Tag: Valley Hospital

Posted on by — 4 Comments

Reader says the Morristown case is a clear precedent for Valley, USE IT

valley_hospital_theridgewoodblog

Reader says the Morristown case is a clear precedent for Valley, USE IT

Why the Council hasn’t been protecting Village taxpayers is just stunning in the failure to uphold their fiduciary responsibility. Now they have a court ruling that establishes CLEAR precedent to go after Valley’s not-for-profit tax status and force them to pay the +$4.3 million they should be paying annually based on assessed value of their properties in Ridgewood, and yet they’d rather argue about an HR hiring and a parking garage that should be paid for in a public private partnership with the business owners in the CBD. Wake up and go after Valley, and stop pandering to biz owners. Taxpayers deserve your immediate attention to these issues, which can bring in millions in new revenue. Otherwise they’re not doing their job to protect the interests of tax paying Villagers.

Morristown just put in the effort for us, all you need to do is cut & paste and change the name of the defendant from “Morristown” to “Valley”. The Morristown ruling establishes clear precedent, it’s a lay-up tailor made for Ridgewood vs. Valley. They pay their supposedly “not-for-profit” CEO $2 mm a year but pay no Village taxes. But our Council has a bunch of people trying to start knife fights while our house is on fire. Very, very damning of the current five.

It would be great to see Ms. Hauck use her relationships and actually stand up against Valley Hospital and ask them to 1) drop their lawsuit; and 2) pay for the municipal services they consume like police, fire and snow removal. Or suggest that we use the Morristown Medical Center court ruling that it should pay property taxes on virtually all of its property in town, and go after Valley to pay property taxes in Ridgewood on ALL of their property. How can they argue they are a NOT-for-profit when they are paying their CEO $2 million a year and expanding in an arms race to become a “hospital system” with other regional hospitals? I would have a much stronger view of Ms. Hauck’s independence if she supported either of the above ideas without any form of quid pro quo on Valley’s expansion plans in Ridgewood .

If anything, Ms. Hauck is probably advising them on how to make sure it doesn’t happen. With no background or interest in public service except raising money for Valley, and no knowledge of how it works or most of the issues, she agreed (not decided–agreed–was invited–I know this) to run for council solely to help Valley–I would be a lot on that–in exchange for being the third vote for anything Aronsohn wanted. And she had to agree not to attend the social functions she had enjoyed for many years. This is conjecture, not inside information. It just makes sense.

When 2 of the 3 Council majority members are publicly pro-Valley? Where the 3 council bosom buddies always vote in a block (hmm, how do they do that without meeting illegally?)? When the Council majority doesn’t even allow discussion on an issue if they already have the votes to get their way?

Valley is not only going to continue to get a free pass from this Council – wait until they cut a deal on the Valley lawsuit that lets them double in size and still pay no taxes. We are going to be paying for the damage these 3 Council members have done for a generation.

Posted on by — 11 Comments

Reader says given the recent court rulings on non profit hospitals maybe its time to visit a PILOT program for Valley Hospital

valley_hospital_theridgewoodblog

A PILOT program has been discussed and quickly pushed under the table several times. Perhaps a lawsuit directed at Valley would do the trick?
I am not anti-Valley (I prefer a modified, reasonable expansion, including locations on Rte 17NS). I believe Valley is an important part of our community. But I have never quite understood how they can be classified as a non-profit. To be fair, I think to expect them to pay +$4mio in taxes is aggressive. But clearly they are a consumer of Village services? Clearly “we” subsidize their activities through our own taxes. So there must be a compromise somewhere, i.e. the PILOT program.

I don’t like the idea of another lawsuit. It’s not productive. But the fact that Valley is suing the Village absolutely dips into our pockets, as the VOR has to pay legal fees. So where does it end? Regardless of where you stand on the Valley Expansion, I think it is reasonable to expect Valley to pay its fair share for the use of Village services.
Posted on by — 6 Comments

Hospital’s tax ruling could have ripple effect

valley_hospital_theridgewoodblog

JULY 1, 2015, 11:47 PM    LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015, 11:48 PM
BY LINDY WASHBURN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

A ruling in state tax court that has taken away the property-tax exemption of a major medical center because it operates more like a for-profit business than a charitable institution could have implications for other non-profit hospitals around the state if the municipalities that host them seek to collect property taxes.

