Town Hall Set To Discuss Morristown Medical Center's Expansion Plan

MORRISTOWN, NJ — A prospective expansion proposal for Morristown Medical Center, which first sparked controversy last year, will be addressed by Atlantic Health System, the hospital's parent company.

Atlantic Health will be hosting a "Town Hall" style meeting on Tuesday evening as a way to share their updated vision for the future of Morristown Medical Center. The meeting is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. at the Malcolm Forbes Auditorium, located at 100 Madison Ave., Morristown.

Attendees are advised to park in the East Garage/Visitors Lot, where parking tickets will be validated. To find the auditorium, follow the signs that begin near the 100 Madison Avenue/Main Hospital Entrance.

Last fall, when the potential expansion plans were first announced, several residents, particularly from Parsons Village—a townhouse community located across the street from the hospital—voiced their concerns, calling for greater transparency regarding the future project.

At that time, the town council reassured community members that no official plans or applications had been submitted yet.

However, they noted that the local medical center had engaged in discussions with the town regarding a potential major expansion on and around its campus, which at the time involved a new 11-story building, a six-story parking garage, and additional construction on adjacent properties.

In a statement to the local community, Mayor Tim Dougherty’s administration indicated that although the plan was to start town hall briefings last week, it became apparent that more time was needed before presenting the project to the public, as many questions remain unanswered.

"For example, the 200-page traffic study was received by the town only this morning. We believe it would be irresponsible to move forward with the public engagement process without ensuring that all information has been reviewed by our professionals and available to the public to ensure that they have a complete picture," the statement read.

Morristown officials have stated that their goal throughout this process is to keep community members as informed as possible.

"The hospital is an important asset in our community and we look forward to continued dialogue on their proposal," Dougherty said.