Proposed Ordinance Takes Village a Step Closer to Valley Hospital Expansion

Ridgewood Planner Blais Brancheau presented an incomplete draft of a "Hospital Zone" ordinance to the Ridgewood Planning Board on Tuesday evening, taking the village one step closer to approving or denying Valley Hospital's long-planned expansion, which would double the size of the hospital.

The board approved an amendment to the village's master plan in June, suggesting the zoning changes needed for the expansion. For those zoning changes to become enforceable, they'd have to be specified in an ordinance, which the Ridgewood Council could then approve.

However, Brancheau–writing the document on behalf of the board–revealed that some changes may not only lay out procedures and code for the "H-Zone" but also alter future zoning code throughout the village.

Such future provisions and regulatory language may include standards for green roofs, an issue that hasn't yet materialized in the village but something Brancheau said is "a growing trend" and included in the H-Zone application; the barring of some types of materials such as untextured concrete, unpainted metal and glass as becoming large sections of a building's aesthetic; sound barriers needing to be erected to mitigate noise during future construction; and a provision that buffers cannot be compromised by pavement.

The document, as of Tuesday night, also more clearly defined some existing "H-Zone"-specific codes. Two thousand parking spaces is the maximum allowed number of spaces; buildings are to be 70 feet in height with a maximum of mechanical rooftop equipment reaching 24 feet; setbacks throughout the H-Zone are clearly defined at all boundaries; requiring that 90 percent of vehicles be able to enter and exit from Linwood and North Van Dien avenues; and that no more than 454 beds can be added.

What could change, however, is the intensity of use. While the floor-to-area, as well as bed-to-room ratio would remain in line with the village Master Plan, Brancheau is proposing that language be implemented allowing the hospital to reduce certain areas of activity to increase others.

For example, Brancheau said, "It could be increasing the number of employees but moving certain operations off site."

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."

Gail Price, the board's legal counsel, said that the board and Valley Hospital were just served with the Concerned Residents of Ridgewood's lawsuit on Monday, Oct. 5. after the activist group originally filed a suit in New Jersey Superior Court on Aug. 30.

The suit claims the planning board approved the H-Zone amendment illegally and that some of its members had conflicts of interest and should not have heard the testimony over three years of proceedings. Price said the board will be fighting the action and has 35 days to respond to the suit in court.