Richterswil: Novavest wants to repurpose clinic site
Talks with users from the healthcare sector have been unsuccessful for the site of the former Paracelus Clinic in the Zurich municipality. Novavest now has a residential use in mind.
Novavest Real Estate AG wants to repurpose the site of the closed Paracelsus Clinic in Richterswil. According to the owner of the property, all talks with potential operators in the medical or nursing sector have been unsuccessful. The operator of the former Paracelsus Hospital was forced to close the hospital in 2020 as a result of the coronavirus crisis and filed for bankruptcy in February 2021. The then owner Senioresidenz, which merged with Novavest in June 2024, had a rental agreement with the hospital operator until 2039 and was one of the clinic's biggest debtors.
Residential use favored, but requires rezoning
According to the press release, clarifications are currently underway with various authorities. The focus is on residential use. As the Paracelsus site is located in the zone for public buildings and facilities, this would require rezoning. According to Novavest, a quality-assuring design plan could also be useful. At the very least, the rezoning and possibly also the design plan would have to be approved by the Richterswil municipal assembly. Such a vote could take place in the second half of 2026.
Novavest writes that the property can no longer be considered for use as a healthcare property due to the changed hospital landscape, its decentralized location in the canton of Zurich, its location away from a train station and the high land prices. The site has been used to house asylum seekers since May 2022. The lease originally ran until 2025 and is now open-ended - "in order to be able to continue the ongoing search for a follow-up solution", as Novavest writes. (aw)
