Poll: How Should the Council Vote on Valley?

On Tuesday, the process to decide if Valley Hospital can double the size of its facilities and modernize in a tight, largely-opposed residential area will finally hit the council dais. 

After a grueling period in the planning board, the council will hold seven special public meetings over the next few months to look over past testimony, call old witnesses and also allow for significant public input.

Ultimately, it is tasked with final passage or rejection of an ordinance amendment that changed the village's master plan, and could pave the way for the village's largest building project in decades, one with a projected cost of $750 million.

The hospital originally approached the village with its "Renewal" project in 2006, and the Planning Board drafted two Master Plan amendments that it hoped balanced the hospital's desires and resident's concerns. The current draft offsets the increased building mass (up to 7 stories with mechanical rooftop equipment) by increasing setbacks along borders (Linwood—200 feet; Van Dien—100 and 120 feet; and Steilen Avenue—60, 120 and 130 feet) to combat height. Valley is looking to convert to single patient rooms, and the bed count increase is slight–just three new inpatient beds will be created in what could be a 1.1 million square foot facility.

But neighbors and others in the village say the length of construction in just the first phase (7 years) would be an impediment to learning, as B.F. Middle School shares a property line with Valley. Traffic issues, safety matters, property value depreciation are also cited as concerns from residents.

The planning board voted 6-1 in favor of amending the master plan to allow an expansion; the "H-Zone" ordinance codifies that decision. The hearings will be held at RHS's Campus Center, ending in late November.

We'll be coming to you with a detailed preview very soon, but we'd like to see how you expect the proceedings to go.

Ultimately, should the council approve the planning board's decision and allow Valley to expand? Should it deny passage of the ordinance amendment?

Moreso, will it?