Residents, officials and businesses in Monroeville are eyeing UPMC's plans to build a full-service hospital in the municipality with a mixture of hope and skepticism.

UPMC will discuss plans to build a 333,798-square-foot hospital at 2775 Mosside Blvd. at the Monroeville planning commission's meeting Wednesday. The full-service hospital would feature a state-of-the-art cancer center, emergency room and more than 100 beds for inpatient services.

Monroeville Mayor Greg Erosenko and municipal Manager Marshall Bond said the new hospital would be a welcome addition.

"It's obviously wonderful how they're going to upgrade that site," Mr. Erosenko said. "But the spinoff is that folks who do use their services at times will use our hotels, restaurants and shops."

Mr. Bond said: "Anytime an organization wants to spend $250 million on a project in a community, it's got to be a benefit. I was told every hospital room generates about 3.5 jobs. So in those two areas, there will certainly be immediate benefits."

Representatives from West Penn Allegheny Health System, however, have questioned the motives of UPMC, saying the new hospital would duplicate services already available at West Penn's Forbes Regional Campus on Haymaker Road in Monroeville and at UPMC's own hospitals in Braddock and McKeesport.

"This is clearly a business decision, not a clinical decision," said Tom Chakurda, spokesman for West Penn Allegheny Health System. "They see the eastern suburbs being treated by a successful and capable facility and, clearly, they're responding to that."

Mr. Chakurda noted that $24 million in upgrades have been made to Forbes Regional over the past few years, including a new emergency room and obstetrics department. He also noted the vitality of the hospital's heart and vascular center, which recently performed its 100th open heart surgery.

"This is not about need," he said. "Very simply, there's no need for another hospital in this area. There's no need for a 125-bed facility.

"This site they're going to build this on is only a mile away from the Forbes facility. This is driven out of their desire to completely control health care in this region."

UPMC spokesman Frank Raczkiewicz said: "We responded to demands by our patients and physicians in the area for UPMC's high-quality, patient-focused care in a new state-of-the-art facility. It is part of our commitment to and investment in the Pittsburgh region."

Another concern that has been raised about the UPMC plans is access. The new hospital would be on Mosside Boulevard, which is Route 48, near Route 22 -- one of the busiest intersections in the state. The Pennsylvania Turnpike and Parkway East also are nearby.

UPMC plans to build an access to Mosside, so traffic would certainly be a consideration for the planning department.

Despite temporary traffic woes, Mr. Bond said the new hospital's visibility at such a busy location could only improve the municipality's image with travelers.

"Having a brand new state-of-the-art facility in that location sets a positive tone, hopefully raising the bar for new projects coming into Monroeville."