Judge Vito Bianco declared in a closely watched opinion that Morristown Medical Center failed “to qualify for property tax exemption” for three years beginning in 2006. The case has been in the court system for the better part of a decade. It is unclear how the ruling applies to later years.

Non-profit hospitals have changed a lot since their origins as “charitable alms houses providing free basic medical treatment to the infirm poor,” he said, likening Morristown’s business model to that of its “new for-profit competitors.” Eight hospitals statewide currently are owned by for-profit companies, with two more due to be acquired at the end of this month. These investor-owned facilities pay taxes, unless they negotiate tax abatements with local authorities.

Like the for-profits, “today’s non-profit hospitals have evolved into labyrinthine corporate structures, intertwined with both non-profit and for-profit subsidiaries and unaffiliated corporate entities,” Bianco wrote. They “generate significant revenue and pay their professionals salaries that are competitive even by for-profit standards.”

https://www.northjersey.com/news/hospital-s-tax-ruling-could-have-ripple-effect-1.1366632

Posted on by — 4 Comments

Valley Hospital : A Step Closer to a Blood Test for Lung Cancer

valley_hospital_theridgewoodblog

Valley Hospital Researchers Leverage Their Success in Discovering a Pancreatic Cancer Biomarker to Identify a Better Way to Screen for Lung Cancer
June 30th 2015

Ridgewood NJ, The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, NJ, is pleased to announce that two of its oncologists and a research scientist are helping pave the way to an easier, more accurate, less invasive way to screen for the most common form of lung cancer. Lung cancer is the most common cancer in men worldwide and the number one cancer killer in the United States.

Ganepola A. P. Ganepola, M.D., FACS, medical director of research for Valley’s Okonite Research Center and director of Valley’s Center for Cancer Research and Genomic Medicine; Robert J. Korst, M.D., FACS, FCCP, medical director of Valley’s Blumenthal Cancer Center; and David H. Chang, Ph.D., research scientist at the Center for Cancer Research and Genomic Medicine in Paramus, NJ, collaborated with the Wistar Institute in Philadelphia on the study, led by their scientist Qihong Huang, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor in the Tumor Microenvironment and Metastasis Program. The findings were published online by the journal Oncotarget.

The team discovered a protein that circulates in the blood that appears to be more accurate than the current method of low-dose CT scans for detecting non-small cell lung cancer. The research built on the success of a study Dr. Ganepola led previously that discovered a biomarker for pancreatic cancer. Valley began biomarker research approximately six years ago “before the word biomarker was common,” he said. “Our research on pancreatic cancer made a significant contribution to medical research and with Wistar’s support, we used the exact same approach for the lung cancer study.”

“Without the samples provided by Valley Hospital, this study would have been impossible to complete,” said Dr. Huang. “They are excellent collaborators and we’re looking forward to continuing this partnership in our next trial, which we hope will confirm the important findings we made in this initial pilot study.”

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends an annual screening for patients 55 to 80 years old with a history of smoking and who are at high risk for developing lung cancer. Confirming the accuracy of the protein, AKAP4, in a broader, more robust study could result in developing a simple blood test for annual screenings, rather than the less accurate, more expensive CT scan, which exposes patients to radiation.

“Cancer is a dreadful disease which kills more than half of patients,” said Dr. Ganepola. “The other half survives for only one reason – if the disease is detected early enough to be eradicated completely. This is only possible if you have a test that can detect cancer non-invasively early enough so patients can benefit from early, rather than late-stage treatment. If the tumors are detected early enough, the survival rate can dramatically improve from less than 5 percent to over 55 percent in lung and pancreatic cancers.”

The achievements in cancer studies stem from Valley’s superior research facilities and the caliber of its staff, the practicing oncology surgeon said. “Our advanced capabilities can meet the high demand cancer research required to care for cancer patients at all levels. Our early research on metastatic colon cancer is considered among the best in the world and we maintain that lead today.”

