Redesigned Cancer Center Proposed By Greenwich Hospital

GREENWICH, CT — After the plans for a new Smilow Cancer Center near Greenwich Hospital were rejected last August, the hospital went back to the drawing board.

Last week in a town hall-style Zoom meeting, the hospital said it will submit a revamped and re-designed plan for a new cancer center that satisfies neighbors and town officials alike.

Last summer, neighbors near the hospital said that while a new cancer center is welcome, the building would impact the character and feel of the neighborhood, as well as create more traffic problems in the area and compromise neighborhood safety.

The Planning & Zoning Commission said the project was "in direct conflict" with the 2019 Plan of Conservation and Development, which serves as the town's guiding light on zoning, conservation and development decisions.

Greenwich Hospital President Diane Kelly said the hospital took into account those concerns when coming up with new plans, and she reiterated why a new cancer center is needed in Greenwich.

"We're here because the prevalence of cancer is growing. The headlines of the past two years have been all about COVID, but at Greenwich Hospital, in addition to COVID, we have not taken our eye off the fact that incidence of cancer continue to grow," Kelly said, noting that more people access Greenwich Hospital for cancer care than any other diagnosis.

According to the hospital, in the next 10 years in the Greenwich-Stamford region, nearly all cancer types show growth rates of between 20 and 26 percent – with breast, gynecological and urologic cancers remaining the most prevalent in the region.

"However, with those growing rates, there is some really good news. We're here because cancer care is undergoing dramatic transformation," Kelly added. "What was unimaginable five years ago is now possible. We're here because we have the ability to bring that care, to bring that hope to Greenwich. That is, if we build the infrastructure that is needed."

Kelly once again said it's important to have the cancer center near Greenwich Hospital so patients can have access to "comprehensive and integrated care" and a full range of treatments, including access to more than 300 clinical trials. Smilow Cancer Center is one of the only 70 National Cancer Institute-designated centers in the country.

Dr. Donald Boyd from Greenwich Hospital agreed, and said patients wouldn't have to travel far for treatment, which is a plus.

"For people who have advanced cancer, it isn't always in their best interest to travel 30 miles to get that care, when they can get the exact same care in a very personal setting here in Greenwich," Boyd said. "We want to continue to provide that."

What's New

Parking & Traffic

The square footage of the new building, which would be built at the corner of Lafayette Place and Lake Avenue, is essentially the same as the original plan at 56,000, according to Chief Operating Officer Mark Kosak.

But all visible surface parking has been eliminated, and will instead move underground below the building.

During the original submission, a third party parking and traffic consultant was hired by the hospital to look at the proposed parking plan.

"I want to reiterate that this study found that the program has no adverse impact on traffic, meaning the roads surrounding our site can handle the volume of traffic that we're projecting for this site," Kosak said. "The study also found that the proposed plan for parking met the demand for both patients and staff on the site."

Planning & Zoning reviewed the original study and accepted it, but Kosak said the hospital plans to repeat the study "in a very robust way to affirm our original data."

Size & Scope

If approved, construction would last approximatley two years, according to Mike Wolpensinger, an executive director at Greenwich Hospital

The new building would go from two floors in the old plan, to three floors in the revised project, which would create 30 percent more green space and a deeper setback from the road, shrinking the perimeter of the building.

The extra floor adds only about seven feet to the building's height because of the underground parking, Kosak said.

"Shrinking the perimeter of the building has dramatically increased the setbacks for how close the building will be to both the property line and the road," Kosak noted. "This allows more area for plantings, more trees, more shrubs, more flowers — a better ability to beautify the land to fit in better with the neighborhood."

Planning & Zoning commissioners said the project conflicted with the POCD because the hospital was seeking a zone change from RMF Zone (multi-family) to H-2 (Hospital).

The hospital is still seeking that change with the new plan. They said it aligns with the POCD in that it is a direct response to community needs for quality health services.

Noise Concerns

Last summer, residents voiced concerns about noise coming from generators located at the Bendheim Cancer Center on Lafayette Place, and worried about noise coming from a new Smilow Cancer Center.

Kosak said the hospital has shifted its timing and frequency for generator testing.

"In our new design, we're really thinking about noise and we're really working very closely with our mechanic engineers to abate as much of the noise as possible," he added, noting that generators could be put underground or on the roof to limit noise impacts.

"We feel like we've listened. We feel like we've made a design that really fits into the character of the neighborhood and will help beautify the neighborhood," Kosak said of the overall project.

Resident Reaction

Following the brief presentation of the new plans, a question and answer session was held. Several residents supported the revised project.

"I don't know all the particulars on the construction, but I think this sounds like an outstanding plan," said Stephanie Ewen. "I think this integrative, total patient care model is what medical care should be."

Patrice Francois said she believed it was a "very responsible proposal."

"You've listened to the community and I'm sure this will be fully supported," she said in the Zoom chat box.

Other residents still voiced concern about the project, even though Kelly said a poll done by Greenwich Hospital found that 89 percent of residents, when made aware of the project, said they would support Greenwich Hospital building a new cancer center.

"There may be some support in Greenwich generally, but in this particular neighborhood, where those living here are affected directly, there are strong objections to this project," said Joan Blackburn in the chat.

"The issue is not that we're against hospitals or we're against good care. For the neighborhood, this is a residential neighborhood, and to the extent that residential areas are turned into either larger buildings both for residential purposes and hospital purposes, it means the quality of the entire neighborhood has changed," added Mary Jenkins.

Others had concerns about blasting, and the work needed to be done to create underground parking.

Wolpensinger said blasting would be done with extreme care.

At the end of the meeting, Greenwich's Town Planner Katie DeLuca thanked Greenwich Hospital for the presentation and thanked residents for weighing-in.

She said additional feedback can be emailed to her at katie.deluca@greenwichct.org. Similar to the last proposal, there figures to be plenty more meetings and public comment sessions.

"The point is well-taken that the hospital itself does a wonderful job for our community, and we all want to support it," DeLuca said. "The neighborhood specifically is of great concern."

For more information on the project, click here.