Frequently Asked Questions
Why has the Wood’s Golf Center property in East Norriton been selected as the site for the new medical center?
The 84-acre property on Germantown Pike in East Norriton is an exceptional site for the state-of-the-art medical center we are planning. Only three miles from Montgomery Hospital Medical Center in Norristown, the new medical center will provide the current patients of Montgomery Hospital Medical Center and all of the residents of central Montgomery County with convenient access to a wide range of advanced medical and emergency services.
What are the benefits the new medical center 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 medical center will provide needed local access to an additional range of high quality medical and emergency services. The new medical center will be situated on a beautiful campus that will include approximately 30 acres of open green space.
The new medical center will benefit the economic vitality of the surrounding communities of central Montgomery County, 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 medical center will pay taxes to the Township that will be four times the taxes paid by the current owner.
Do the plans for the new medical center include the preservation of open green space?
Yes. The plans include situating the medical center on a beautiful campus that preserves approximately one third of the site — approximately 30 acres — as open green space.
What are the estimated recurring tax revenues from the new medical center project?
The Township will experience a significant increase in tax receipts. It is estimated that the new medical center 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, that will house physicians’ private offices, will generate public tax revenue benefiting both the East Norriton Township and the Norristown Area School District.
Source: Kenneth Amey, AICP, October 24, 2007 Fiscal Impact Analysis
Will helicopters be transporting patients to and from the site?
The new medical center will be a trauma center. To be able to provide the level of care that a trauma center does, the hospital needs to have a helipad. We expect that the new medical center 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 new medical center?
On December 23rd, the East Norriton Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the preliminary land development application.
On January 16th, we filed our final land development application with the Township. The application states where the hospital and medical office building will be built and where the roads will be paved, addressing the engineering work required to support the medical center. We look forward to the Township reviewing the application in the spring.
Do the new plans for the medical center take into consideration concerns of nearby residences?
AEHN has conducted extensive community outreach and is listening to neighborhood concerns. We are taking the utmost care to ensure that the new medical center is a good neighbor and a valuable resource for the community.
For example, several recent changes to the plan address concerns of the property’s immediate neighbors:
- In an earlier plan, the hospital’s Emergency Department was located on the west side closest to the neighbors on Whitehall Road. In the current site plan, the Emergency Department has been moved to the opposite side of the hospital, towards the center of the property and farther away from neighboring residences.
- As a result of the change in location of the Emergency Department, the site of the Medical Office Building has been moved to the west side of the site. The Medical Office Building will only be open during business hours and will serve as an additional visual and acoustical shield, further blocking from neighbors the activities of the main hospital, including the loading dock and much of the parking.
- The height of the Medical Office Building has been reduced from four stories to two stories.
In addition, the zoning changes to the property that were approved ensure that 30 acres will be preserved as open green space. The site plan anticipates tree plantings around the perimeter of the property that will provide an attractive buffer for neighbors.