Dr. Ganepola is excited about the future of genetic research and protein analysis. “Cancer is basically a genetic disease, but not usually inherited from birth. Ninety percent of cancers are acquired as mutations of the genome, consisting of DNA and RNA molecules. If you look at DNA-RNA-protein, the axis of all biological growth, protein is very important and will lead as a cancer biomarker in the next five to 10 years as technology advances.”

The Valley Hospital and The Wistar Institute team plan to validate their lung cancer research results in a larger study involving more than 800 blood samples from various hospitals. “Our partnership with Wistar is a good example of collaborative research in which two institutions work together for the good of patients,” Dr. Ganepola said.

Posted on by — 7 Comments

Readers say Morristown Memorial Hospital Decision suggest Valley should be paying taxes in Ridgewood

valley_hospital_theridgewoodblog

Morristown Medical Center should pay property taxes on virtually all of its 40-acre property in town, a tax court judge ruled Friday in a decision closely watched by other hospitals across New Jersey. https://www.nj.com/morris/index.ssf/2015/06/morristown_medical_center_loses_tax_case_raising_f.html#incart_river

Based on the recent ruling by a tax judge regarding Morristown Memorial Hospital and paying taxes on the property they own in that town, why should Valley continue not paying taxes in Ridgewood ? How is Valley not paying taxes on all of their properties “serving Ridgewood?”

This is just what Valley did not want to hear…and what we’ve been clamoring about for years based on Valley’s behavior. Ridgewood should use this ruling as leverage to convince Valley to drop it’s current lawsuit and adjust it’s growth plans to something reasonable based on its footprint in a heavily residential area.

Can you imagine how much this town would have benefited from Valley paying even a quarter of what they could have over the years ? Instead, they’ve decided to bite the hand that has fed them and file suit.Two words: greed and arrogance.

Posted on by — 13 Comments

Morristown hospital loses property tax court case; judge says facility does not meet non-profit status

valley_hospital_theridgewoodblog

By Tim Darragh | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Email the author | Follow on Twitter
on June 26, 2015 at 7:50 PM

Morristown Medical Center should pay property taxes on virtually all of its 40-acre property in town, a tax court judge ruled Friday in a decision closely watched by other hospitals across New Jersey.

Tax Court Judge Vito Bianco ruled that the hospital failed to meet the legal test that it operated as a non-profit, charitable organization for the tax years 2006 through 2008. Only the auditorium, fitness center and the visitors’ garage should not be assessed for property taxes, he said.

The decision, the hospital’s attorneys have said previously, could cost it $2.5 million to $3 million a year. The ruling applies only to the medical center’s property taxes, not to its federal tax status as a non-profit.

Other non-profits in New Jersey, especially hospitals and universities, have been concerned about the case, fearing that a ruling for the town – which also is in court for property taxes from the hospital for 2009 through 2015 — could encourage host municipalities to challenge their property tax exemptions as well.

https://www.nj.com/morris/index.ssf/2015/06/morristown_medical_center_loses_tax_case_raising_f.html#incart_river

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Valley Hospital researchers say early lung cancer test shows promise

valley_hospital_theridgewoodblog

JUNE 24, 2015, 10:12 PM    LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24, 2015, 10:14 PM
BY MARY JO LAYTON
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

Researchers at The Valley Hospital and a private lab have developed a blood test that they hope will someday help to detect early-stage lung cancer when it’s most treatable, officials said this week.

If the preliminary findings are replicated in a larger study, oncologists may have a cheaper, less invasive and more accurate test to diagnose the leading cause of cancer deaths in men and women in the nation.

The research focuses on identifying biomarkers — such as a certain protein in the blood — to screen for cancer at the molecular level.

The field of study under way at the Ridgewood hospital and in many other institutions nationwide is known as precision medicine. Researchers hope that it will radically change the way disease is detected, how drugs are developed, and how treatment can be tailored to an individual based on a patient’s genetic makeup to prevent side effects and yield better results.

