Work underway for development of former Monsour Medical Center site in Jeannette

More details are expected to be released publicly in the coming months related to a long-awaited proposed development at the former Monsour Medical Center property in Jeannette.

Mayor Curtis Antoniak hinted at the potential movement during a council meeting last week.

“This is a big one. Don Tarosky Jr. has been in discussion with our code enforcement officer William Whetzel pertaining to the former Monsour site and development is to start this year,” Antoniak said. “Mr. Tarosky has been a very busy man, his company Colony Holding does outstanding work developing commercial and residential real estate. We don’t have any further information on what is being developed at the site at this time, but the signs are down. It’s all in discussions.”

Tarosky confirmed to the Trib that is his intention. He declined to provide details about the proposal, but said that likely will change in the coming months.

“I think what I’m proposing will hopefully exceed the expectations for the property,” he said.

The site along Route 30 has sat vacant since 2017 after the Westmoreland County Industrial Development Corp. finished a $2 million demolition project funded by local and state dollars. The nine-story cylindrical hospital had been a landmark at the city’s entrance since 1971 until it closed in 2006. The land bank bought the 6.4-acre property in 2014 at a judicial sale for about $15,000 and sold it to Tarosky’s company for $2.1 million. That sale was finalized in 2019.

Local zoning issues and the coronavirus pandemic led to delays in developing the property. Tarosky last year worked with a global commercial real estate services company with local offices to market the site. He said he doesn’t need to seek a change to the current zoning for the upcoming project.