Design Review Seeks Model of CHCC Project

Representatives of Christian Health Care Center's proposed expansion project will have to provide the township's Design Review Board with a three-dimensional model of the housing proposal to allow board members to better comprehend the scope of the $100 million project.

A model would "best illustrate what the project looks like," said board Chairman Larry Skott at a Wednesday evening meeting, the first step in a process that will culminate with hearings before the zoning Board of Adjustment on Christian Health Care's Vista, a 258-unit independent living complex for seniors.

Doug Struyk, president of the continuing care facility, told the board that the Vista "represents the culmination of significant research we've done" on the needs of local seniors. Christian Health Care already provides several residential options for seniors with a variety of needs, but an independent living facility would be a needed and "functional adjunct to what we already do," said CHCC attorney Jerry Vogel.

"This project is part of that continuum of care on the site," Vogel said, after reviewing the assisted living and nursing home services that the facility provides. "It's all part and parcel of what Christian Health Care does."

The Vista would be constructed by clearing woodlands that straddle the Wyckoff/Hawthorne border to build 258 one- and two-bedroom units within three-story buildings that would not exceed 39.2 feet in height. Residents would lease the new tax ratables from Christian Health Care, which would retain ownership of the apartments. 

The Vista would be constructed toward the Sicomac Avenue side of the facility, and representatives testified that a buffer of trees would largely prevent motorists and passersby on Cedar Hill and Sicomac from even seeing the building. Nearby residents would be removed from the development with a 150-foot setback, said engineer Ken Karle, president of Lan Associates, while roads that would circle the Vista would be at least 100 feet from the nearest property line.

The Vista would be a virtual town within a town, as services would include restaurants, banking, a pool, wellness center, performing arts center and more. Parking would be satisfied with underground garages, while Christian Health Care also seeks to widen Sicomac Avenue in conjunction with the installation of a traffic light at Sicomac and Cedar Hill avenues.

The majority of the units would be constructed in Wyckoff, with 86 in Hawthorne. Christian Health Care has chosen to seek Wyckoff relief first before going before Hawthorne's land use bodies, and Design Review is charged with reviewing the architectural and aesthetic elements of the proposal on behalf of the zoning board.

The Design Review members were pleased overall with the CHCC representatives' presentation, which detailed a custom design incorporating manufactured stone, wood, shingle siding, sloped roofs and some dormers, all done in earth tones. Glenn Tipton, the project architect, testified that he tried to design a facility with a residential feel that takes its aesthetic cues from the greater community.

However, some concerns were aired. Representatives have been working with Bergen County to construct a light at the intersection of Cedar Hill and Sicomac avenues that attorney Vogel said would alleviate traffic as a side benefit to the project. Since the intersection is the entrance to Wyckoff from Hawthorne, chairman Skott said there "should be some thought to that area" in terms of aesthetics and landscaping. Furthermore, project representatives testified that they don't believe a fully-leased Vista would have a great effect on area traffic, as residents will have the vast majority of services they may need on site.

Similarly, member Susan Yudin questioned representatives about the Vista's impact on emergency services, with Tipton saying that the development shouldn't heavily tax township resources, as first responders are on site in the event of a medical emergency.

But the greatest concern centered on the project's sheer size. The Vista's longest residential wing would measure 720 feet, a "massive wing" according to member Daniel Hartigan. Tipton, Vogel and Karle had presented aerial renderings of the Vista and sketches of the residences, but members felt they did not have a good look at that elevation, which likely wouldn't be visible from nearby roads.

"No one will see it," Vogel said.

Mayor Rudy Boonstra found that point irrelevant. "We need to get a sense of what 720 feet will look like... we'd be remiss if we did not get a feel of this," he said, in asking for a scale model.

Skott told the representatives that "everyone is leaning" toward requesting a model, which will help members "to understand it better." 

"We'll have to accommodate," Vogel told the board.

The attorney said he will contact board secretary Susan Schilstra to set a date for the next hearing on the project.

Design Review will next meet at 7:30 p.m. May 10 for its third and possibly final hearing on Inserra Supermarkets' proposal to build a ShopRite at the Greenwood Avenue shopping center.