Aria Health is one step closer to
building a new hospital on the
corner of Stony Hill Road and
Route 332 in Lower Makefield
after the township’s zoning board
approved a special exception for
the construction in a 3-2 vote last
Tuesday night.
Outraged citizens reacted to the
vote with signs and shouts of,
“SHAME.”
Local residents oppose the hospital,
saying it will cause increased
taxes and traffic. If built,
Aria says its new facility will
bring cutting-edge medical technology
to the area.
Much of the opposition comes
from Residents Against Frankford’s
Relocation (RAFR).
They’re the citizens activist group
responsible for posting the huge
signs along Route 332 that read,
“STOP TRAFFIC, STOP
TAXES.”
Zachary Ruben, a resident of the
township opposed to the decision,
said, “The hospital did not meet
its burden for the special exception.”
He said the terms of the special
exception demand Aria
demonstrate that the creation of
the hospital will not adversely affect
traffic.
Aria’s plan was amended to accommodate
the traffic problem by
creating an access road from
Stony Hill Road directly to the
hospital campus and expanding a
section of Route 332 from two
lanes to three.
All the modifications to traffic
are subject to the approval of the
Department of Transportation.
Zoning Board Member Jerry
Gruen opened the vote with words
of warning to his fellow board
members, saying that the new
project would “change the character
of the location forever.”
He also claimed that Aria’s initial
construction was a foot-in-thedoor
tactic that would lead to
further development of the site
and the abandonment of their
older hospital located near the Oxford
Valley Mall.
In a last-ditch effort, Gruen proposed
an amendment that would
restrict any expansion of the hospital
for the next 75 years; the
amendment failed.
Stephen Mosley, a resident and
member of RAFR, agreed with
Gruen’s position. But, Mosley’s
main reason for opposing the construction:
“Taxes, taxes, taxes,
taxes.”
Mosley does not want to have to
bear the new tax burden a new
hospital would likely cause.
“Look, it’s a 24-7 facility, that
means more police and more firemen
the township has to pay for.”
In order to reach final approval,
the hospital plan must pass a review
of the township’s board of
supervisors, which is rumored to
be against the idea.
Nevertheless, RAFR and other
citizens in opposition to the hospital
pledged to appeal Tuesday’s
action.
In a written statement, Local
State Rep. Steve Santarsiero
stated his opposition to the plan,
and warned of the consequences
of its passage at the zoning-board
level.
“The fact is that whoever prevails
before your board will have
significant advantage in any appeal
process, as the courts give
zoning boards great deference
and, accordingly, board decisions
are rarely reversed,” he said.