What Residents are saying
(This site has received 100s of comments. Listed below are some of them.)
* Please your comments by registering on the Home page or emailing helpdesk@stopvalley.com
Children’s Safety
"As a mother of two children, one of which will be attending B.F. Middle School, I am more than concerned my daughter's entire middle school education will be within earshot of a CONSTRUCTION ZONE! This does not represent the Ridgewood we moved to for the amazing school system. Never mind the walk to school that will only be increasing in traffic and construction workers." - MBC
"As the mother of two children presently attending BF Middle school, and a third one entering in the fall of 2008, I am very concerned about the expansion plans of Valley Hospital. The noise pollution and added traffic caused by the construction will definitely have an impact on the quality of the education of our children, and puts their welfare at risk. As it is, trying to navigate the streets around the hospital to get to the school at the time of shift changes is a challenge, I can only imagine how the added capacity of the hospital will worsen this problem. It appears to me that although Valley refers to itself as a 'community' hospital, it is truly disregarding the best interests of the community it aims to serve." - MM
Quality of Life
"I have been in Valley hospital and it is a wonderful community facility. I truly hope that it stays that way. I moved to Ridgewood for the "village" and I fear that Valley's expansion would change the community greatly." - Local Physician
“We are very much opposed to the plan for continued development at Valley and to the added pollution, noise, traffic and danger that WILL surely result should this plan be accepted. My husband and I actually fear for the safety of our children! Ridgewood is not simply a town for visitors, i.e. people who are visiting the hospital, a restaurant, or a bank. We live here!!!!” - MW
“No building project of this size will take only 3 years, it will take longer then they plan. This means more noise and increased traffic. I work from home and this will definitely change my quality of life.” - PG
"Since the Valley sent out the video, I have lost 4 of my neighbors. This street is becoming a "Prospect ST" such as exists in Hackensack. What next a change in zoning so that Doctor Offices can replace our homes on Linwood and the vicinity? I came to Ridgewood 26 years ago. I was attracted by the canopy of trees. Linwood was not that busy back then. After 2 expansions the number of cars passing in front of our house makes it impossible to get out of our driveway at times. Count me in to attend the protest movement against more expansions." - GB
Inappropriate for this Village
“My family has an attachment to Valley Hospital and like having it as part of our Village although we are concerned about the changes. Do we really need such a large upgrade to keep Valley going?” - CS
"This is not a place where we need a university style hospital. We live in a village not a city and Hackensack hospital is just that. we need to maintain our community, safety and infrastructure as it is now. It will disrupt traffic flow throughout the entire village, increase costs and wear and tear on our town, drive down property values and quality of life that we all appreciate and expected when we moved here. Please feel free to contact me for support of this cause." - SP
"There is a reason people live in Ridgewood and not in New York City. If the Planning Board allows Valley Hospital to by-pass the laws then how can residents not expect this beloved small suburban town to become a dirty city." - ES
"This planned change, as the prior attempt several years ago to expand northward into BF Middle School, should be rebuffed. It is a bad idea, damaging to the Village of Ridgewood. If Valley can not make a go of it at its present size, it needs to make alternative expansion plans, not seek to make the existing site more densely developed." - RD
"Enough already with allowing this exception and that exception for building in our Village. Valley Hospital is our NEIGHBORHOOD hospital. And what they are proposing is NOT being very neighborly. Time for the town to give priority to the residents. Time for the planning board to recognize that no amount of landscaping will blend this construction into the surrounding neighborhood. Time to finally say NO. Time to side with the residents of our Village and do the hard work to maintain that Village atmosphere." - JLG
Patients and Staff
"I just become pregnant with my second child and am wondering if construction would have started by the time I am due? I do not want to give birth with the thud of pile drivers, the pounding of hammers and the screaming of rip saws!" - JS
"Will Valley Management use the expansion to “rationalize” departments across the Valley Health System? Which departments will be temporarily relocated or closed during and after the construction?" - RNS
Expansion Approval Process
“I was at the May planning board meeting and some of the Board members seemed a little too close to the Valley execs on this proposal. This should be about the people of Ridgewood not pre-sold, backroom deal making. See you at the June meeting.” - BH
"We have been attending the meetings and are very concerned that the expansion would NOT service this town to the degree that is advocated." - LVR
"This is clearly an issue the Board and Valley wants to move through quickly and with little fanfare by the public. Notice that nothing has been said in the papers about these meetings and the neighbors were given the wrong time for the last meeting on the letters they received." - TC
“We have been through these deceptive tactics and broken promises of Valley for the past 21 years. We need to show valley and the planning board that many people are concerned with valley's further encroachment on our quality of life.” - WD
"Valley Hospital's plans would appear to be too far-reaching for the decision to be left to the Planning Board. Such drastic changes to zoning regulations should be put to a public referendum." - RH
We were promised not more Expansions!
"I live right behind the hospital; in fact my driveway is right beside the emergency room entrance. I am enraged by the new proposal of the Valley Hospital expansion committee! I have already lived through one expansion and it was a nightmare of dirt, trucks, noise, pollution not to mention (and most importantly) the lack of safety to our children walking to school. At the time of the last expansion I had a son in kindergarten and daughter in 5th grade at Travell. During the time of the construction my daughter eventually wet to BF, while 2 other daughters were at RHS. I moved to the Village in 1980 and to this house in 1981. At the time of the last construction WE WERE PROMISED THAT THIS WOULD BE THE LAST EXPANSION! The Valley Hospital is now NOT operating in good faith as there is no need for any additional expansion. Valley Hospital is a wonderful facility in it's present form. We are a village NOT A CITY LIKE HACKENSACK where there is a large Medical Center only a short distance from us; not to mention our proximity to New York City housing the world's finest medical facilities - in fact, we already have an affiliation with New York Pres/ Columbia Medical Complex! To subject the Villagers to this unnecessary expansion is completely unacceptable. We all moved to Ridgewood for the fine schools and beautiful homes. This proposed expansion would cause the property values in the vicinity of the hospital to plummet, while burdened with the eyesore of an open garage. This expansion IS NOT IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF OUR COMMUNITY AND IT MUST BE DEFEATED!" - MS
"The more I think about it - the more deceived I feel. There are 5 houses for sale on my block right now! The value of my home has already deteriorated as a result of a softened market - now this! Even if we chose to move now - with all the houses on our block selling, we would be forced to sell for even less. I am sorry that I let the realtor convince me the hospital would not be an issue. As it stands now - when my husband and I keep our window open at night (11pm) there is a ton of noise from delivery trucks each night, not to mention the constant sirens that I was told would be turned off at a certain point on Linwood." - LC
This affects the entire Village of Ridgewood
"It is of the utmost importance that the residents of the ENTIRE village of Ridgewood be made aware of the negative impact that these Zoning Variances and Amendments to the Master Plan, which Valley Hospital is seeking, will have on the quality of life that everyone enjoys and expects today, in Ridgewood. It will NOT be just the "Valley neighbors", who will suffer - every resident in town will be affected by this outrageous project that will virtually turn Ridgewood from a village to a city. Once our mayor, council and planning board give permission to VH for these variances which are SO TOTALLY AGAINST all the zoning rules that are in place to KEEP us a village, HOW can they say "No" to the next guy? and the next? And the next? PLEASE find out what the consequences of this Overbuilding of Ridgewood Project will be, before it's too late! (60 year Resident)" - DAC
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