DECEMBER 6, 2014 LAST UPDATED: SATURDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2014, 1:21 AM
BY MARY JO LAYTON
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
The village of Ridgewood is asking a Bergen County judge to dismiss a lawsuit The Valley Hospital filed after its plan to nearly double in size was rejected, according to court documents filed this week.
The lawsuit, which hospital officials filed in October, targeted the Ridgewood Planning Board and the village, arguing the board illegally sided with neighborhood opponents rather than permitting a change in the hospital zone to upgrade “an inherently beneficial regional hospital.”
Valley’s expansion plans have been defeated twice in recent years and have triggered strong protest from some residents who spent more than $100,000 over several years to block the proposals.
https://www.northjersey.com/news/health-news/ridgewood-tries-to-halt-valley-suit-1.1147585
Let it play out in the courts and settle it, unless Ridgewood thinks it will lose.
Valley has already been shut down. Ridgewood has nothing to gain by going to court.
Valley’s already buying up the required properties in Paramus because they are pretty sure they will not ultimately succeed.
-Thed.
My only concern about the village and planning board winning this in court is Gail Price, the woman we as taxpayers pay to serve as the attorney for the planning board. She too often appears to be trying to help Valley. I don’t trust her to stop them.
Lets get it settled once and for all. Next is the CBD over building. This is the price we pay to keep Ridgewood the way it should be.
Read the past history people……
The property purchases in Paramus have nothing to do with the main campus expansion that WILL proceed as it has in the past after lawsuits were filed…..your fooling yourselfs if you think otherwise. Any third Party that reviews the process that the hospital was dragged through will side with them and the region as a whole will benefit from the expanded facilities. Time for the NIMBY’s to move along……it’s not all about YOU.
#1 – a motion to dismiss IS part of the legal system.
Thed – #2 – “Ridgewood has nothing to gain by going to court.” Really? If someone is trying to use the court against you, it is a bad idea to just ignore it.
#4: Ridgewood as it should be? Dying a slow death? Fading into the sunset? Not doing what it needs to do to cope with the challenges of the future? That’s not the future I want to leave to my children and grandchildren. That’s not the America of our forbears who worked hard to leave future generations a better America.
#5- Do you think(I doubt it) that maybe this judge will conclude, like almost everyone else has, that the request is no where near “reasonable ?” I mean even as a supporter who either works there, or has a relative/ friend who does, you have to admit that the overall benefit to Ridgewood is next to zero, and what they are asking for would be better off being placed in Paramus rather than here.
#8 (and I am not #5) I am very much against the expansion. However it is not clear how a judge will rule. A judge isn’t there to rule on what is best for Ridgewood or whether Valley could find a better place. They will rule on whether the legally defined process was followed. This will include whether the vote was paying attention to legal process and land use issues, or whether it was a decision based on popular appeal. Judge will certainly take legal issue of “inherently beneficial” into account. I hope Valley loses, but it is not a slam dunk.
YOU have concluded #8 , not everyone else, you. Saying that I work there is a pathetic attempt to narrow the narrative around the fact that only someone with a career at the hospital is going to benefit…. This is a classic
NIMBY tact. YOU are not going to stand in the way of progress because YOU made a mistake of buying a house on top of a medical facility. The benefit to Ridgewood and the region as a whole is unquestionable and ANY judge is going to see that. Call Caldwell banker tomorrow and move on…..your in the way of the rest of us.
unfortunately for you and Valley your reasoning was dispelled when Valley tried to keep Pascack Valley closed , check mate you lose and deservedly so , no institution has ever made such a mess of things as Valley alienating an entire community and pissing off half the county . I suggest new management and a new board for starts.
#6: “Thed – #2 – “Ridgewood has nothing to gain by going to court.” Really? If someone is trying to use the court against you, it is a bad idea to just ignore it.” — I don’t mean to ignore it but I agree that Ridgewood’s motion to dismiss is the right course of action.
#10 – what developers see as “progress” is usually whatever is in their own narrow interests (to make money and empire build in Valley’s case). For you to assume that all opponents are bought “there house on top of a medical facility” is a gross misstatement. Many of the opponents of this are all over the town, not just directly adjacent to the hospital (see the last election results). Just like the developers that want to create higher density housing downtown — it’s in their self interest because they’ll get more $. And, BTW, you don’t understand grammer either. It’s “you’re” not “your”.
-Thed.
#10 Read the comment carefully; I believe it says ” almost everyone.” And I would be willing to bet on the second statement.
As for the benefit to Ridgewood, and realizing the judge could also care less, you have yet to give one primarily because there are none.
To continue being a regional benefit, all they have to do is improve on what they have, not go nuts.
Anti Valley people can we have a little civility here. Right Lisa
One cannot ever predict the outcome of a judge or jury, so no matter which side wins or loses, there is an opportunity for appeal.
Apparently there is no ‘common ground’ to be had when both sides are so far apart on what they want.
If there was a compromise that would go a long way towards resolving this.
#12 I see what you did – very funny, “grammer”!
Too many other options and hospitals out there. There is no dire and pressing need for a mega hospital in this town.
Development pressure from valley and the condos will ruin the quality of life in this town.
Being against development and urbanization is not the same as standing in the way of progress.
Detriment, Detriment, and Detriment. I’d like to add, on a Bad Location, Location, Location.
Same for CDB housing….follow the master plan and the building rules. Build what is allowed for those sized properties.
Too much wasted time for greedy bully’s with money.