7/26/07 - Hospital making room for expansion

Six homes will be torn down for a parking lot along Homer Avenue

(As published by Cortland Standard, Corey Preston reporting)

Plans to build a parking lot along Homer Avenue should alleviate parking problems at Cortland Regional Medical Center in the short term, and play a role in larger plans to expand the hospital next fall, a spokesman said this morning.

CRMC wants to place a parking lot along Homer Avenue, spanning five properties between 114 and 126 Homer Ave., all properties owned by the hospital, according to Director of Marketing Tom Quinn.

“We purchased those properties with the intent of using them to alleviate some of our parking issues, both present and anticipated,” Quinn said.

Increased use of the hospital, particularly outpatient services, has created a demand for more parking, Quinn said, and the potential for expansion of surgical and obstetric services at CRMC would create a greater need for parking in the foreseeable future.

CRMC is considering building a new wing that would expand surgical and maternity care at the corner of Homer Avenue and West Main Street, an area now used for parking.

The project carries a roughly $25 million price tag, and the hospital has been in discussion with the Cortland County Industrial Development Agency regarding bond financing.

“We’ve made the decision that we want to go forward (with the expansion) … but we’re still solidifying plans for what we want to do specifically,” Quinn said.

The hospital is finalizing plans in order to apply, possibly by the end of this year, for a certificate of need from the state Department of Health, Quinn said.

If that certificate is granted and other needed approvals and bid processes go through without delay, the hospital is hoping to begin construction of the expansion by fall 2008, he said.

Work on the new parking lot should begin this fall, Quinn said, likely with the demolition of six unoccupied houses on the five hospital-owned properties.

Quinn was not sure at this point how large the lot would be or how many spaces it would contain, and he said a construction timeline had not yet been set.

Although hospital-owned property is tax exempt, city assessor David Briggs said the five properties have a total assessment of approximately $365,000.

WOW, this seems like kind of a double standard. Can the hospital buy up dozens of residential properties without being checked, yet the County gets whacked every time they make a move?