U. Health System will maintain zoning rights in Radnor

Despite appeal by Main Line Health System, facility should open by year's end The University of Pennsylvania Health System has won yet another battle in the plan for expansion. Two weeks ago, the Radnor Zoning Board refused to hear appeals from Main Line Health System, which contested the University's right to build a new facility in the Radnor area. Officials from Main Line, a Radnor-based system, were "primarily concerned with useable square footage" for parking at the new complex, according to Anita Clavier, associate vice president for ambulatory care services at the University. However, Clavier said despite the appeal, the court "denied [Main Line's] request to have permits withdrawn," and added that construction did not halt. This is not the first time Main Line has contested the University's right to open a complex in the area. The new facility, a $9.7 million undertaking, has caused a considerable stir in the Radnor health care community. In March, Main Line officials voiced a complaint, saying the facility would have a negative effect on parking and traffic in the area. The complaint was rejected by the zoning hearing board. At the time, Main Line spokesperson Richard Wells said his organization believed the University's plan did not comply with zoning laws in the area. The proposal outlines the renovation of the first two floors of an already existing building in Radnor. It will house health care providers' offices and will provide services found in most doctors offices. However, in March, Wells said Main Line felt the building plans did not comply with the project proposal. "They seem to have another idea in mind," he said. "They've allowed for a CT scanner, an operating room, and ambulatory station -- it's a hospital without the beds." Chief Public Affairs Officer for the health system, Lori Doyle denied the allegations, stating that "no radiation therapy or surgery will be performed at the new facility." She added that Main Line is "obviously threatened and understandably tried to block our efforts." But Wells said Main Line's opposition lies solely in the question of zoning laws. "We don't have a problem competing with Penn," he said. Construction began in mid-April when the zoning board voted 2-1 to grant the University a permit. Clavier said the facility should be open to the community by the end of the calendar year. The University's aim is to provide "one-stop shopping" to suburban patients, Clavier said. She added that currently patients within a 15 mile radius make more than 112,000 visits to University facilities each year. The new Radnor facility will add to the University's growing health system, already comprised of the medical school, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, the Clinical Practices of the University of Pennsylvania and several other non-University facilities and institutions.

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