Wayne Planning Board OKs nonprofit to build day care facility for adults with disabilities – NorthJersey.com

WAYNE — A growing nonprofit that started more than 65 years ago to help children with cerebral palsy will build a day care center for adults with disabilities on Hamburg Turnpike.

The 13,963-square-foot facility, which recently received Planning Board approval, will be situated on the same property as medical offices, a half-mile north from its leased location amid an industrial campus.

Cerebral Palsy of North Jersey plans to start construction in three months and open the building a year later, said David Bishop, the nonprofit’s vice president of development and communications.

“We’re excited to be moving forward,” said Purna Rodman Conare, the nonprofit’s chief executive officer. “There are adults with severe disabilities and medical challenges who need access to programs, such as this, and meeting that need is central to our mission.”

The existing facility, at 415 Hamburg Turnpike serves 75 clients and is about 1,900 square feet smaller than the new one will be. The new center, a red-brick building to be constructed on a 4.5-acre tract, at 516 Hamburg Turnpike, will accommodate 93 adults, Bishop said.

The organization, which is in the process of transitioning to its new name — Pillar Care Continuum — offers a range of programs for adults with developmental disabilities.

At the facility, clients will engage in arts and crafts, health and fitness activities and music lessons. An important part of their day will be consumed by what the nonprofit calls “pre-vocational” training in simulated office and retail settings. They also will take field trips to libraries, parks and shopping malls.

The nonprofit, which employs more than 800 people at 19 sites, including at adult day care centers in Irvington and Orange, has deep roots in Essex County.

It started in a donated room, in the basement of the now-defunct Orange Memorial Hospital, and according to its most recent available tax filing, it has grown into a $38.8 million enterprise, serving more than 1,500 clients of all ages.

But, its expansion in Wayne did not happen without incident.

The desired location for the new facility initially was in a residential zone on Meadow Road, off Route 23 south.

Early last year, the Zoning Board of Adjustment held a series of hearings for that project, which included a 17,300-square-foot adult day care center. But, neighbors objected — even collecting money through an online fundraiser to mount a legal fight against it.

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The nonprofit eventually withdrew its application — not because of the opposition, Bishop said at the time, but it had found a better site that would be less costly and quicker on which to build.

That location is 516 Hamburg Turnpike.

Besides the one-story facility, the project includes a 1,250-square-foot patio and 66 new parking spots.

Philip DeVencentis is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: devencentis@northjersey.com Twitter: @PhilDeVencentis 

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