Reader says the Valley Expansion is a townwide issue. It’s not just the direct neighbors of the hospital
Thed
While there will be benefits to improving the hospital, we must remember that Valley is a business and is significantly concerned with expanding its empire to generate more money for Audrey et al. I feel that if Valley wants to improve, it should reduce the number of rooms/size, and therefore will require less parking expansion etc.
In any event, neighbors have a right to protect their families, their neighborhood’s character, and the value of their property.
I seem to remember the neighbors of the water tank in the heights arguing that the tank was going to be too large. They got that significantly scaled back. And a water tank does not generate traffic and other externalities.
Single rooms are NOT required. Only NEW rooms are required to be single. Valley has proven itself to not be trustworthy. I wouldn’t take their word on what it takes to run a hospital as they talk out of both sides of their mouths — on one hand, they said that PV shouldn’t reopen because there are too many beds and overcapacity, and now that it’s open, they see no need to scale back their monstrosity.
We should not trust what Valley says is right or necessary just because they say it – they have their own self interest at heart. They have not negotiated in good faith and have left the bulk of the expansion unchanged. They are in a constrained location that will only cause them problems in the future if they need to further expand — so why do it now and here??
I’m not making it an east or west issue. I am simply stating to those that are saying that this is a NIMBY issue are often hypocritical when it comes to projects near them.
And, by the way, I’m sure that the Heights users are more of a drain on the water system with larger lawns etc. than others. Just sayin’
Why would you try and make this an East side vs West side issue? Since YOU brought up the heights and the water tank I’ll clarify. The homes in the heights pay a hell of a lot more in taxes than those in the lawns. My friend on Crest pays over $83,000 per year which is the same amount as TEN homes in the lawns. So quit whining, we are subsidizing your presence here. And if we have a larger water bill for the larger lawn, its billed accordingly. What kind of whining will you people think of next!
The water usage wasn’t the point. That was in response to another commenter from a previous thread.
The point I was trying to make is that people are making it sound like it’s only the critics of the Valley expansion that are vocal — it’s everywhere/one.
Whether it’s the expansion of the water tank, the creation of the Habernickel Field, the proposed Schedler field, the proposed downtown monstrosities, there will always people that get impacted. The people that do get impacted have every right to oppose these developments.
What is the point of Planning/Zoning if entities are just going to run roughshod over the process to get what they want? This isn’t Houston which has little/no zoning laws–where you might have a strip club next to a nursery school. We have the Master Plan and zoning for a reason.
We do not need to give in and allow Valley to double just because they want to do it.
Thed.
Anyone who thinks this is anything but an issue for all of Ridgewood to be concerned about has their head in the wrong place. To change a town’s Master Plan to accommodate an entity that relatively few people will actually have a need for is borderline absurd.
What is truly ridiculous is putting something this big in the middle(almost) of a town of 25,000 plus people. You really have to ask yourself, “Why”?
It’s ridiculous that we as residents have had to be on the defensive against changing the master plan for almost 10 years. We didn’t start this — Valley did.
Should we just roll over and give in? NO!
The proposed expansion is too large and out of character with the neighborhood and the Village.
You can thank our current judge for this mess. He is the one, who got the change that allows an entity to seek a changes to the master plan to their own benefit and then would not recuse himself from the Valley mess.
I have children who attend the GW middle school. Out of curiosity, I attended a few Valley meetings and have been extremely saddened and upset over what I have heard. I would move, sell my house or transfer my child to a safer environment (like GW) if possible. The thought of sending my kids to BF where they could be exposed to a major, 6 year, massive construction project is mind boggling. What parent would ever chose to expose their child to something this questionable? Experts hired by Valley claim the air / environment will be safe….Remember the 9/11 workers who were told the air was safe during the clean up? So many of those families have ended up burying loved ones. They trusted their experts and government, only to find out years later, they were misled. Blind faith is never a good plan, especially when you are dealing with children. Construction workers, Valley doctors, nurses and even patients all have a choice as to where they want to work / be treated. Children do not have a choice. Children have to go to the public school that is closest to their homes. Little, young developing lungs that need to run and play outside before, during and after school, should not be exposed to a demolition / construction project of this scale. The risks are too questionable. All of the children in this town should be allowed to switch to healthier, safer schools. Can Valley build an alternate middle school that will exist for the next 20 years? I believe one of the experts said it will take 2 decades to complete the whole Valley expansion.Can GW fit all of the BF population on it’s property? I guess we could rent mobile class units…. For every person that feels detached or uninterested (as I once did), put your child in that school for the next few years. Imagine your child inhaling fine particles of carcinogens and diesel exhaust. Personally, I cannot imagine this for my own children. I would never send them to BF (knowing what could be in store). Our Village should carefully consider what they would be allowing. Is it worth it? Who are you serving as a governing body? Your community? Your children? We are not a community unless we look out for and protect one another. The entire town needs to get involved in this very important issue. It will effect all of us and all of our children, in one way or another….