'H-Zone' Ordinance Should Hit Council's Dais in April

The planning board said it wanted to have the formal ordinance in council's hands by Christmas. Christmas came and went but four months later, the village's most controversial issue may be finally coming to a pass.

Village Planner Blais Brancheau outlined some of the –essentially the codified, legally-binding document expressing the planning board's voting of the 'H-Zone' Master Plan amendment. Should the council approve the Hospital Zone Ordinance, which also makes zoning changes for general zoning code in the village, the Valley Hospital could double in size, against the wishes of many residents in the Travell/B.F. neighborhood and others throughout Ridgewood.

Among the larger aspects of the plan is the intensity of use, in which the hospital would be given the flexibility to lower the use in some operational areas and increase others.

For example, Brancheau said in November when the issue was last discussed, "It could be increasing the number of employees but moving certain operations off site."

still calls for 2,000 parking spots, 454 beds, 70-foot tall buildings with rooftop equipment reaching no more than 24 feet, 45-foot tall parking structures and defined setbacks on all sides.

While he said the provision was designed to offer flexibility and that idea "is in the Master Plan," the planner admitted he did not know if it's possible to accurately measure a decrease in other operations and that "the devil's in the details."

Among the changes Brancheau has made to the ordinance for Tuesday's meeting include requiring that 'green roofs' be 90 percent green; that accessory structure zoning allowances be capped with exception language; other phrasing to clarify how setback averages be calculated for buildings that are not parallel to an adjacent building; and clarifies building height with an exception clause.

The new draft revision also requires that parking garages be enclosed on three sides with the only opening being the driveway; gives more leeway toward setbacks with roofs that have equipment; places need for more signage with better clarity; allows a free-standing wall in a front yard as a buffer to other properties as well as a retaining wall that can be designated as more than 60 percent solid.

Many of the changes, Brancheau said, were made to address concerns levied by resident Kathy Benson, an architect who's been a vocal critic of the 'Renewal' expansion proposal.

Planning Board Chairman David Nicholson advised planning board members "to take it home and read it carefully" and e-mail any questions to Brancheau. Nicholson said he intends to have Brancheau pass the finalized copy of the ordinance ready for the council by April 5.