2nd-floor addition fails to win board's support
BY DAVE BENJAMIN Staff Writer

JACKSON - The Planning Board has denied an application that sought to construct a second-floor addition on the main building at the Bartley Healthcare Center, Bartley Road.

Board members voted 5-3 on March 17 and defeated a motion to approve the application that had been filed by representatives of the Bartley Healthcare Center.

Board members Dan Burke, Eileen Tobasco and JosephAccardi voted in favor of the application.

Voting against the application were board members Blanche Krubner, who said she wanted stronger language regarding a tree buffer area that separates the facility from neighboring homes; George McKay, who said the applicant showed an arrogance toward neighboring homeowners and said an alternate plan is needed to protect the neighbors; Len Haring, who said, regarding the tree buffer area, that the applicant should give an easement; and Township Councilwoman Emily Ingram and board Chairman Kenneth Bressi, who said issues relating to a state Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) obligation have to be clarified.

The application proposed a 14,355- square-foot second-floor addition to the health-care facility; three separate firstfloor additions of 2,629 square feet, 910 square feet and 144 square feet; and a pair of two-story additions of 136 square feet and 58 square feet, according to the board's engineer, Douglas Klee.

No new variances were requested, but Klee said an accessory structure on the 22-acre site had issues that would have to be addressed.

The board's planner, Alan Dittenhofer, said he needed to know the number of parking spaces that would have to be provided and said that would be determined by the number of beds in the facility.

"There is a conflict between the site plan and the architectural plan," he said. "The site plan indicates there are 10 beds being added to the site and it appears the architectural plan indicates that number is 20."

It was noted that the applicant would have to pay $135,872 to meet the COAH obligation.

Testifying on behalf of Bartley Healthcare, President and CEO Philip Scalo said 10 beds would be added.

In order to have nursing home beds, approval is needed from the Department of Health, he explained.

"We obtained a certificate of need to add 10 beds," Scalo told the board. "We cannot add any more beds than that. The total (beds) will be 240."

Scalo said the purpose of the addition would be to set up a temporary unit for people who are on ventilators. He said additional space is needed to accommodate that type of equipment.

He explained that 10 beds would be removed from the first floor and moved to the second floor in the new addition.

At the present time, the facility offers long-term care, a 62-bed Alzheimer's disease unit and rehabilitation services. Scalo said 95 percent of the residents come from Jackson, Howell and Lakewood. The facility employs 175 people.

In addressing the COAH issue, Scalo said it was agreed that 15 units in Bartley's assisted living facility would be dedicated as housing for individuals with low and moderate incomes.

"We are prepared to officially dedicate that deed restriction (of 15 units) to the township so the issue of the affordable housing fee for our addition would be taken care of by that," he told the board.

Dittenhofer said a determination on anything relating to the COAH matters would have to be made by attorney John Russo, who represents Jackson on affordable housing issues.

During the public hearing, Michelle Glucksnis, who resides on Bartley Road, said Bartley Healthcare has always been a considerate neighbor, but she said privacy, noise pollution and air pollution are all issues and said the proposed secondstory addition would impact the quality of life for her family.

Glucksnis said she was concerned there would be additional ambulance traffic and street traffic.

"I'm afraid that the green border that separates what appears to be an industrial type of facility, that now has one story and is not unappealing to the eye, [will be] a two-story building [that] will decrease my property value and would decrease my privacy and willingness to walk around in a bathing suit in the middle of July," she said.

Glucksnis asked for a permanent green border between the facility and her residence.

Bartley Road resident Linda Peterson said she has great respect for the healthcare center, but said its operators are pushing the envelope.

"There are trees there," Peterson said. "Will there always be trees there? I don't know. With the way the building is going and the gypsy moth problems, there may not be trees there and we will have a direct view. There has to be some stop to all of this."

Attorney Gregory McGuckin, who represents the board, said if there is a conservation easement, then the trees cannot be disturbed.

Bressi said there should be no objection to having the easement.

Scalo disagreed and said he would not agree to any conservation easement.

"I don't think we're asking too much," Bressi said.

A motion to approve the application was made and subsequently defeated when only three members of the board voted in favor of the plan.