Artist’s rendering of the proposed Vogel Medical Center Outpatient Center on the former Fort Monmouth property in Tinton Falls (Photo by RWJBarnabas Health)
By PETE WALTON
The Tinton Falls Borough Council is scheduled to vote Aug. 8 on an ordinance which would allow Monmouth Medical Center to build on 36 acres of the former Fort Monmouth property.
RWJ Barnabas Health Inc., on behalf of the hospital, plans a phased development of the property to include a 150,000 square foot cancer center and ambulatory care pavilion. The facility would offer oncology services, imaging, radiation, and ambulatory surgery. Parking spaces, grading and landscaping would also be part of the first phase of the project.
RWJ Barnabas is considering two options for the second phase. One would be construction of a 568,901 square foot acute care hospital including 250 licensed beds, a 206,768 square foot clinical and support building, a 112,864 square foot medical office building, a 34,000 square foot central utility plan, a 404,000 square foot structured parking facility, and associated site improvements and amenities.
An alternative in the second phase includes 20 acres of publicly accessible open space, stone dust walking trails connecting different site components, seat wall and sculpture space, at least two gazebos and landscaped open areas and plantings.
On Oct. 30, 2017, the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority and RWJ Barnabas entered into a purchase and sale agreement for what was formerly known as the Myer Center property.
In May of last year, RWJ Barnabas formally applied to the borough to be designated redeveloper of the site. The not-for-profit corporation conducted a public presentation on the project during a special meeting of the council the following month.
The council approved the redevelopment agreement late last year and RWJ Barnabas took possession of the property.
Though the redeveloper is exempt from federal, state and local income tax under the federal Internal Revenue Code and state statutes, the borough will receive some contributions from the project.
“The project improvements, with the exception of the medical office building to be developed in Phase 2A, are to be used in furtherance of the redeveloper’s charitable, public purpose and not for profit use,” the ordinance reads. “The non-profit project and the property shall be exempt from conventional taxation, but … the redeveloper is required to make an annual community service contribution.”
According to the ordinance, “the redeveloper has agreed to immediately commence making community service contributions of $25,000 per year during construction, which upon issuance of the first temporary certificate of occupancy or certificate of occupancy for Phase 1, shall increase to $150,000 annually (with credits being made for payments made during construction) and increasing 2 percent per year thereafter.”
A public hearing will be held before the council votes on final passage of the ordinance at the Aug. 8 meeting.
The meeting will be held at the Municipal Center, 556 Tinton Ave., beginning at 7:30 p.m. The borough clerk’s office can provide copies of the ordinance to members of the general public at no cost. Interest parties can contact the clerk’s office during regular business hours.