“It’s detected early so the chemotherapy and radiation can better target the cancer,” said Dr. Ganepola A.P. Ganepola, director of the Center for Cancer Research and Genomic Medicine at Valley, who developed the blood test with the Wistar Institute, a private lab based in Philadelphia.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/valley-hospital-researchers-say-early-lung-cancer-test-shows-promise-1.1362168

Posted on by — 2 Comments

Politics, lobbying canceled out early support for medical-billing reform in Trenton

Trenton_New_Jersey

JUNE 14, 2015, 11:24 PM    LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, JUNE 14, 2015, 11:32 PM
BY LINDY WASHBURN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

To the Democratic lawmakers who worked for months on a measure to protect patients from surprise medical bills and solve the problem of New Jersey’s uncontrolled out-of-network health care costs, it looked like momentum and public support were building.

They’d heard from all sides — hospitals, physicians, insurers and consumers — starting last fall at three public hearings. They worked over the winter with health-policy experts to produce a bill. After its introduction last month, they listened to feedback for eight hours on the day before a holiday weekend. They revised the measure in an effort to address concerns.

But last week, the Democratic sponsors couldn’t even get their bill voted out of committee in the state Senate when they failed to get the support of members of their own party. A hearing scheduled for today before an Assembly committee has been scuttled. Any action before fall is unlikely.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/politics-lobbying-canceled-out-early-support-for-medical-billing-reform-in-trenton-1.1355764

Posted on by — 7 Comments

Hospital should get the message

valley_hospital_theridgewoodblog

Regarding “Ridgewood must face suit filed by hospital” (Page L-1, June 2):

Once again, the Valley Hospital debacle raises its ugly head in Ridgewood. How many times do we residents have to vote down the prospect of this expansion in our village?

All this wasted energy and money. What a shame. Leave the hospital as is and build any needed larger facilities on any of the other lands Valley owns. I don’t think many would mind going to another facility, even out of the village, to have diagnostics or testing done. The village has spoken loud and clear. Valley should give it up.

Thomas Jones

Ridgewood, June 2

https://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-letters-to-the-editor/the-record-letters-friday-june-5-1.1349841?page=all

Posted on by — Leave a comment

N.J. hospitals among highest billing, data show

valley_hospital_theridgewoodblog

N.J. hospitals among highest billing, data show

JUNE 1, 2015, 11:09 PM    LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, JUNE 1, 2015, 11:12 PM
BY LINDY WASHBURN AND DAVE SHEINGOLD
STAFF WRITERS |
THE RECORD

Two for-profit Hudson County hospitals charge more than any other medical centers in the nation to treat patients for some of the most common diagnoses, according to Medicare data released Monday. One — CarePoint-Bayonne Medical Center — ranked as among the nation’s most expensive for the third year in a row.

The hospitals are owned by CarePoint Health, a group of three private investors that bought them at bankruptcy, stabilized their finances and invested in physical improvements. About 7 percent of the 300,000 patients treated at the chain — which also includes Christ Hospital in Jersey City and Hoboken University Medical Center — actually is billed those charges, according to CarePoint’s CEO, Dennis Kelly.

But that number is expected to climb as Christ Hospital on Monday ended its contract with Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, the state’s largest insurance plan, and will no longer accept Horizon’s in-network rates as payment in full.

The federal government’s release of the data was timely, as a New Jersey Assembly committee on Monday considered a proposed law to rein in so-called out-of-network fees charged to patients and insurers by hospitals and doctors who do not accept the contracted rates of some insurance plans.

Monday’s data release showed how much 3,000 hospitals nationwide charge Medicare — the government insurance program for those over 65 — for the 100 most common diagnoses. While Medicare pays only a fraction of those charges, the hospitals use those numbers as the basis for their out-of-network charges to insurers and patients.

The data show that Bayonne charged more than any other hospital in the country for 29 of the 100 most common diagnoses, and ranked in the top three for 45 of those diagnoses. Christ Hospital was in the top three for 15 of the 20 most common diagnoses.

Bayonne’s charges for treating heart failure, for example, averaged more than $197,000 — the highest in the country and more than 19 times Medicare’s average payment to the hospital of $10,350. Christ Hospital ranked fourth in the country for the same diagnosis, at $177,620.

In another example, Christ Hospital’s charge for treating a stroke averaged $173,000 — the highest in the country and nearly 17 times Medicare’s payment of $10,241. Bayonne’s charge was second-highest in the country, at $153,740. The data were based on Medicare patients treated in 2013.

