Mass General Brigham quietly opened talks late last year to buy the stalled Norwood Hospital project, then walked away when the property's landlord hiked the price. The mostly built but unfinished campus has sat idle since a 2020 storm flooded the hospital and forced an evacuation, leaving dozens of communities without a nearby emergency room. State Rep. John H. Rogers has now filed legislation to give the Commonwealth power to seize the site by eminent domain, setting up a high-stakes showdown over how to finally finish the build.
Price fight ended negotiations
According to The Boston Globe, Medical Properties Trust initially floated a roughly $250 million price tag for the Norwood parcel, then came back with a $375 million asking price. Representative John H. Rogers called the jump "flagrantly unreasonable." Town officials told the Globe that finishing the mostly built hospital would cost another $100 million to $150 million. Mass General Brigham declined to comment to the paper.
Bill would let state seize site
Rogers and state Sen. Michael F. Rush filed House Docket No. 5528 and House Bill No. 5047, which would authorize the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance to take the Norwood Hospital parcel at 800 Washington Street by eminent domain, according to the Massachusetts Legislature. The hearing packet labels the measure an emergency intended to "preserve the public health" and spells out requirements for independent appraisals and Inspector General review of any payment to the owner. Hoodline previously covered the legislators' push for a state takeover.
Local officials, residents press for action
At a State House hearing in February, town leaders, first responders and residents urged lawmakers to move quickly, saying ambulance diversions and longer transports have harmed patients, according to NBC Boston. Norwood's town manager and task-force members told legislators the half-finished complex is a public health liability and argued that completing the hospital should be treated as a priority project.
Bankruptcy fallout left few easy options
A federal bankruptcy judge signed off in 2024 on sales of Steward's Massachusetts hospitals for a combined $343 million, shifting several facilities to new nonprofit operators while leaving Norwood out of the court-approved deals, as reported by Axios. The legal and financial unwinding left Medical Properties Trust holding many of the hospital properties, complicating any quick resale and adding layers of complexity to potential purchase talks.
What happens next
Representative Rogers told reporters the bill is before the House Ways and Means Committee and could be refiled if lawmakers do not act before the session ends on July 31, as reported by The Boston Globe. The Healey administration has said it is ready to work with any operator interested in the campus, but officials have not committed state dollars to buy or complete the project.
Legal pathway and price
If the General Court passes the bill and DCAMM uses eminent domain, the agency would hire independent appraisers and submit their work to the Inspector General for review before transferring the site to a new healthcare operator, according to language on the Legislature's site. The central fight will be over what qualifies as "just compensation" and whether the final appraised value is a number both the Commonwealth and Medical Properties Trust can live with.
Norwood officials say the town has already waited too long and plan to keep pressing the Legislature as the July 31 deadline looms. If the session closes without a vote, advocates say they will simply reset and push the issue again next year.
