By Alex Christodoulides
Cornerstone of Medical Arts Center Hospital is slated to open its doors the last weekend in January in the former St. Joseph's Hospital building at 159-05 Union Turnpike after its lease in Manhattan ended at the end of 2007, according to Kevin Forrestal, president of the Hillcrest Estates Civic Association.Cornerstone could not be reached for comment.The 150-bed combination detoxification and inpatient treatment center met resistance from local civic groups, Community Board 8 and elected officials, who pointed at similar programs nearby at Queens Hospital Center and Aurora Concept on Parsons Boulevard. They contended that another substance abuse treatment program in the neighborhood would lead to oversaturation with such facilities. Aurora Concept closed in June.”They ran behind in some construction,” Forrestal said about the Cornerstore project. “I was a little surprised when I passed by and saw the Sheetrock was in place. It looks like they've come a long way in finishing up. They have all the approvals in place except the site approval from [the state Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services]. But they should be opening in late January and then they'll be forming neighborhood advisory committee.”Cornerstone originally said it would move into the St. Joseph's site in phases, moving in administration, then several floors of patients, Forrestal said. The developers' attorney said Cornerstone expected to move into the Union Turnpike building the last weekend of January, Forrestal said.Spurred by the community outcry against Cornerstone, state Assemblyman Rory Lancman (D-Fresh Meadows) proposed legislation that would give community boards greater oversight and input in deciding which facilities may move into a neighborhood. CB 8 could not fight the treatment facility because Cornerstone's occupancy would be as of right, requiring no major alterations to the building, so area residents were left with no real means to nix the change.The St. Joseph's Hospital site was sold in 2004 during St. Vincent's Catholic Medical Centers' bankruptcy proceedings to Galway Properties, a Long Island development company owned by brothers Sean and Eamon Lavin. Previous proposals for the site included turning the building into a dormitory for Queens College, which never came to pass.Reach reporter Alex Christodoulides by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 155.