Kelly, the CarePoint CEO, defended those bills. Without the ability to charge such rates, or to receive higher reimbursements from insurance networks, he said, “Our safety net hospitals risk closure. Being out-of-network is not a business strategy, it’s a survival strategy.”

The data also revealed the huge range of Medicare charges among New Jersey hospitals for various procedures, including hip or knee replacement surgery, the most common procedure analyzed.

At The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood and St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Paterson for example, hospital charges for major joint-replacement surgery and related costs were just under $54,000 — only four times what Medicare paid those hospitals. At Hackensack University Medical Center, the charges were $70,387; at Englewood Hospital Medical Center, $82,864; and at CarePoint Bayonne Medical Center, $192,657. Meadowlands Hospital Medical Center in Secaucus did not have enough cases for the government to release its average.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/n-j-hospitals-among-highest-billing-data-show-1.1346911

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Out-of-network medical bills a costly shock in N.J.

valley_hospital_theridgewoodblog

MAY 31, 2015    LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2015, 9:38 AM
BY LINDY WASHBURN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

They were moments of crisis for each family. A newborn who wasn’t breathing was rushed to intensive care. A 15-year-old skier who wiped out on a slope in the Catskills needed surgery to reconstruct his shoulder. A 65-year-old insurance agent who survived a heart attack needed urgent bypass surgery to clear his arteries.

The stress didn’t stop once these medical crises passed, however. Within a few weeks, each family received an unexpected medical bill.

They had been savvy enough to follow their insurers’ rules and choose in-network hospitals to maximize their coverage and minimize their out-of-pocket costs. But one or more of the physicians who took care of them — and over whom they had no choice — did not participate in their insurance network.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/out-of-network-medical-bills-a-costly-shock-in-n-j-1.1345737

Posted on by — 9 Comments

Valley Hospital : What Ever Happened to the “Crown Jewel “of Ridgewood ?

valley_hospital_theridgewoodblog

May 27,2015
readers and the staff of the Ridgewood blog

“James, you have been anti Valley from the get go. Arrogance? What arrogance? The patience and dignity that the Valley has shown in the face of all the petty attacks it has been subjected to by narrow-minded critics is the embodiment of Grace and Dignity. The Ancient Greeks defined beauty as grace ubder presure. By that count Valley is one beautiful organization. And yes, it is the Crown Jewel of Ridgewood.” Rurik Halaby

It’s interesting how the developers, Valley and the unions are all the same in trying to bully Villagers, and foist their unsustainable plans on Village taxpayers. Valley consumes Village services for free and apparently wants ever more, the developers want densities that will burden our schools, water, sewerage and transportation infrastructure, and the unions want us to pay for CBAs that offer excessive wages and benefits to people in their early 50s and 60s even though we’re all living longer. The common denominator here is “screw taxpayers” who are too busy commuting and raising kids to notice. Enough is enough, we’re being taxed to death. No more.

Ordinance 3066 = Pfund’s Folly was just to allow Valley to try and railroad the Village that built Valley in the first place. Audrey and her board are out of touch, and would be well advised to find new people less interested in Hospital system “empire building” and more interested in being a good neighbor and paying a PILOT for all of the Village services they consume; instead they are suing the same Village who without its good graces, Valley wouldn’t exist in the first place. Shameless behavior and this blog has been right to highlight it.

Tell me, do you think that once the “Grace and Dignity” group gets past the lawsuit they filed against the town that has been taking care of them since 1951, they just might consider taking the “Crown Jewel” and moving it to an area that could better house the monstrosity they want to build here ? I mean, let’s face it, if your “world class” in Ridgewood why can’t you be the same in say, Mahwah ?

The truth is the hospital shot it self in the foot with a lot of arrogant very bad decision making , bad management at its finest , The details of which have been spelled out on this blog over and over ad nauseam . Bad plan ,poorly executed ,leads to disastrous results ie , HUMC might make a run at buying Valley.

Posted on by — 2 Comments

Data Breach at Valley Raises Serious Concerns

valley_hospital_theridgewoodblog

May 26,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, According to the Record updated article ..Last updated: Friday, May 22, 2015, 3:49 PM
“On Friday, hospital officials stressed that their internal records were safe; only the personal information that had been given to the outside billing company by the physician groups who staff their ERs had been compromised. The hospitals were not responsible for hiring the outside billing company.”

