By MIKE CAPUTO
Nassau Health Care Corporation-s vision to transform the 52-acre East Meadow campus into a healthcare village may not be as high-profile as Lighthouse project, a plan to overhaul the county hub, which is about 77 acres of land surrounding the Coliseum. In terms of land, however, NHCC-s development plan is anything but small scale.
Including its 64-acre Holly Patterson center in Uniondale, NHCC plans to redevelop about 116 acres of property.
One thing we do have is land, said Arthur Gianelli, president and CEO of the Nassau Health Care Corporation.
A preliminary land use report compiled by several consultants points out areas that are underutilized or buildings that are deteriorating at the East Meadow campus.
Gianelli noted that the project would take advantage of the space that is available.
Right now the property essentially looks like an abandoned lot, Gianelli said. We want to leverage the property to transform the medical center so it can really be an asset to the community of East Meadow.
At a previous public forum in October, NHCC unveiled five possible schemes for its healthcare village, and has since reduced that total to four. Each of the four schemes include new offices, medical facilities, community centers and space for a Veterans Administration clinic. Each scheme outlined improvements to on-campus traffic flow and major changes to parking. Parking would be moved out of view, and underneath the structures.
A goal is to make vehicular circulation as clean and as easy as possible, said Clover Linne of Davis Brody Bond Aedas, a consultant firm that reviewed the site.
The schemes also included grassy areas intended for recreational space to be utilized by the hospital and the community. Those open spaces could be used for events such as farmers- markets, athletic events, picnics and concerts, developers said.
I don-t remember any other opportunity we have had as a community to share what is going to happen with this great, great institution, said Legislator Norma Gonsalves (R-East Meadow), who praised Gianelli for the progress being made at NUMC.
The redevelopment of the NUMC East Meadow campus would be financed through a partnership between NHCC and private developers. A request for proposal for potential developers was sent out several months ago, officials said.
A public scoping session, a meeting meant to determine traffic and environmental needs, is expected to be held sometime in May. The consultants then aim devise a technical environmental review plan during the summer months and will present it to the public in September.
NHCC officials said a final land use plan will be in place by the end of 2009. Pending agreements with private developers, officials target 2010 as a starting time for early phases of redevelopment, which would continue for about three to six years.
We are moving this forward very quickly because I think this is essential for the future of this medical facility, Gianelli said.
Furthermore, separate modernization project at the main tower and existing buildings are expected to relaunch by the end of 2009, beginning with the Ambulatory Pavilion, said Robert Benrubi, counsel to the CEO. Those projects were announced in 2004, and funded through through a capital reserve fund from tobacco settlements and help from the state health department.
The modernization efforts, centered upon the reconstruction of the emergency department, had since been stalled because financing issues related to the recent economic downturn, officials have said.
Comments about this story? MCaputo@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 287.
