of 1,700 on-site parking spaces; and an improvement coverage cap of 469,000 square feet.

This week, Brancheau said Valley’s proposal is “somewhat smaller” than the hospital’s 2010 plan, which was approved by the former Planning Board. He further stated that reductions seen in the new expansion plan were made partly in response to the Ridgewood Council’s 2011 resolution that explained why the governing body did not introduce the ordinance enacting the master plan changes.

The changes in the scaled-down plan, he said, should be considered when the board mulls over the entire application. Brancheau placed even heavier emphasis on the board’s analysis of the pros and cons of the potential development, but he cautioned that the criteria for evaluating the requested amendment do not contain a “hard and fast rule, in a sense that this is how you always do it.”

“It’s not a cookbook approach, and it’s not something that is precise,” he said. “It’s part heart and part science.”

“[The board’s] decision has to be reasonable, it can’t be arbitrary or capricious” and must be made upon sound information, the planner added.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/health-news/ridgewood-planner-balancing-act-needed-for-decision-on-valley-hospital-1.841243#sthash.RlqEZDxq.5a13lhRi.dpuf

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– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/health-news/ridgewood-planner-balancing-act-needed-for-decision-on-valley-hospital-1.841243#sthash.RlqEZDxq.dpuf

Readers questions “Valley is inherently beneficial because they are a hospital ” mantra

During last night’s meeting, it was certainly drilled into anyone sitting there that we must remember that according to the law that Valley is inherently beneficial because they are a hospital. The board must consider the good for the overall population. Mr. Brancheau told the chairman when asked, that the board had to not only consider the good for their own municipality, but also of the region. I have an issue with this. I can see if they were the only hospital around for miles, you wouldn’t want to deny anyone decent care. But everywhere you look there is another hospital in this region. Even Valley tried to argue a few years back that there was an overabundance of beds. The greater good of the region will not be compromised if Valley isn’t allowed this over-expansion, the board must consider the greater good of Ridgewood for this decision.

Planning Board Amended Meeting Schedule -March  31

PLANNING BOARD

AMENDMENT TO MEETING SCHEDULE

Special Public Meetings: March 31

In accordance with the provisions of the “Open Public Meetings Act,” please be advised that the Planning Board has scheduled special public meetings for:

• Monday, March 31, 2014 at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium at the Benjamin Franklin Middle School, 335 North Van Dien Ave., Ridgewood, NJ, at which time the Board will continue the public hearing on the proposed H-Hospital Zone amendment to the Master Plan. An Executive Meeting will start at 7:00PM and end in time for the meeting.

The Board may take official action during these Work and Public Meetings.

All meetings of the Ridgewood Planning Board (i.e., official public meetings, work session meetings, pre-meeting assemblies and special meetings) are public meetings which are always open to members of the general public.

Is hospital’s plan reasonable for Ridgewood?

MARCH 28, 2014    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, MARCH 28, 2014, 12:32 AM

Is hospital’s plan reasonable for Ridgewood?
Linda McNamara

Reader says Quit complaining about the criticism and tell  this Council to get to work.

You call the Valley expansion and building high density housing “perceived ills?”

Nice job placing blame on the previous Council for everything that’s wrong with this one. Are you saying that inherited problems are not this Council’s problem? These democratically elected Council members chose to run – that means when you win, you get ALL the problems, not just the ones you cause yourself.

Quit complaining about the criticism yourself and tell whomever on this Council you are defending to get to work.

As for showing up at meetings and expressing opinions – look at what that got people that spoke up at the Valley hearings. Gail Price allowed Valley’s attorney to shout them down then told the Planning Board to ignore public comment when making their decision. Only the “expert testimony” paid for by Valley is to be considered.

Is it that hard to figure out why people are so angry?

Readers say hospital planner DID NOT say Valley Expansion was a good idea for Ridgewood

While he acknowledged that they did a nice job designing a 454 bed modern hospital, he DID NOT say it was a good idea for Ridgewood. He said the Planning Board would have to decide if this is something they would want built in Ridgewood. He offered absolutely no expert testimony on what a construction project like this would do to the town, the surrounding area, the schools and the quality of life for the residents. He did not answer any of the questions pertinent to LIVING in Ridgewood. His company has built some very pretty hospitals. Not here, thank you.

He’s a hospital planner and this is the testimony you would expect from him. Of course it’s good planning for Valley and I’m sure it’s a great design but it’s not suitable for the corner of Linwood and Van Dien. Valley needs to put their proposed hospital on a larger lot in a non-residential neighborhood. Enough already.

Ridgewood planning board consultant favors Valley Hospital expansion
MARCH 19, 2014, 6:24 AM
BY BARBARA WILLIAMS
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD

The Valley Hospital’s plan to modernize and completely renovate its campus is a good one, a hospital planning consultant hired by the Ridgewood Planning Board told the board and about 35 residents who attended Tuesday night’s meeting.

The proposal to nearly double in size, providing 454 private rooms with 12-feet high ceilings and space for family members to spend extended periods of time, and larger operating suites that soar 16-feet high, is what many other medical centers are doing now, said James May, an architect and managing principal of healthcare at Perkins Will in New York City.

“As I look as all the things Valley put together, what they are asking for is not unreasonable,” May said. “They are looking into the future.  They have done a great job of keeping down the size within this proposal.”

Valley is requesting, for the second time, a master-plan amendment that must be approved by both the Planning Board and Village Council. It is hoping to mushroom from 562,000 square feet to 995,000 square feet, plus an additional 245,000 square-foot parking garage. The new main building would stand 94 feet tall, including rooftop mechanicals.

Hospital administrators say the complex needs to expand to remain competitive in an area known for providing top-notch medical care.

The Planning Board hired May to give his expertise as a hospital planning consultant on Valley’s proposal after a year of hearings where they mainly heard the hospital’s experts talk about the benefit the larger hospital will be to the community. Valley has assured the board and residents that the larger facility will reduce traffic because outpatient services will be moved off campus and the larger buildings will not negatively impact the neighborhood.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-planning-board-consultant-favors-valley-hospital-expansion-1.745521#sthash.b3AXHmaz.dpuf