Porter hospital buys needed 106 acres

VALPARAISO -- Porter hospital has completed the purchase of 106 acres at Indiana 6 and Indiana 49 that will be the site of its new building, according to a news release.

Officials have said in the past that they expect to take two years and spend $210 million to build the 225-bed hospital. However, according to the news release, new details on the project, including the timeline and construction details, will be released at a news conference Monday morning.

Community Health Systems, which owns the hospital, has been in talks to buy the land for some time but had to overcome several hurdles. It received a property tax abatement for the land from the Porter County Council a month ago after asking for it earlier in the summer.

The hospital had been waiting on the abatement to go through before moving on buying the land, Porter CEO Jonathan Nalli said.

The hospital also had to clear a lawsuit from Liberty Landowners Association, a group made up of nearby homeowners who opposed the new hospital. They had said they were worried about other businesses, such as pharmacies and restaurants, that the hospital likely would attract.

Porter County Judge A. James Sarkisian dismissed the lawsuit, though, and the group lost an appeal at the state level.

Community has a contract with Porter County, which sold the hospital to Community, to build a new hospital by 2011.