The Valley Hospital introduces revised expansion plan at public hearing
Monday March 11, 2013, 11:13 PM
BY MARY JO LAYTON
STAFF WRITER
The Record
RIDGEWOOD — The Valley Hospital plans to move some outpatient services to new locations and eliminate one underground floor of a proposed new building to ease the impact of construction under a new “smaller” expansion plan, a lawyer for the hospital testified at a public hearing on Monday night.
The attorney, Jonathan Drill, told the Ridgewood Planning Board that the proposed 910,000 square feet of floor space at the new hospital represents a 21 percent decrease from the previous proposal of 1.17 million square feet. The revised plan also reduces the amount of bedrock that must be removed, minimizing noise and vibration and decreasing construction time, a major concern for many residents.
The proposal represents a scaled-down version of Valley’s controversial “Renewal” — the hospital’s $750 million plan to double in size that the Village Council rejected as “an aggressive overexpansion” in 2011.
The hearing, which drew nearly 100 residents and hospital officials, was the first of several scheduled on proposed changes to the master plan to allow the hospital to expand on its 15-acre campus, which is bordered by well-kept two-story homes and a middle school.
It’s interesting that Valley always forgets to include the square footage of the parking structures when quoting the new size of the project. I wish they would just be honest and say what they are planning.
Are they comparing apples to apples? In other words, did the “previous proposal of 1.17 million square feet” include or exclude the parking structure? What is the square footage (and height) for the parking structure they are proposing now?
Last night we got a glimpse of how Gail Price has run and will run these hearings. When Pete McKenna from the CRR got up to ask his first and very reasonable question about using an urban planner in these hearings, Valley’s attorney got out of his chair and stormed the microphone. When he got to the mic, he physically moved Mr. McKenna out of the way so that he could object to the QUESTION.
Valley’s attorney was not only interrupting Mr. McKenna, he was interrupting members of the Board as they were attempting to answer Mr. McKenna’s question. Ms. Price allowed Valley’s attorney to continue his rant at the microphone until the audience finally shouted him down at which point Ms. Price chided the AUDIENCE for interrupting. We never did get a chance to hear the Board’s response. Unbelievable. So this is how it’s going to be. Again.
How about how Ms. Price pointed her finger at the audience when Mr. Grant’s (new planning bd member) comment about the fact that “Valley needs to expand” comment was questioned by an audience member to determine Mr. Grant’s objectivity. This is going to get nasty if Valley’s new attorney keeps objecting to everything the public has to say and Ms. Price lets him. Maybe she should call Matt Rogers for some pointers on how to run a Valley meeting..
Ms. Price opened and explained how the slate was wiped clean and all previous testimony was essentially null and void. Valley’s attorney then made a statement telling the PB who would testify and when they would testify. It left me wondering who is running the show — the PB or Valley’s attorney. Maybe this is normal as I don’t have much experience with these hearings .
Of course Price will be handling Valley with kid gloves. According to her law firm’s website, she “…represents commercial, industrial, and residential developers in connection with land development and construction related issues.”
She’s not going to go against her main source of income representing developers to get projects approved. It’s like putting the fox in charge of the henhouse.
Aronsohn better show he “has a set” and run a fair hearing as mayor (yes I realize he’s not chairman but he should have significant influence and we’ll hold him accountable if these hearings go to hell again).
Thed
Repeal of the Master Plan Amendment was one of Aronsohn’s campaign promises. Let’s hold him to it.