Frequently Asked Questions
Why has the Wood’s Golf Center property in East Norriton been selected as the site for the new hospital?
The 84-acre property on Germantown Pike in East Norriton is an exceptional site for the state-of-the-art hospital we are planning. Only three miles from Montgomery Hospital Medical Center in Norristown, the new hospital will provide the current patients of Montgomery Hospital Medical Center and all of the residents of Norristown and East Norriton with convenient access to a wide range of advanced medical and emergency services, including intensive care for infants, neurosurgery, and advanced cardiac and cancer care services.
What are the benefits the new hospital will bring to the surrounding communities?
With more than 60% of the residents of central Montgomery County currently leaving the area when they require hospital care, the new hospital will provide needed local access to an additional range of high quality medical and emergency services. The new hospital will be situated on a beautiful campus that will include approximately 30 acres of open green space.
The new hospital will benefit the economic vitality of the surrounding communities of Norristown, East Norriton Township and central Montgomery County, including through the creation of jobs and purchase of services during the planning and construction phase. Once the hospital opens, we anticipate that its ongoing operations will provide significant employment and commercial benefits to local communities. It is estimated that the new hospital will pay taxes to the Township that will be four times the taxes paid by the previous owner.
Do the plans for the new hospital include the preservation of open green space?
Yes. The new hospital plans include situating the hospital on a beautiful campus that preserves approximately one third of the site — approximately 30 acres — as open green space.
Albert Einstein Healthcare Network’s map change application was approved by the East Norriton Township Board of Supervisors on March 10, 2008. What is the effect of the approved map change?
Prior to the approval, the 84-acre property along Germantown Pike was divided into two zoning classifications: institutional and commercial.
The rear 63 acres of the new hospital site was and remains zoned for institutional use, and allows for the construction of a hospital by right.
The front 21 acres of the site, adjoining Germantown Pike, was zoned for commercial use, and as a result of the approved map change, is now institutional. This new institutional zoning benefits the Township in two major ways:
- It permits AEHN to situate the hospital closer to the entrance along Germantown Pike – and farther away from the adjacent neighborhood residences. This enables the new hospital to create a larger buffer zone to protect surrounding neighbors and to preserve close to 30 acres of the site as open green space.
- It prevents the strip of property along Germantown Pike from being developed as big box stores or other high-traffic commercial enterprises.
Albert Einstein Healthcare Network’s application for text amendments was approved by the East Norriton Township Board of Supervisors on March 10, 2008. What is the effect of the approved text amendments?
The text amendments allow AEHN to build a structure as high as 85 feet. Approval of this height modification will now result in a greater setback from neighboring properties, increasing the setback distance to twice the height of the building.
The text amendments in combination with the map change thus enables AEHN to provide its adjacent neighbors with an additional buffer and ensure that approximately 30 acres are preserved as open green space.
What are the estimated recurring tax revenues from the new hospital project?
The Township will experience a significant increase in tax receipts. It is estimated that the new hospital development will quadruple the current tax revenue.
The project will include the construction of a new hospital as well as a medical office building. The hospital building, as a non-profit institution, will be tax exempt. The medical office building which will house physicians’ private offices, will generate approximately $400,000 in annual public tax revenue benefiting both the East Norriton Township and the Norristown Area School District. In comparison, the present owner — Wood’s Golf Center – generates an estimated $100,000 in annual public revenue.
Source: Kenneth Amey, AICP, October 24, 2007 Fiscal Impact Analysis
Will helicopters be transporting patients to and from the site?
We expect that the new hospital will utilize a limited level of helicopter transport in the event of certain patient emergencies, or to transport patients in need of specialized care. All helicopter use will be strictly regulated in accordance with Federal aviation safety and flight path requirements.
What happens next in the planning of the hospital?
With the unanimous approval of the text amendments and map change by the East Norriton Township, we are now entering the land use planning stage. During the coming months, our architects and engineers will propose detailed engineering plans for review and approval by the Township. The Township’s engineer will review the plans and provide comments and questions. Following the engineer’s review, the Township’s Planning Commission will hold public meeting(s) to obtain community input and then make a recommendation to the Township’s Board of Supervisors. The Township’s Board of Supervisors will conduct additional public meeting(s) for community input prior to its final determination on the new hospital’s plans.
