Commissioners table action on St. Clair expansion plans
Building permit fees for $142M outpatient center at issue
A proposed expansion of St. Clair Hospital has been put on hold while the hospital and Scott officials work out a dispute over building permit fees relating to the $142 million outpatient center.
Taking the advice of its solicitor, Scott commissioners on Tuesday tabled several matters relating to the hospital expansion. Among the items tabled was one pertaining to the building permit fees, which would be divided between Scott and Mt. Lebanon. The hospital is located in both communities.
“The hospital is balking at the payment of the building permit fees,” said Robert McTiernan, Scott’s solicitor.
He said the hospital has not yet paid the $1.4 million in building permit fees. Those fees are to be split equally between Scott Township and Mt. Lebanon because the hospital is located in both areas.
In July, Scott commissioners approved the hospital’s conditional use application and subdivision and site plans for the expansion, a six-story, 280,000 square-foot outpatient center. It would be the biggest development at the hospital in 40 years.
“It was very clear to the hospital what the building permit fees would be,” Mr. McTiernan said.
The hospital’s new outpatient center is being built on a parcel straddling both municipalities, with 43 percent of the building sitting in Scott and 57 percent in Mt. Lebanon.
“St. Clair has and remains very willing to pay each municipality’s stated building permit fees for its pro rata share of the building. “However, the initial Scott Township proposal would require payment of its building permit fee over the entire building,” St. Clair Hospital said in a statement provided to the Post-Gazette.
St. Clair’s statement went on to say that the hospital “looks forward to finalizing a development agreement that will provide for payment of appropriate building permit fees to each municipality consistent with the parties’ rights and obligations under Pennsylvania law.”
Commissioners also tabled action on the developer’s agreement with Mt. Lebanon and St. Clair Hospital and action on relocating a portion of North Wren Drive, which is slated to be a new entrance to the new outpatient center.
The project is scheduled to be finished in the fall of 2020.