Business & Tech

Sloan-Kettering Arrival Dubbed a 'Huge Win'

Facility expected to provide 300 jobs

By Gregory Kyriakakis

A new Memorial Sloan-Kettering medical complex nearby that promises hundreds of jobs for locals should be “fully operational” by 2016, according to Middletown Mayor Gerard Scharfenberger.

Sloan-Kettering purchased the 285,000-square-foot former Lucent building on Red Hill Road in Middletown for $14 million last spring. Scharfenberger touted the project during an economic forum last week, saying that it is “a huge win” for Middletown.

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

The cancer treatment center should provide more than 300 “well-paying” jobs, drawing doctors and medical professionals to the area, the mayor said.

The complex, which has been vacant for about eight years, is located off the Garden State Parkway near exit 114 in a wooded area, according to the mayor.

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

Having a use for the property is important to the township because the owner could have filed a tax appeal if the land was not being utilized to 100 percent of its value, Scharfenberger said.

Though Sloan-Kettering is a tax-exempt organization, Scharfenberger said that a deal was worked out with the township so that the property will bring in $180,000 in revenue to Middletown each year.

The Sloan-Kettering complex, in addition to other projects in town, is seen as a potential catalyst that could draw more business to Middletown and the surrounding area.

“It looks like we’re aggressive and welcoming to businesses," Scharfenberger said.

To find out what’s working in town, officials plan to distribute a survey to see what Middletown can do to become more business-friendly. More businesses could help to increase the township’s ratables base and stabilize taxes.

“We have to be very aggressive at the local level here," Scharfenberger said. “Sloan-Kettering could have gone to the other side of the Delaware. We’re very proud to have them here.”


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here