The head of Main Line Health appeared before the Upper Providence Board of Supervisors on Monday night to discuss tentative plans for a new hospital in the township.
Main Line Health President and CEO Ed Jimenez and other representatives of the health system attended the board’s June 15 meeting to present a multi-phase proposal for a hospital campus on a 42-acre site at Collegeville Road and Arcola Road, directly across from Providence Town Center.
The proposal was previously presented to the township’s planning commission earlier this month.
Why Upper Providence
Jimenez offered an explanation for why the health system is looking to establish a presence in the township. Over the past five and a half years, he said, nearly half a million patient visits have originated from the greater Collegeville area, with residents making long drives to Main Line Health facilities in Paoli and Bryn Mawr.
“People are driving distances to come for that care,” he told the board, adding that patients frequently mention traffic and wait times.
He also pointed to a workforce statistic: 1,029 people living in the greater Collegeville area already work for Main Line Health — representing 7 percent of the system’s total workforce.
Jimenez emphasized that the project remains in its early stages and that Main Line Health intends to take a measured approach.
“We're excited about meeting the needs of the community, but we recognize it's a big undertaking,” Jimenez said.
A Phased Build-Out
Attorney Alyson Zarro, representing Main Line Health, was careful to clarify that plans shown earlier this month to the Upper Providence Planning Commission reflected a potential maximum build-out of the site — not what would be constructed initially.
“This would be a phased project over time,” Zarro said.
Civil engineer Lindsey Breylinger of Bohler Engineering walked the board through the three proposed phases.
Phase One would include a hospital building of approximately 270,000 square feet — five stories with a walkout basement, making it effectively six stories on the rear elevation. Primary access would come from a new fourth leg of the signalized intersection at Arcola Road and the Providence Town Center entrance, with two additional right-in/right-out access points. Emergency-only access is proposed from Mennonite Road. Breylinger said that access would be gated unless Arcola Road becomes blocked.
Phase Two would expand the hospital to approximately 500,000 square feet and add an 80,000-square-foot, four-story medical office building, along with additional surface parking.
Phase Three would add a second medical office building of approximately 60,000 square feet, as well as two parking garages of roughly three stories each to supplement surface parking.
Breylinger noted that the proposal would leave existing stormwater management basins untouched, avoid wetlands and steep slopes on the northern portion of the property, and remain below the township’s impervious surface threshold. A 75-foot planted buffer between the nearest curb line and the property boundary would help screen the development from adjacent residential areas.
Jimenez estimated that the initial hospital would have about 100 beds. He said the campus will include an emergency room and mentioned that a trauma center is not part of the plan.
What the Township Asked For
Director of Planning and Zoning Geoff Grace explained that the township deliberately asked Main Line Health to present its ultimate vision for the property from the outset.
"I asked them to rip the Band-Aid off," Grace told the board, noting that he wanted the township to review the full concept. "I didn't want to piecemeal this. I want it all out in the open in the very beginning."
The proposal would require zoning changes. The site is currently zoned IO-3, with an R-1 portion in the rear. Main Line Health has submitted both a tentative sketch plan and a zoning ordinance text amendment, seeking to apply the township’s existing institutional overlay district — which already permits hospitals by conditional use — while modifying setback requirements to shift development closer to Arcola Road and farther from neighboring homes.
What Comes Next
Grace was measured when discussing the timeline, cautioning that the project is still in its early stages.
The township is conducting internal reviews and is still awaiting a traffic study from Main Line Health — something Grace described as a key missing piece. Once that information is received, he anticipates scheduling separate public hearings: one for the zoning text and map amendment, and another for the conditional use application and tentative sketch plan. Those hearings could potentially be held on a special meeting night.
“There's bound to be a lot of public comment,” Grace said.
If the process moves smoothly through the summer, Grace estimated that the planning commission could begin reviewing the proposal this fall.
While the board took no formal action on the proposal, members generally expressed openness to the idea of a hospital in the township. Supervisor Tom Yeager raised questions about building height and emergency services impacts, while Supervisor Helene Calci suggested incorporating green space on the rooftops where possible.
Supervisor Bill Starling was particularly enthusiastic when addressing the Main Line Health team.
“My only comment is I'm delighted you're coming, so start tomorrow,” Starling joked.
This article was generated with AI assistance. All content was reviewed, edited, and fact-checked by John McGuire.
