UPDATED: City Officials Taking Action on Former Riverside Hospital Property

Trenton City Administrator Jim Wagner said he will hand deliver a letter to the office of Nancy M. Schlichting, president and chief executive officer of Henry Ford Health System (HFHS), in regard to the former Riverside Hospital.

Wagner said he and other Trenton officials will be drafting the letter Thursday and dropping it at the HFHS offices in Detroit Friday morning.

In the letter, Wagner said he plans to "express our concern for the upcoming meeting between Dr. (Iqbal) Nasir and (HFHS Chief Operating Officer) Bob Riney as it relates to the Riverside Hospital project and how vital it is to the City of Trenton and, in particular, the downtown business district."

He added, the letter will encourage HFHS officials to make a deed modification to allow Nasir the opportunity to , which will include a skilled nursing center featuring nearly 80 beds, an acute rehabilitation facility and a health services teaching school.

Dwight Angell, director of media relations for HFHS, said HFHS has made several attempts to accommodate Nasir’s' request in a modified manner.

"On July 18, 2012 HFHS representatives had a phone conference with Nasir’s legal counsel and had offered to provide Nasir with a written waiver personal to Nasir that would allow him to move forward with a 78 bed skilled nursing facility and senior housing component," Angell said.  "To date HFHS has not heard back from Nasir’s attorney."

Trenton Patch erroneously reported a contract between HFHS and Nasir.

There is no contract between HFHS and Nasir, and the deed restriction has been in place since the property was first sold to Riverside Property LLC on March 6, 2009, according to Angell.

Angell said the property has been sold three time since March 2009 -- to Riverside Property LLC to 150 Traux; 150 Traux to Zara Management LLC and Zara Management LLC to Nasir's group Naba Management LLC. During all of the subsequent transactions the deed restrictions remained in place and are a matter of public record, according to Angell.

Nasir scheduled a meeting with Riney for sometime next week, according to Wagner.

Wagner said Trenton officials are seeking a face-to-face meeting with either Schlichting or Riney, as soon as possible, to make sure they are aware that the development of Riverside is a vital interest of the City of Trenton.

The former Riverside Hospital property has since fallen into a state of disrepair. Children have broken into the building and .

"HFHS closed the hospital in Oct. of 2002, we maintained the property in accordance with city guidelines up and through until the date of sale," Angell said.