Vista Expansion on Agenda at Special Zoning Board Meeting

The Wyckoff Zoning Board will hold a special meeting this evening at 7:30 p.m. at St. Nicholas Church to discuss the Christian Health Care Center's Vista .

The proposed expansion has drawn the ire of some residents. S.A.V.E. Wyckoff (Stop Aggressive Vista Expansion) was born this fall as the Vista project . The new organization has joined Save the Woods, a Hawthorne-based organization, in questioning the merits of the project. Another Wyckoff-based organization, Friends of Wyckoff, has not taken an official stance on the proposed development although members have been trying to draw attention to the project via the organization's website and e-mail newsletters.

At issue is a of one- and two-bedroom apartments to be built on approximately 20 acres of woodlands that straddle the Wyckoff/Hawthorne border. The estimated $100 million project on CHCC's 78-acre campus is designed to offer seniors a full range of amenities, with gift shops, restaurants, banking, a performing arts center and more.

CHCC attorney Jerry Vogel has said he would introduce a series of witnesses before the zoning board in coming months to testify on traffic, planning, drainage, landscaping and more. The board, which will ultimately rule on site plans, subdivision approval and variances, also will counter with its own witnesses, and concerned residents are expected to question experts, as well.