{"id":380844,"date":"2025-11-15T14:00:24","date_gmt":"2025-11-15T14:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/380844\/"},"modified":"2025-11-15T14:00:24","modified_gmt":"2025-11-15T14:00:24","slug":"scranton-council-wants-geisinger-to-explain-expansion-plans-for-hospital","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/380844\/","title":{"rendered":"Scranton council wants Geisinger to explain expansion plans for hospital"},"content":{"rendered":"

SCRANTON \u2014 City council wants Geisinger Community Medical Center to explain its expansion plans before deciding whether to back the mayor\u2019s proposed zoning changes of land near the hospital to accommodate its growth.<\/p>\n

Viewing zoning changes proposed by Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti for Geisinger-owned land in the 200 and 400 blocks of Colfax Avenue as a \u201crush job\u201d before a new council takes over in 2026, Councilman Mark McAndrew made a motion at council\u2019s meeting Thursday to have Geisinger come before council to explain its plans for the land that would get rezoned.<\/p>\n

Seconded by Councilwoman Jessica Rothchild, the motion passed in a 5-0 vote, with McAndrew, Rothchild, Tom Schuster, Bill King and council President Gerald Smurl all in favor of having council contact GCMC on Friday requesting an upcoming meeting to be held soon, before council would vote in coming weeks on adopting zoning changes.<\/p>\n

Council then voted 4-1, with Schuster casting the lone dissent, to introduce an ordinance to change the zoning of Geisinger-owned land in the 200 and 400 blocks of Colfax Avenue from institutional to civic.<\/p>\n

Past battle<\/p>\n

The main difference between the two zones boils down to the maximum allowable height of structures. A civic zone has a 100-foot building height limit while the institutional zone\u2019s limit is 45 feet.<\/p>\n

The height difference was at the crux of a contentious zoning battle in 2022 and 2023 that stymied Geisinger\u2019s previous expansion plans for GCMC. At that time, Hill Section neighbors were wary of an expansion project\u2019s potential impact on their neighborhood and quality of life. The neighbors prevailed when council in April 2023 amended Scranton\u2019s then-proposed new zoning ordinance and map to change the odd side of Colfax Avenue\u2019s 200 block from a civic zone to institutional, which effectively restricted the height of a new parking garage Geisinger had planned for the odd side of the 200 block. Geisinger had described such a garage as an enabling project that would have allowed for the creation of more clinical space, and the broader GCMC expansion never materialized.<\/p>\n

Rezoning redux<\/p>\n

Now, the zoning issue arose anew Monday when Geisinger issued a statement detailing nearly $50 million in recent and ongoing investments at GCMC on Mulberry Street in the Hill Section.<\/p>\n

The Geisinger statement also said Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti recently appealed to city council to approve new zoning designations near GCMC to facilitate Geisinger\u2019s continued commitment to addressing the critical and growing health care needs of the Scranton community.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith these projects, we\u2019ve grown services as much as humanly possible inside the walls of our current hospital, but the community needs more,\u201d Nick Coleman, associate vice president of clinical operations in Geisinger\u2019s northeast region said in the statement issued Monday. \u201cSignificant additional capacity at GCMC is needed, long overdue, and what northeastern Pennsylvania deserves. Amidst the uncertain future of hospital services elsewhere in Scranton, we are very grateful for Mayor Cognetti\u2019s forward-thinking and vision. We need equal support from City Council and the people of Scranton to ensure we have a health care community that can care for everyone who lives here with competence, expertise and compassion for years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cognetti on Monday confirmed to The Times-Tribune that she would be forwarding legislation to council seeking the zoning changes of Geisinger-owned lots on the odd-side of the 200 block of Colfax Avenue and the even side of the 400 block of Colfax Avenue that includes the site of the former John J. Audubon Elementary School, from institutional to civic.<\/p>\n

\u201cGeisinger continues to make substantial investments in GCMC. These zoning changes will give them the flexibility they need to keep growing in the face of expanding community needs and make sure that we keep exceptional healthcare right here in Scranton,\u201d Cognetti said in a statement Monday.<\/p>\n

