Massive New Hospital Proposed On Arcola Road In Upper Providence

UPPER PROVIDENCE TOWNSHIP, PA — Main Line Health has proposed a large new hospital on Route 29 in Upper Providence, directly across from Providence Town Center.

Construction plans call for a 500,000 square foot, five-story hospital building with 108 beds and surface parking. Future phases of the plan could see two medical office buildings of four stories each, one of 80,000 square feet and another of 60,000 square feet.

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The proposal was introduced during the June 3 township planning commission meeting to little controversy, though concerns about worsening traffic along Route 29 and the broader Route 422 corridor always loom over talks of significant projects in this area.

Discussions on the project and public hearings will take place at future planning commission meetings.

In a statement to Patch, Main Line Health president and CEO Ed Jimenez said the project was still in its planning stages.

"This preliminary process will provide insight into the site’s potential, enabling us to shape a clear, strategic direction for presentation to Main Line Health’s Board of Governors for approval," Jimenez said. "At a time when healthcare access is decreasing in many communities, Main Line Health continues to invest in this region with confidence and purpose."

A total of 800 surface parking spaces, along with two parking garages of unclear sizes, are also included in the proposal.

The development of the currently vacant 42-acre plot would be an expansion of the existing Main Line Health campus, which sits catty-corner to this site on 599 Arcola Road.

Developers said they would preserve the environment of the northwestern portion of the property, which includes tributaries to Perkiomen Creek, wetlands, and the creek's floodplain.

The project also calls for a new signalized entrance to the property, serving as a fourth leg of the existing intersection at Arcola Road and Providence Town Center. There would also be a pair of right-hand entrance and exit points and an emergency-only access on Mennonite Road.

Heavy landscaping was also proposed for the parts of the edge of the property where it borders local homeowners.

The next Upper Providence Township planning commission public meeting is Wednesday, June 17.

Full site plans can be viewed here.