UPMC will present updates to its plans for a new 63-bed hospital that it hopes to build in Jefferson Hills to the borough’s planning commission in January.

Residents for more than a year have fought plans for the new hospital and the zoning permit to allow the project to proceed was stripped from UPMC by the borough’s zoning hearing board in September.

While UPMC sought to have the land development plan for the project tabled indefinitely while its appeal relating to the zoning permit works its way through Allegheny County Common Pleas Court, Jefferson Hills leaders have said the plan must be making progress if they want an extension.

Lawyers and engineers representing the health care giant, operating under the name AUUE Inc., appeared before the borough’s planning commission on Dec. 30 to describe the progress being made on the land development plan. They sought an extension to present updates to the commission later this month, past the deadline for their initial 90-day review period that ends on Jan. 22.

Planning commission members granted the 90-day extension. The updated plans will be brought before them at their Jan. 27 meeting.

“A lot of things have happened over the last year. During that time, we’ve continued through design with UPMC,” said Jon Sweringen of Fahringer, McCarty, Grey, Inc. in Monroeville.

Currently, they’re working to address 13 pages of comments from Jefferson Hills’ engineers and making any needed adjustments to the plans, he said.

“We’ve systematically addressed these concerns, as well as concerns from the public and from staff,” Sweringen said.

He noted one change will be that the building’s footprint will be “a little bit smaller.” Environmental changes also were made after representatives spoke with the county’s conservation district.

“I think we’ve addressed pretty much everything,” he said.

The building of the new hospital and medical center in Jefferson Hills off of Elliot Road and Route 51 has been contentious over the last year.

After receiving a zoning permit, AUUE filed a land development application in November 2018. AUUE must secure land development approval from the municipality — along with other permits — before it builds the planned medical facility.

When 104 Jefferson Hills residents challenged the zoning officer’s issuance of a permit for the project, a stay was issued on the land development application. However, when the borough’s zoning hearing board rendered a decision in September in favor of the residents, the clock on the land development plan started ticking again.

Thomas Ayoob, legal council for AUUE, appeared before the borough’s planning commission in November, seeking a “general tabling” until the court renders a decision on the zoning permit.

Borough leaders said they typically do not grant extensions unless progress is being made on a project.

“I respectfully don’t agree. But we will work within the parameters of what you would like to have happen,” Ayoob told planning commission members on Dec. 30.

Solicitor William Shimko said that a 90-day extension is not “out of the ordinary” if the plan is making progress.

Planning commission Chairman David Montgomery told his colleagues that they had two options: they could grant the extension or deny the application and require UPMC to resubmit.

They agreed to grant the extension for 90 days.

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