\u2018Rush job\u2019<\/p>\n

At council\u2019s meeting Thursday, which was moved from Tuesday because of Veterans Day, McAndrew and Councilman Tom Schuster, as well as resident Edmund Scacchitti, who lives on Arthur Avenue near GCMC, questioned the timing of the rezoning ordinance.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s on what I would call an extreme fast track to get this done before the end of the year,\u201d Scacchitti said. \u201cI don\u2019t know what the urgency is and it concerns me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Scacchitti urged council to reject the zoning amendment, or delay action until a new council in 2026 is seated, or demand that Geisinger seek the zoning change instead through the city zoning board.<\/p>\n

The new council in 2026 will have two new members \u2013 Patrick Flynn and Sean McAndrew \u2013 who will replace outgoing members Smurl and King.<\/p>\n

Mark McAndrew expressed dismay to have learned of the new rezoning proposal from The Times-Tribune. \u201cPretty sad that I have to read it in the paper\u201d and that council\u2019s first look at the proposed rezoning ordinance came Wednesday when posted in the agenda for Thursday\u2019s meeting. \u201cLooks like a rush job? Yeah, it sure does.\u201d He added, \u201cThis was strategically planned, the delivery, and then all of sudden the legislation appears the day before our meeting. Come on, that\u2019s not how we roll around here. That\u2019s not how we\u2019re supposed to roll. And I can tell you come January, it\u2019s not going to happen like that again\u201d when a new council takes over.<\/p>\n

Schuster said of council\u2019s vote in 2023 for the lower height limits, \u201cIt was forcing them to present their plan, and as far as I know they haven\u2019t presented it yet.\u201d He unsuccessfully tried to get council to hear from GCMC about its plans before council would even vote on introducing the proposed zoning change, but that motion failed.<\/p>\n

King said, \u201cI would like to see us introduce it, have Geisinger come in here, explain to us and get it moving.\u201d<\/p>\n

Changing health care landscape<\/p>\n

The zoning change raised anew also comes less than three weeks after Tenor Health Foundation signed an agreement to acquire Commonwealth Health\u2019s hospitals in Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, as well as associated clinics and outpatient centers. The acquisition includes Regional Hospital of Scranton, Moses Taylor Hospital and Wilkes-Barre General Hospital. The transaction is subject to regulatory review and contingent on the nonprofit Tenor finalizing its funding. Once funding is secured, that transaction is expected to be completed by the end of the year.<\/p>\n

Rothchild said, \u201cOur health care landscape has changed over those past couple of years. I am still concerned about what\u2019s going on with Commonwealth, and I want to make sure we do have strong health care in the city of Scranton. There\u2019s a lot of uncertainty with the potential Tenor deal.\u201d<\/p>\n

If the proposed zoning change regarding GCMC advances through council on a second-reading vote, a public hearing on it would be held Dec. 9, before council would take a final third vote on adoption. If the zoning changes are enacted, development on the rezoned blocks would require the city\u2019s standard plan reviews, permits, approvals and opportunities for public input.<\/p>\n

The Times-Tribune on Friday asked Geisinger if it could elaborate about its plans for the lots proposed to be rezoned, and whether their representatives would attend a council caucus on the matter. Geisinger spokesman Matt Mattei said the health care system had nothing more to say at this point beyond the statement that had been issued Monday.<\/p>\n

That press release said Geisinger is targeting 2026 to begin work on a neonatal intensive care unit at GCMC, which would complement the NICU at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Plains Twp. Currently the only NICU in Scranton is located at Regional Hospital of Scranton\u2019s Moses Taylor Hospital campus. Geisinger also has renovations underway to add 19 new postpartum beds and more pre-and post-operative care to GCMC\u2019s labor and delivery capacity, a project that\u2019s expected to reach a 12-bed milestone next month and be completed in April. GCMC also is adding 24 emergency medicine treatment areas to its first floor, addressing a community need for more emergency care. Ongoing renovations at GCMC also included the opening or reactivation of 41 inpatient beds earlier this year.<\/p>\n

Jeff Horvath, staff writer, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n