Ridgewood September 21, 2011 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • Page 3 Council holds first hearing on Valley expansion by John Koster Ridgewood Mayor Keith Killion and Councilwoman Bernadette Walsh both said last week that the first of seven hearings on the possible future expansion of Valley Hospital were civil and constructive. The series of public hearings will include another six sessions, which will run through the fall. At issue is whether the council should introduce and approve an ordinance that would change the village’s master plan so the hospital could carry out a plan that would allow the facility to double in size to approximately 1.17 million square feet. The expansion would also provide more parking, improved diagnostic equipment, and surgical suites. “It went well last night,” Walsh said of the Sept. 12 session, which was held at Ridgewood High School to accommodate the large turnout. In 2010, the Ridgewood Planning Board voted to permit the expansion by changing the hospital zone in the village’s master plan. Some residents have asked the council to rescind the planning board’s decision. A rescission would have to be implemented by an ordinance introduced and heard by the Ridgewood Village Council. Objectors have called the planning board’s decision “spot zoning” and expressed concerns about neighborhood safety and property values if the expansion takes place. The Ridgewood Village Council heard from two attorneys and 10 residents at the first meeting. A group of residents known as Concerned Residents of Ridgewood has organized in opposition to the expansion plan. This group is currently suing the planning board for approving the change to the village’s master plan that paved the way for (continued on page 17)