So Valley states that their records are safe but your personal billing and credit information was compromised.

Acording to the US Depatment of Health and Human services ; The Office for Civil Rights enforces the HIPAA Privacy Rule, ( The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Privacy, Security and Breach Notification Rules )
which protects the privacy of individually identifiable health information; the HIPAA Security Rule, which sets national standards for the security of electronic protected health information; the HIPAA Breach Notification Rule, which requires covered entities and business associates to provide notification following a breach of unsecured protected health information; and the confidentiality provisions of the Patient Safety Rule, which protect identifiable information being used to analyze patient safety events and improve patient safety.

So were these third parties in HIPPA compliance and was it HIPPA compliant to share the patient info to begin with?

“All of those were who affected have been notified, said Valley spokeswoman Maureen Curran Kleinman.”

“If you got a letter, Valley recommends that you follow the instructions in the letter – secure your free credit protection,’’ she said. “If you didn’t get a letter, you are not at risk.’’

Article also says “Officials at Holy Name and Englewood Hospital said 1,500 patients at each of their hospitals received warning letters from Medical Management about the breach. ..”Valley, which treats about 73,000 patients in its ER each year, did not provide a number.’”

So the question remains , DID Valley send notice letters of this breach or NOT?? to affected patients in its ER from Feb 2013 to Mar 2015?? Haven’t received any notice, and we’ve used Valley ER 4 times during 2013 to 2014. Dose the breach extend to ALL of Valley Health Care Systems??

One attorney Joseph R. Santoli, Esq contacted us and said he is  handling the data breach case from my Ridgewood law office. 201-926-9200 .

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Ridgewood planners on board with changes to ordinance

valley_hospital_theridgewoodblog

MAY 22, 2015    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

The revised version of Ordinance No. 3066 was presented to the Planning Board on Tuesday to give members a chance to comment before it is sent back to the Village Council.

The amendments were prepared by a subcommittee of village officials and presented to the council on May 6. The governing body decided it would be best for the Planning Board to weigh in before introducing the ordinance.

The purpose of the ordinance is to strengthen certain provisions that already exist and to revise the process by which an applicant seeks a master plan amendment. The revisions clearly define the Planning Board’s flexibility in deciding how and when to proceed with an application.

Officials began considering revisions due to a community debate that took place last year over the ordinance’s perceived role in the master plan amendment applications received by the board, with some saying it allowed Valley Hospital and outside developers to take over the Planning Board process, said Mayor Paul Aronsohn.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/plannerson-board-with-new-changes-1.1340532

 

Posted on by — 1 Comment

Ridgewood making changes to controversial ordinance No. 3066 known by many as ” Pfunds Folly “

unnamed-12

Ridgewood making changes to controversial ordinance

MAY 15, 2015    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

Arguably one of the village’s most well-known ordinances has been amended to address concerns dealing with some of its language.

The amendment was presented to the Village Council last week.

Ordinance No. 3066, which sets forth the fees and processes involved in applying for an amendment to the master plan or development regulations, was originally passed in July 2007. The ordinance has become the subject of controversy as many believe it enabled the multiple master plan amendment applications that have dominated the agenda at Planning Board meetings.

Part of the basis of revising Ordinance 3066 was to ensure that the Village of Ridgewood is in full ownership of its master plan document and retains the exclusive right to amend it, said Councilwoman Susan Knudsen.

“We own this document, it is our policy document,” she said. “The prevailing concept throughout this revised ordinance is this is our master plan.”

A committee consisting of Knudsen, Mayor Paul Aronsohn, Planning Board Chairman Charles Nalbantian, Vice Chairman Richard Joel, Village Planner Blais Brancheau, and Planning Board attorney Gail Price has been working for the past couple months to differentiate between a typical development application and a master plan amendment.

By state law, a site plan, subdivision or variance application forces the Planning Board, or the Board of Adjustment in some cases, to act on them within a certain period of time and go immediately to a hearing process.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/changes-in-store-for-controversial-village-ordinance-1.1335079