Available: Hospital on Witherspoon St.

By: John Saccenti – Staff Writer
PRINCETON – PRINCETON – Princeton HealthCare System officials say they are still seeking a buyer for the University Medical Center property in Princeton but they cheered by progress on construction of their new hospital in Plainsboro, scheduled to open in 2012.
The existing facility was expected to be sold to a Philadelphia-based developer, which planned to build housing on the site. The deal died in May, however, and hospital officials have been seeking a new buyer since then.
Princeton HealthCare System President and CEO Barry Rabner said several interested parties have contacted the hospital, but no deal is imminent.
"We have been contacted by various parties who have expressed interest," he said. "We are developing a Request for Proposals and will distribute it shortly."
Meanwhile, Mr. Rabner said, plans are on track for the new facility.
"We are making great progress on the new hospital. By late September, we will have completed our site work and enclosed the hospital building and the Medical Office Building and Cogeneration Plant will be underway. At that time, we will be able to develop a more detailed schedule leading up to the substantial completion date and move in date. The Philadelphia developer, Lupert Adler, had planned to build housing on the 5.6-acre site but last year filed an objection to Princeton Borough’s COAH affordable housing fair share plan. The objection was joined by PHCS, which at the time issued a statement citing the "dramatic economic downturn" and its effects on the real estate development market for the objection.
The Witherspoon Street site has been rezoned as a Mixed Residential, Retail, Office (MRRO) zone in which as many as 280 residential units could be built, including some that would be age-restricted. Other permitted uses include a restaurant and retail services as well as medical and other professional offices. An existing parking garage could remain to serve the new development, PHCS said at the time, and the addition of 100,000 square feet of public access open space is also planned.
The new hospital, to be called University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro, will be located on 50 acres and within a 171-acre health care campus between Scudders Mill Road and the Millstone River in Plainsboro Township. The campus will include a broad range of health and wellness care services, including acute care hospital, medical office, education and training, skilled nursing, long term acute care, fitness, senior independent residential, assisted living, and comprehensive pediatric services. jsaccenti @centraljersey.com.