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Not Transformation, Just Hospital Sprawl

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November 15, 2017 - The MVHS Certificate of Need (CON) was submitted, go to page Health.ny.gov/Facilities/Cons/Nysecon/AdvancedSearch and search Project Number: 172305. Surprise! They are just "sprawling" and propose keeping all current locations operating!

Per the Utica Observer-Dispatch (Hospital plans reach another milestone), newspaper states, "Despite what’s described in the certificate of need, what actually will happen on the three existing campuses has not been finally determined. That’s why the application is written in a way that will allow the health system to keep some services on its other campuses."

Go back to #NoHospitalDowntown's Archive Page, read the post dated January 7, 2016:

"Either way, we suggest that Utica-area taxpayers prepare for a significant plan for their downtown. A plan designed by others, but paid in large part by taxpayers. And while labeled as an "amazing healthcare investment opportunity", it just might be "more urban hospital sprawl" designed to bring a parking garage to the Utica AUD and wipes-out our canal-era past. It also seems likely to wipe-out the historic police building and a modern police maintenance garage- which was a first step in the Utica's Gateway Plan but one that stalled."

Below we offer our original (September 29, 2015) sprawl post, and today we've created this new webpage. We will track the issue of Utica's hospital sprawl vs. "trying to move all the hospital energy into the urban core" as some "Yes people" have suggested. They suggest moving people out of the suburbs and into downtown is the plan, but do they really think the 64-acres at St. Luke's will return to a large green field? Not a chance! Perhaps a New Hartford developer is just waiting behind the scenes?

Once taxpayers pay to demolish the old hospital, this developer will create a new taxable neighborhood with a plan to battle-back against Utica's Varick Street? What better way to fight Utica's downtown success than to build a Marshall Square-like District, Syracuse's college student "mecca of nightlife, retail and food"?

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September 29, 2015 - Please take note... our Utica hospital system has three primary sites; Faxton (7 acres) , St Luke’s (64 acres) and St Elizabeth’s (17 acres) , totaling (88 acres). Each location has undergone expansions and expensive improvements in recent years.

Each has steadily expanded by taking over neighboring properties, cutting down trees, razing commercial buildings and or homes (one can see this in the maps linked above). This removes taxable property from the city's revenue and transfers a greater burden onto a smaller set of taxpayers.

Currently the County building and the New York Court are doing the same along Elizabeth Street in downtown Utica, creating even more surface parking and displacing tax-paying businesses at a cost to taxpayers of $2,800,000 for 178 parking spaces ($15,730 each).

Now local leaders in government and healthcare, supported by others in Albany, want more parcels for a new 4th location that will alter a very significant part of downtown Utica forever; they suggest this will use another 34 acres. Our leaders claim to only see blight along Columbia & Lafayette Streets in downtown Utica as they quietly plan a fourth hospital location.

Meanwhile New York State owns nearly 90 acres at the former Utica Psychiatric Center. Remarkably, this huge parcel is not being considered for the new hospital! Why not?

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Here is What's Wrong With The Downtown Hospital Concept and why we ask What's So Wrong With St. Luke's?

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No Studies, No Reports, thus we remain #NoHospitalDowntown