Discussion continues for new hospital in HackensackThursday, July 28, 2011
BY MARK J. BONAMO
MANAGING EDITOR
Hackensack Chronicle
HACKENSACK - The recent summer heat wave has only added to the slow burn many Hackensack citizens feel toward the potential construction of a 19-story, long-term acute care hospital at the corner of Summit and Prospect Avenues.
More than 100 residents attended the July 26 Zoning Board meeting to listen to continued testimony about the proposed project, one of more than 20 special meetings held regarding the planned medical facility since 2009.
If approved, the proposed hospital would be built at 329 Prospect Ave.
According to deed records, Bergen Passaic Long Term Acute Care Hospital LLC purchased the property, presently occupied by a residential home, in 2007 for $1.33 million. Company president Richard Pineles also owns Prospect Heights Care Center, a 180-bed nursing home facility close to the site, as well as Regent Care Center, a nursing home on Polifly Road.
The proposed hospital would provide a range of medical services if constructed. The 120-bed facility would have 10 floors dedicated to patient rooms, a dialysis center with 63 stations and an adult medical day-care center equipped for as many as 180 people. The facility would also include several driveways and five levels of underground parking.
City officials have stated that the project will need site plan approval, as well as more than a dozen variances in order to go forward. These include variances for use, parking and lot size. Pineles is also seeking approval to knock down two-story homes on four lots to build the hospital. The site is currently zoned for residential and multi-family buildings.
Pineles first proposed constructing a 24-story hospital with 140 beds and an adult day-care center equipped to handle 250 people. However, he revised the facility's plans in late 2009.
Pineles has previously declined comment about the project, stating that it was company policy not to comment on a project that is pending and that is being proposed to the public.
Many residents of the neighborhood surrounding the site of the proposed medical facility have been arguing against its construction since Pineles began seeking approval for the project. The majority of the July 26 meeting was taken up by the cross-examination of Stan Lacz, a planner working with one of the lawyers who is fighting the project.
Lacz was questioned by Joseph Basralian, an attorney representing Pineles. But during a break, several residents came forward to express their displeasure with the proposed hospital project.
"The number of people here tells everyone how we feel," said Joan Betty Schwarz, a Prospect Avenue resident. "I can't remember anyone from the neighborhood speaking in favor of this project."
"First, there will be all that construction. Then, after that, we're going to have the excess traffic," said Murray Cuperman, another Prospect Avenue resident, referring to the neighborhood's quality of life. "We have a lot to lose here."
Although the special meetings concerning the proposed hospital have gone on for many months, most of the residents present appeared to remain committed to stopping the project.
"It's slow as molasses, but necessary," said Dr. Mark Johnson, who lives on Summit Avenue. "When this becomes a court case, which I think it will when the board rejects the plan, all of the topics that are being covered are going to be important for the judge to hear information about."
The next special Zoning Board meeting about the proposed hospital is scheduled for Sept. 15 at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 65 Central Ave.
Email: bonamo@northjersey.com