A leading cancer center in Philadelphia appears to be winning a battle with city residents to expand its clinical and research facilities. Fox Chase Cancer Center received the green light from a City Council committee Monday night to go ahead with an $800 million expansion. The Ok has been three years in the making because of objections from people who live in the area. The expansion will take up 19 acres of a park in the city, and residents don't want to see the expansion "rip the guts out of the park."

Fox Chase Cancer Center ranked 9 in The Scientist's Best Places to Work in Academia survey in 2006, and ranked 35 in 2007. It also ranked 6 in 2006 among the best places in North America to do a postdoc. In 2004, scientists at Fox Chase received $57 million in grant dollars from the NIH.

According to a press release from the Center last year, the intended expansion "is necessary to accommodate new cancer research and the growing number of cancer patients requiring care each year." The Center estimated its patient load will double by 2015.

Construction won't begin just yet. Fox Chase still has to get approval from the full City Council, which is expected to meet December 6.

Correction (posted November 27. 2007): When originally posted, this article stated that the intended expansion included the Center for Women's Cancers, which is part of an already-approved expansion at Fox Chase. The article also incorrectly stated the expansion is a 125,000 square foot facility, when it is actually several buildings. The Scientist regrets the errors.