Hospital mulls biggest expansion in the history of this NJ town

Atlantic Health is in quiet discussions with Morristown officials regarding a substantial expansion of its Morristown Medical Center campus and healthcare offerings along Madison Avenue, according to a piece on MorristownGreen.com.

If approved, this expansion could span two decades and encompass a whopping 1.3 million square feet of facilities, more than double the size of the M Station Office project.

Some of the proposed additions include an impressive 11-story hospital tower, an expansive six-floor parking deck extending to Franklin Street, and two new floors for an existing structure.

It's worth noting that the current hospital zone regulations restrict new constructions to five stories, so this would be a significant jump in scale. (No pun intended.)

Atlantic envisions even more development across Madison Avenue, between Route 287 and Turtle Road.

Here, they've suggested the construction of 11 new buildings, ranging from five to six stories, with plans for a hotel among them.

The zoning in this MX2 zone allows for six stories, and Atlantic seeks a single approval to streamline the process over a potentially lengthy 15 to 20 years of development.

While Atlantic hasn't confirmed specifics yet, Morristown Medical Center, the town's largest employer and a renowned healthcare institution, aims to build upon its clinical excellence.

Morristown Medical has been ranked as a NJ top hospital and is one of the states busiest medical facilities.

Some council members, though, have been bothered by the fact that two of their seven members were excluded from briefings, giving the impression that the project will go through, despite what the council and the residents really want.

One of their concerns is that traffic in the area has notably increased over recent years, causing fear about further expansion and the associated congestion.

Also, the idea of the prolonged demolition and construction noise has raised valid worries.

Of course, the benefits to Morristown, according to the article, are increased tax revenues, possibly to the tune of $5 million.

Atlantic suggests splitting these funds between the municipality and the Morris School District upon completion of the project.

These revenues could be a welcome relief for the community as local taxes rise, especially with the expiration of a landmark 2015 tax settlement with the hospital in 2025, which previously helped the town navigate the challenges of the pandemic.

So it’s understandable that the town would want it. But the question is, will they try to pull this off without the approval of town residents and a fair vote by its representatives?

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Judi Franco only.

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