West Orange Group Questions Nursing Facility’s Development Plans

WEST ORANGE, NJ — An advocacy group in West Orange continues to question a nursing facility’s proposed development plan on Pleasant Valley Way ahead of a zoning board meeting scheduled for Thursday.

Daughters of Israel Inc., a nonprofit corporation, is seeking multiple variances to redevelop their campus at 1155 Pleasant Valley Way into a “continuum of care community offering independent living, assisted living and skilled nursing components.”

The application and its related documents were on the agenda for the board’s special meeting on Jan. 12. The next meeting of the West Orange Zoning Board of Adjustment is scheduled for 8 p.m. on Jan. 19 (learn more here).

Daughters of Israel President Jason Halper mentioned the expansion plans in a social media post last fall. Halper wrote:

“With the changing needs in the health care and senior living industry, I am excited to report that our plans to expand the services we provide to the community are moving forward. We have submitted an application for site plan approval to the West Orange Zoning Board of Adjustment, in which we are seeking approval of a new state-of-the-art campus that will be built at our existing location and will offer the highest level of services for all stages of care – from independent living, assisted living, assisted living memory care, and skilled nursing care. The redesigned campus will include private and formal dining rooms, a pub, a salon and spa, a wellness center, a theater, and other high-end services and amenities. This expansive redevelopment plan will consist of several buildings and will provide a continuum of care for our community that will allow Daughters to continue its mission for decades to come.”

But some community members have been more cautious about the proposal.

Calling for more discussion before a decision is made, nonprofit Our Green West Orange referenced last week’s special meeting in a statement on social media. The group wrote:

“Last week we had some questions for the architect for the Daughters of Israel (DOI) development, including the community model DOI has chosen, noise and construction effects of a 10-year project, and sustainability concerns involving the percentage of gas/electric power and amount of green or solar roof. In 2023, every development should be pushing for greener practices – just imagine how that will change over the next 10 years if the proposed development takes place! We also heard from a traffic expert who acknowledged that the lights in the area are currently at an unsatisfactory level, but whose assessment for the new site's effects seemed hard to believe. Board and community members alike have asked for more information, including whether or not the proposed improvements can be made regardless of the DOI development.”

Learn more about the proposal at the below links:

• Zoning Board application
• Preliminary site plan
• Revised environmental impact statement
• Revised stormwater management report
• Revised traffic impact study
• Revised parking study

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about advertising on Patch here. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site. Don’t forget to visit the Patch West Orange Facebook page.