Former Jeannette hospital property is on the market

The former Jeannette District Memorial Hospital property is for sale.

The vacant 12-acre site on Jefferson Avenue is listed at $1.5 million, more than six years after the property was transferred from Excela Health to a private developer for $820,000. Craig Anlauf, who operates several assisted living facilities in the area, said he could return to the project if no one steps forward to buy the property.

“We put it up for sale just to see if there’s any interest out there,” he said.

The coronavirus pandemic has impacted staffing at nursing and care homes across the country and Anlauf said he intends to focus on those businesses over the next several months. If the situation improves, then Anlauf said he hopes to turn back to the former hospital property.

In June, he told the Tribune-Review he anticipated Suite 318, luxury independent living, could soon be available. A gated senior community was planned for the remainder of the land, he said then.

Improvements have been made to the exterior and windows of a six-story building on the property. Another building was donated to firefighters who used it for a training exercise. The burned out remnants remain in the residential neighborhood not far from Route 30.

Code enforcement officer Bill Whetzel said the city never received an application for a building permit or any construction plans from the developer other than the demolition permit for the fire training. Mayor Curtis Antoniak said he is hopeful that someone will step in to take over the site.

“I’m very disappointed because there were such big plans up there,” Antoniak said. “I’m just hoping somebody comes forward. I truly believe they will with the area that it’s in.”

The property includes a 41,000-square-foot medical office building, a five-story parking garage and another building and parking area.

The hospital complex was purchased by Excela Health from Pittsburgh Mercy Health System in April 2008 for $13.8 million. It was converted into an outpatient center in 2010 and closed in January 2011. The hospital was demolished three years later at a cost of $2.7 million in an effort to make it more attractive to potential developers.