Ridgewood planners set to vote on Valley Hospital’s expansion
JUNE 16, 2014 LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, JUNE 16, 2014, 2:09 PM
BY BARBARA WILLIAMS
STAFF WRITER
THfE RECORD
RIDGEWOOD — After 16 months of hearings, the Planning Board is set to vote Tuesday on The Valley Hospital’s proposal to nearly double in size, a project that has polarized the village and pitted the medical center against a vocal group of residents.
This round of hearings is the latest push in Valley’s eight-year effort to expand. The meetings have been heated, frequently tedious and sometimes downright ugly, with residents yelling and booing a combative attorney who represents the hospital.
“These meetings have all been one-sided — Valley’s side,” said Jody McCambridge. “I just hope they make a wise choice and keep the hospital the size it is now.”
Valley officials are seeking an amendment to the village master plan for the expansion. Their plan calls for the hospital to grow from 562,000 square feet to 995,000 square feet, with one building that will rise 94 feet high. The expansion will include a 245,000-square-foot parking garage.
Hospital executives declined to comment. Supporters of the project said the hospital needs to expand and renovate to keep current in a highly competitive market.
“You have to decide whether Ridgewood wants access to a first-class medical center,” Gene Cornell, president of Ridgewood Residents for Valley, told the Planning Board this month. “The need for renovation is clear.”
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/health-news/board-set-to-vote-on-valley-plan-1.1035834#sthash.m2tBpKDu.dpuf
As Nancy Reagan used to say — JUST SAY NO
“You have to decide whether Ridgewood wants access to a first-class medical center”…….Yes, I do, and I have access to HackensackUMC which is is in US News & World Report’s “top 3 NY Metro Hospitals” and #1 in NJ.
Of course, if I need a non-trauma emergency room, Valley is very convenient. My children were born there, and I have no complaint with Valley’s services – but to imply without this massive build I won’t have access to very good care is not true. If I desire or need “first class care”, I’ll go into the city.