>“Open Letter” : It should clearly state that it was paid for by Valley, or it might mislead people
That’s fine that these guys are sending a letter out on behalf of Valley. However, it should clearly state that it was paid for by Valley, or it might mislead people.
I think it’s great that these guys volunteer at the hospital. That’s their perogative.
However, I know a ton of people in this town. 90% of people are against the expansion as it now stands. It’s not to say that they are all against expanding Valley, but not to the extreme buildout now contemplated.
I’d say that most residents fall into several buckets regarding the expansion:
1. Opposed to any expansion or change
2. Opposed to a 1.1m sq foot structure, 94 foot structure (double the height of any other structure in town) but potentially ok with something scaled back
3. Clueless about what’s going on or proposed
4. Nervous about the expansion but think it’s necessary
5. Gung ho about any expansion because it’s a hospital
I personally am in bucket 2 and so are many people I know.
When I look at Barclay’s letter and it says that they will construct attractive buildings with signfificant attention to landscape design, i laugh. How could they possibly disguise buildings of the size they are proposing by “landscaping”. I drive by Valley now and all trees are less than 30 feet. Even if there were room to plant Oak trees around, you can’t transplant large trees. And furthermore, the buildings will be so close to the street due to the 110% lot coverage they are proposing, you couldn’t hide them if you wanted to.
There are reasons why so many people I know across a broad cross section of town are against the expansion as it stands, and it is not just “property values”. These include virtual disenfranchisement from the decision process, change of neighborhood character, concern for the underlying undisclosed long-term plans for the hospital in a residential neighborhood, and finally the impact of a large hospital next to multiple schools.
If that makes me a NIMBY, then I am. You can’t make such a significant change to the town we choose to live in and raise our children in without full buy-in by the community.
Put it to a vote. If that is not possible, vote by proxy for the councilman that will ensure that our needs our heard.
Vote Wellinghorst.
-Thed.
