April 8, 2008

Dear Friends:

On March 10th, the East Norriton Township Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to approve zoning changes for the 84-acre property along Germantown Pike that will become the site of our new state-of-the-art hospital.

This zoning decision included the rezoning of the portion of the property that faces Germantown Pike from commercial use to institutional use. This will benefit both the hospital and the surrounding community. AEHN will now be able to situate the hospital more centrally on the site, creating a larger buffer for our neighbors and ensuring that approximately 30 acres of our hospital campus will be preserved as green space. In addition, the zoning change prevents the property from being developed for commercial use such as big box stores or other high-traffic enterprises.

During the recent Township public meetings, we had the opportunity to address the questions and concerns of local residents, and to further describe how the new hospital will serve as a valuable community resource for central Montgomery County. The highlights of the information presented included:

• Testimony that the new hospital will offer needed medical services such as: emergency room services; intensive care for infants; neurosurgery; advanced cardiac care; and advanced cancer care.
• Doctors in our community coming forward to speak about the need for a local state-of-the-art hospital. Many of their patients currently travel to other areas when requiring advanced hospital care.
• Plans presented showing that approximately 30 acres of the hospital campus will be preserved open green space.
• An economic assessment showing that the hospital will create demand for jobs and services during the planning and construction phase, and that its ongoing operations will create quality job opportunities and other commercial benefits.
• Estimates that the new hospital will pay East Norriton approximately four times the amount of the taxes currently being paid on the property.

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. Over the coming months, additional public hearings will take place, and there will be opportunities for the community to provide input as the Township’s Planning Commission and the Township Board of Supervisors consider our plans.

I look forward to working with the entire community as we move forward with the planning for a new hospital that will be an outstanding resource for the people of central Montgomery County.
Sincerely,

Richard Montalbano
Vice President and Project Executive
215-456-7018
montalbanor@einstein.edu

January 22, 2008

Dear Friends:

On January 16th, the East Norriton Township Planning Commission reviewed and unanimously voted to recommend the Albert Einstein Healthcare Network’s map change and text amendment application for the Wood’s property site along Germantown Pike. This is an important step in our plans for a new hospital that will move healthcare forward in our region, and we are delighted with the Planning Commissions’ positive decision. (For more details on the decision, please read the Times Herald article entitled “East Norriton Hospital Plan Passes First Test.”). The Planning Commission’s recommendation will now be taken under consideration by the East Norriton Township Board of Supervisors when they meet on Tuesday, February 19th.

The map change and text amendments we are requesting will enable us to improve access for the new hospital’s patients and employees, while increasing the setbacks that provide an added buffer to neighboring residences. Our intention has always been to preserve approximately one third of the site as green space. Approval of our applications will enable us to ensure that these approximately 30 acres of the site remain green.

In our effort to keep the community informed, we thought it would be helpful to post on this website the answers to some of the questions that have been raised as our plans for the new hospital progress. The Frequently Asked Questions section of our site will be updated in the months to come as new information is available. The FAQs are available at: http://www.movinghealthcareforward.org/faqs.

We look forward to working with the entire community to complete our plans for this exciting new medical resource for central Montgomery County. As always, please don’t hesitate to call or e-mail me directly with your questions or comments.

Sincerely,

Richard Montalbano
Vice President and Project Executive
215-456-7018
montalbanor@einstein.edu