By Joshua Burd
A group of well-known developers has sold a 40-acre swath of the Giralda Farms campus in Madison, paving the way for the construction of a new 46,000-square-foot medical facility.
The buyers, Atlantic Health System and Kindred Healthcare, last week announced their acquisition of the site from a joint venture including Normandy Real Estate Partners, MRY Associates and an entity sponsored by The Hampshire Cos. The health care providers say they are now set to begin construction early next year on a 38-bed inpatient rehabilitation facility, the first phase of a larger plan for a health services campus off Route 124.
The proposal marks a new type of use for Giralda Farms, the historic former estate of Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge and now a sought-after suburban office destination. The 40-acre parcel represented the last buildable piece of the campus and was the subject of a review by local officials and the now-former owners, who sought to expand the potential of the campus when they acquired it in 2015.
That approach was reflected in a joint statement last week from Giorgios Vlamis, partner at Normandy Real Estate Partners; James E. Hanson II, CEO and president of The Hampshire Cos.; and Mark Yeager, founder and principal of MRY Associates
“When we acquired this last development parcel within Giralda Farms almost three years ago, we promised to undertake the highest standard of planning and development — and we’re making good on that promise by turning over its future stewardship to Atlantic Health System,” the statement read. “We’re honored to have played a role in working with a provider of high-quality health care that will build a world class facility to serve our community.”
Atlantic Health and Kindred will now move forward after the Madison planning board approved a site plan for the facility earlier this month. The new two-story rehab complex will replace an existing 38-bed facility at 95 Mount Kemble Ave. in Morristown, which Atlantic Health is in the process of selling.
“We are excited to have secured a site to build a modernized, adaptable space that truly complements our exceptional inpatient rehabilitation services, and also allows us to grow, enhance and develop services to help us to build healthier communities,” said Trish O’Keefe, president of Morristown Medical Center.
The new facility will offer all-private rooms, supporting both enhanced clinical efficiency and elevated patient experience with targeted clinical programs including neurological, spine, trauma and complex conditions, according to a news release. The combination of Kindred’s expertise and a modern, state-of-the-art facility will allow Atlantic Health to maximize its ability to serve a growing population of patients with critical needs.
Patients at the new inpatient rehabilitation facility will be treated for a variety of conditions that result in a loss of function, the news release said. Such conditions include stroke and brain injury, spinal cord injury, neurological disorders, orthopedic disorders, multiple trauma, amputation and other disabling conditions, injuries and disorders.
The new inpatient facility will offer services such as physical medicine and rehabilitation, internal medicine, physical therapy, occupational therapy and others.
“We are pleased to move ahead on this project that will allow us to provide high quality rehabilitation services to the community in a new, leading-edge facility,” said Jason Zachariah, president of Kindred Rehabilitation Services, a division of Louisville-based Kindred. “We look forward to collaborating with Atlantic Health to deliver exceptional clinical care that improves our patients’ lives by improving their functional abilities.”
