Page 10 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • November 18, 2009 THE CHOICE IS YOURS FOR 14 CONSECUTIVE YEARS CONSUMERS HAVE SAID THAT HACKENSACK UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER HAS: THE BEST OVERALL QUALITY THE BEST IMAGE AND REPUTATION THE BEST DOCTORS THE BEST NURSES The National Research Corporation (NRC) recently recognized the nation’s top hospitals as 2009/2010 Consumer Choice Award winners. HUMC is one of the hospitals chosen for having the highest quality and image in more than 300 markets throughout the U.S. Since the award’s inception 14 years ago, HUMC consistently made the list as consumers continually choose the medical center as having the highest quality healthcare. For a renowned physician affiliated with Hackensack University Medical Center, call Hackensack University Medical Center Proudly serving the community since 1888. www.humc.com (continued from page 3) driveway areas and reminded the board of the testimony of the opponent’s traffic expert, who said the driveways would create a safety hazard. The attorney predicted that, over time, there would be more trucks coming to the site, making that situation worse. Weiner asked the board, “When you look at the gas station, the noise, the odors, the crisscrossing driveways, 1,000 cars a day coming to the site, and the underground storage tanks, what compelling reason is there to have gasoline there when all it brings is bad things?” Pilot’s attorney James Lott, told the board that the applicant’s plan has been adapted to reflect the wishes of the board and many members of the community. He said, “It’s now safer, cleaner, and better for Mahwah.” Lott pointed out that the new plan eliminates a full-service truck stop with its trucker amenities such as long-term truck parking, driver laundry and showers, motel rooms, a truck repair and washing garage, along with all the environmental problems associated with a truck stop of its advanced age. The truck stop has operated on the site for several decades. “We propose a service station and convenience store identical to the many others along Route 17 in Mahwah, and the proposal is designed to be sensitive to the nearby schools,” Lott added. “The school board’s greatest concern, the driveway to Ridge Road, will be forever closed -- and not with a simple chain or gate, but the pavement will be removed and the area will be landscaped and fenced along with the rest of the property.” Lott claimed that the plan would provide a much more effective buffer to the schools because a six foot high, climb-resistant fence would be installed along Ridge Road with a landscape buffer to deter pedestrians and eliminate conflict between the Pilot site’s traffic and the students. He said that granting the variance from the requirements of the township’s ordinance regarding the distance a service station can be located from school property would relieve the schools not only of the current access to the truck stop, but also of any other incompatible truck stop activities. He pointed out that the plan reduces the number of truck parking spaces from 85 to eight, and there would be a 25 percent reduction in truck traffic on the site and the state’s regulations on truck idling would be enforced by the local police. He also noted the site would have a new storm water management system. Lott claimed most of the objections to the plan come from an economic competitor whose objection is not rooted in any valid land use consideration. “It’s all about protecting their profits,” Lott said. He asked the board to approve the Pilot application, pointing out that the board now has the opportunity to eliminate an aged truck stop and its non-conforming uses and replace it with a new, attractive, service station and convenience store. If approved Pilot plans to remove an acre of the pavement, eliminate 90 percent of the existing truck spaces, and construct a 4,282 square foot convenience store building on the site, along with a 12 station car fueling area with canopy on the north side of the property and a six station truck diesel fuel area with canopy on the south side of the property. According to Pilot’s engineer, the drainage plan designed for the site meets county and municipal requirements and the catch basins would have oil/water separators to protect against the possibility of contaminated water entering the New Jersey Department of Transportation drainage system on Route 17. In addition, the flow of water off the site would be reduced because there would be less pavement. The signage would include entrance and exit directional signs close to the highway right-of-way for greater visibility and there would be an 83-foot high pylon sign with the Pilot logotype that would meet the township’s signage requirements although a variance is required because it would be less than 15 feet from the parking lot’s driveway entrance. It would also be moved closer to the highway so it would be more visible to motorists traveling south on Route 17. The landscaping planned for the site includes 377 plantings with 134 trees and 234 shrubs that would extend along the Ridge Road frontage, along with a six-foot high board on board vinyl fence, and the Ridge Road access would be closed. The convenience store building would contain a retail area, two entrances, a check-out counter and a cooler for self-service beverages, restrooms, and a storage room. Pilot decision