Kettering nonprofit acquires 135 acres in Fairfield Twp. for development


Staff Writer Chelsey Levingston contributed to this report.

FAIRFIELD TWP. — In an effort to establish a “major presence” in Butler County, the Kettering Health Network has purchased 135 acres at the Ohio 129 and Bypass

Ohio 4 interchange for future development.

The site, purchased for an undisclosed price, will likely be used to build an outpatient facility, but it is unclear right now what medical services may be offered, KHN officials said Friday. It’s all part of the health system’s plan to be within a 10-minute drive of its sub-market sectors.

“That’s our goal,” Manchur said. “We are planning to make a difference and to do our best in contributing to growth, especially in the job market.”

KHN was already rooted in Butler County after becoming the parent company of the Fort Hamilton Hospital in Hamilton last year. Fort Hamilton is located 5.5 miles from the newly-acquired plot.

“This isn’t a replacement of a hospital, but an addition into outpatient services to help tie in together with Fort Hamilton,” Manchur said.

Jennifer Swenson, president of Fort Hamilton Hospital, could not be reached for comment Friday.

KHN has also expanded in Greene County, when in 2009, it was announced that a new hospital would be built in Beavercreek to expand on Greene Memorial Hospital, a hospital built in 1951.

“We’re not focusing in that direction (in Butler County). It’s not a model of an additional in-patient hospital,” Manchur said.

The nonprofit owns seven hospitals and more than 50 smaller medical facilities stretching from Warren to Preble County, including the Corwin M. Nixon Health Center in Lebanon. KHN has also bought land in Franklin at the corner of Interstate 75 and Ohio 73 for future development, Manchur said.

A timetable has not been established, but Manchur said development will be several years out, as the property and plans will need to be drawn out.

“We will just have to see how the process works and how quickly we can put something together that makes sense for the organization,” he said.

Friday’s announcement came as a surprise to Fairfield Twp. leaders, who were unaware a company had closed on the land.

“I’ve been working with a Realtor under a confidentiality clause,” said Fairfield Twp. Administrator Michael Rahall, adding he’d heard rumors of a medical center.

Rahall said the two tracts of land that make up the 135 acres were purchased from Lutheran Social Services. The land was donated to that agency by an unnamed Fairfield Twp. family. Rahall said the land had originally been targeted for a retirement community, but those plans fell through.

While Kettering’s announcement was a surprise, Rahall said he was “obviously excited” and eager to learn more about the health system’s plans.

“It should be a regional attraction to spur other businesses in the area and improve businesses already in existence,” he said.

Fairfield Twp. Trustee President Terry Scharnhorst said he was “really happy to have such a prestigious group come into our township.”

Area hospitals along the Interstate 75 corridor and in other parts of the county took notice of the news of another potential competitor on the block.

“We’ll be interested to learn more,” said Wendy Parks, a spokeswoman for Atrium Medical Center in Middletown.

Pete Gemmer, a spokesman for Mercy Health Partners of which Mercy Hospital Fairfield is affiliated, said their focus would continue to be on “delivering exceptional care for our patients and growing our services to meet the needs of the communities we serve.

“At Mercy, we have been providing convenient access to comprehensive, quality health care services for the residents of Butler County and surrounding communities for more than 100 years,” Gemmer said.

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