BY MARY JO LAYTON
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
The Valley Hospital’s proposed expansion moved closer to reality when a judge signed off on an agreement between the hospital and the Ridgewood Planning Board that eliminates a top floor from plans for the main building, but still permits the hospital to nearly double in size.
The ruling by state Superior Court Judge Lisa Perez Friscia remands the case to the Planning Board to hold hearings on the proposed 2016 master plan amendment beginning March 30 with a vote scheduled by April 7.
It marks the third time the issue, which has dominated village politics for a decade and consumed countless hours of public meetings, will come before the Planning Board.
And again, residents overwhelmingly agree the 451-bed hospital needs to renovate, even expand — the campus is dominated by 1960s-era buildings while competitors have built cancer centers, gleaming outpatient centers and even opened a hospital in Westwood. The sticking point is that the residents remain outraged at the size of the proposed buildings in the middle of a residential neighborhood.
The latest plan calls for eliminating 34,000 square feet from 995,000 square feet of proposed construction to modernize and provide all private rooms.
“It’s a minuscule reduction in square footage,” said Peter McKenna, president of Concerned Residents of Ridgewood. “I don’t know why the Planning Board felt compelled to accept this.”
The agreement was reached after several sessions with mediator Virginia Long, who retired from the New Jersey Supreme Court in 2012. Now that the case goes back to the board, Valley and the board can present witnesses, but it’s unclear how much latitude the board will have in the proceedings.
Board Attorney Gail Price could not be reached for comment Friday. McKenna said he was consulting with members of his organization to determine their strategy.
“It sounds like we’re going through the motions in having hearings,” McKenna said. “It doesn’t sound like there can be any meaningful change to the plan in the process.”
