CHCC's $100M Expansion to See Multiple Reviews

The Christian Health Care Center's proposed $100 million expansion will be vetted by several township advisory groups before proceeding to hearings before the zoning Board of Adjustment.

The complexities of the center's plan to construct a new, independent living facility for seniors prompted zoning board Chairman Doug Christie to request the assistance of both the Design Review Board and Shade Tree Commission to vet architectural details and landscaping and tree removal plans, respectively.

"The CHCC application has many facets to it, and it is in everyone's best interest to proceed methodically and in great detail," Christie said via e-mail.

The chairman requested the assistance of both advisory bodies at a meeting last week. Shade Tree and Design Review's eventual reports will aid the zoning board as it seeks testimony on the project, which was originally filed last year.

Christie said both boards "draw on an extensive amount of knowledge within their groups. To begin the application without their comments and recommendations would be a disservice to all."

The chairman also said last week that the board aims to retain the services of real estate appraiser Joe Medici, president of Medici Appraisal Services. It also will commission its own traffic and environmental studies for the Vista, which would be constructed on 20 acres of Christian Health Care Center's 78-acre campus.

"We have to make certain we do our due diligence," Christie said.

Christian Health Care Center officials said they understand the need for a comprehensive review and welcome the opportunity to explain their project.

Community need

The pending hearings will be the realization of a process begun years ago by the Christian Health Care Center to assess the needs of senior residents in the area.

The nonprofit center, which is approaching its 100th anniversary, offers a variety of services for seniors of all abilities, having advanced from its original mission of offering care to the mentally ill. Currently, independent seniors reside at the 40-apartment Evergreen Court, opened in 1996, while assisted living is offered at the center's 80-unit Longview and a board-and-care facility exists with Hillcrest Residence. Seniors with the greatest health needs are served by Heritage Manor, a nursing facility.

Doug Struyk, president of the Christian Health Care Center, said the establishment of Hillcrest in the late 1980s was the facility's "first step in something much more residential" while the center now offers care for those "along the continuum" of aging.

The establishment of the Vista would continue that mission, offering affordable apartments to independent seniors who may not need care but who have grown tired of keeping up with their homes on fixed incomes.

"Everything has come as a result of community demand for something," said Carla DeWitt, vice president of marketing.

The Vista would include 258 units within three-story buildings that would feature a variety of services, including a pool, library, bank facility, convenience store, spa and more.

"They're really there for the comforts of living with people their own age," DeWitt said. "I liken it to the social milieu you have in a college dorm," Struyk said.

Wait lists for the center's existing facilities largely drove the desire to expand its offerings, and market research has been commissioned over the past few years to gauge the demands of seniors in the area.

Struyk said seniors are increasingly wanting to stay closer to home and their families rather than retiring to warmer climates hundreds of miles away. However, the burdens of keeping up with high property taxes and the demands of home ownership often leave many seniors with limited housing options.

With Vista, residents would get the benefit of a community of like-minded peers enjoying the aforementioned services, including an on-site physician and therapists for those who need such assistance. Additionally, should their health deteriorate, the seniors would have priority access to the center's more hands-on facilities.

Construction concerns

The Christian Health Care Center does face a long road to achieve zoning approval. The Vista would straddle both Wyckoff and Hawthorne and would be constructed on land that is largely wooded. More than 20 acres would have to be cleared to allow for the construction, which could impact nearby homeowner's sight lines, and the hilly nature of the terrain creates drainage concerns. Additionally, questions exist about the effect 258 apartments would have on area traffic.

Struyk said the center is sensitive to all the concerns and seeks to build on its history of being a "good neighbor" in Wyckoff.

Although a stoplight is planned for the intersection of Sicomac Road and Cedar Hill Avenue, the center president does not believe the construction would add much in the way of traffic. While many of the seniors will still be driving, most will retain a car for a feeling of independence but should find few reasons to have to travel frequently, given the level of services planned on-site. Additionally, cars would be housed in underground parking.

He also said that the construction would actually improve drainage on the site by the construction of a looped driveway that "acts as a trough; it catches the water, takes it down below to underground catch basins" that are consistent with current DEP requirements, Struyk said. 

"Not only do we not cause any drainage problems, we're actually correcting problems that are already there."

The center's neighbors have already been notified of the plans, and detailed information can be found on the facility's Web site. Struyk said "we want our neighbors to hear if from us;" many of those neighbors took the center up on an offer of an information session that addressed concerns about clearing woodlands that largely shield the Christian Health Care Center from its neighbors. 

Struyk said the center kept the Vista's height at three stories to limit visibility while retaining a 150-foot buffer between homes and the proposed building. 

The president said he understands that the building's proximity to homeowners and the prospect of clearing trees is a "point of sensitivity" that they're prepared to address.

"What kind of requirement that I'm sure we will have for some degree of (tree) replacement is something we'll hear about and work through as we go through the process," Struyk said.

Christian Health Care Center will seek approval in Wyckoff before moving on to Hawthorne's governmental bodies. Of the 258 planned units, 172 would be in Wyckoff with 86 in Hawthorne.

Struyk said the center will seek tax-exempt financing for the $100 million project while also relying on donations. 

While fees haven't been decided yet, a portion of the units would be income-restricted, and there will not be specific residency requirements for interested seniors. 

Assuming approvals go through, the center would mount an aggressive advertising campaign to line up interested residents before breaking ground. Struyk estimates that the Vista likely wouldn't be constructed until 2014, at the earliest.