Ridgewood faces new debate on Valley Hospital expansion
Thursday March 7, 2013, 11:42 PM
BY MARY JO LAYTON
STAFF WRITER
The Record
The Valley Hospital’s new expansion plans are dividing Ridgewood again along predictable fault lines, with opponents and supporters bracing for months of hearings while the long-term future of the hospital hangs in the balance.
Experts for Valley are expected to appear before the Planning Board on Monday to detail the project, which would expand the hospital from 570,000 square feet, to 910,000 square feet, excluding parking, and bring years of construction to the residential neighborhood.
At sporting events and school drop-offs and after religious services, there’s a collective lament throughout the village, no matter which side is doing the talking: Here we go again. After years of sometimes raucous meetings — the first expansion plan was presented to the Village Council in 2006 and this one is not significantly different — residents are steeling themselves for more hours of testimony on setbacks, traffic reports and the merits of single-patient rooms and larger diagnostic areas.
OK, she is officially clueless. From the Bergen Record today:
“Councilwoman Gwenn Hauck said she has been unfairly tagged as a Valley supporter because of her past work as a vice president of the Valley Hospital auxiliary. Before she joined the council, she testified at a hearing in support of the hospital”
VP of a volunteer organization and she does not know why she is seen as a Valley supporter? And, oh yeah, she spoke in support of the expansion at a public meeting. In spite of that she does not know why she is seen as a valley supporter! Ditz
Say Good-Bye to Ridgewood, as we know it, McMansion of Valley seems nearer? After years of discussions, now the town, must drop everything and vote before June the 30th? Really?
The hospital sits on a 15 acre site in the middle of a residential neighborhood and next to a middle school. Valley, is claiming that they’ve made this more appealing? Really? Going from four stories of parking to five? Their appealing makes no sense, as does this over expansion. Same plans with some more lipstick? Really?
We are all for a state-of the-art facility with single patient rooms. Just do it with minimal setbacks and building height. If you can’t achieve what you think you need then expand at your Paramus facility! Don’t ruin Ridgewood. You have options Valley, you need to really re-think your plans. You have Pascack Valley as a huge competitor now. Maybe your scope should really properly be adjusted? Valley Hospital, can thrive as a “Community Hospital” and is not endangered as they like us to think.
Valley Hospital now, puts a huge strain on Ridgewood. Doubling the size will double our problems..more traffic, more police, and more taxes. Remember Valley is NOT for profit and pays no taxes. Hey, they just started paying for water.
#2 you were reading my mind but expressed the thoughts far more eloquently!
In what ways is this proposal different from the last one?
Hauck, I believe is a Habernackle, hiding behind her husband’s name. She should also recuse herself based on her family’s past associations with Valley? Gwenn, hopefully someone will tell you what this means?????
So here comes Valley, Again and Again, until they get what they want. They don’t have a bandage big enough to stop stop the bleeding this expansion will cause to this town.
Maybe it will go this way…Planning board says yes and it gets this current council. Pucciarelli, is recused, so no vote here. Hauck, votes yes, but should have recused herself, however this is the only reason she’s on council. Riche and Walsh, should both be no’s….Aronsohn, is such a flip flopper, it’s anyones guess? If he votes yes, we have a 2-2 tie. Now what? Judge Carver, breaks the tie? Oh, that can’t be good. Let’s just let the town vote…
Mrs. Hauck needs to recuse herself on the matter of the Valley Hospital expansion. She has been a very public representative of the Hospital for years and her family has either contributed or helped raise millions for Valley during that time.
We deserve decision makers that will objectively weigh the positive and negative impacts of Valley’s proposed expansion and there is simply no way for anyone to expect Mrs. Hauck to be objective.
Hauck must recuse.
Hauak will recuse herself only if her handlers tell her to.
I just wounder if Mrs. Hauck is up to the challenge of Valley hospital after all she is way to busy with gun control and senior citizens luncheons
Its seems that poster on this subject are jumping the gun and going right for the Council. Residents should be concerned with the the Planning Broad and any new appoints made by the DREAM TEAM and their connection with Valley Hospital. Foe CRR just a word of caution. “You have more then one fox in you hen house”
If hauck votes there should be a lawsuit against the council. If she is dumb enough to vote then the council is responsible for her conflict of interest. It is shocking that she does not understand what a conflict is. He dad took out full page ads for her election, maybe she owes him a “yes” vote.
I think that the offspring are interested in naming another building after the family. It is not just the Habernackles. There are other Ridgewood “children” looking for family naming rights at valley.
I agree we need to be more concerned at the moment about the new people on the planning board. There are only 3 holdover the only no vote and two yes votes. You also have Ms. Price leading the group and we already know her position.
The question that needs to be answered this time is not how to fit this expansion on the 15 acres but IF WE SHOULD allow the expansion and if so how much to allow. just because Valley the business wants to expand there is no reason that Ridgewood the Village has to allow this.
Is lack of strategic planning by Valley’s management Ridgewood’s problem?
If she get sued then the taxpayers will foot the bill. She and Valley have nothing to lose.
Thank God my kids are out of BF….what a mess that area of town is.
Will the village have any experts of their own? Or, will we only rely on the skewed experts hired by Valley? Including the new traffic reports taken on a holiday and then a week that the schools were closed. Those should clearly reflect the true daily traffic on Van Dien and Linwood…
Hello. the vote according to Judge Carver needs to be before June 30th? Anyone have an issue with this? I see a RUSH to vote as a huge NO for Valley? How can you do due diligence by then? YOU CAN’T so vote is either NO or extended. Prolonged extended studies are fine. Keeps delaying Valley and their ignorance.
YES IGNORANCE, on VALLEY’s part! While you’ve been fighting with Ridgewood for an unfair expansion: Hackensack Hospital, has purchased Pascack Valley and will be opened before you even break ground. Valley, has proceeded in a pig headed manner. Expecting this town to lie down for their requirements which are so unreasonable. There are so many other options they should have taken. First, they should have purchased Pascack Valley. Second, they should explain why they can’t expand at their Paramus location which is a much more appealing location for their future needs. Valley, are you listening? Ask for 700,000 sf in Ridgewood and watch your height. Renew within and privitize your rooms, your not going to need as many now due to Pascack Valley, so don’t over expand. You have plenty of money so don’t waste it. Stop driving that fear of endangered species. We’ll go under if we can’t do this? Nonsense, you have better options and you’re not trapped here on this site, like The Record article said. Your just trapped from over expanding here. GO to Paramus for the changes you require. Do not strain Ridgewood with more police, fire, trafiic, and higher taxes. I don’t even want PILOT. You shouldn’t be able to leverage a planning board, village council, or judge to over expand your structure on this site. I think the Rolling Stones song should be the theme here: “You can’t always get what you want”! Please stop trying beacuse it’s not what Ridgewood needs!
700,000 sf is still too much for that site.
Valley was told two expansions ago that they were too large for the property and that they should look elsewhere for any expansion. Yet they came back once more and was told that they could expand only if they took down Kraft house. Next they tried to buy Bf fields but the citizens put a stop to that with a loud “No Way”. Next came “Renewal” and the Planning bord said sure but the council said nay and CRR put the icing on the Master Plan amendment and here we go again. Clearly what needs to happen is the citizens need to come out in force and say “No Way”. We have had enough and we do not have to solve Valley’s business problem. They have had nearly 20 years to figure this out and their business model should not be based on bullying the town into becoming a city.