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The hospital network closed on the privately owned property at Plum Orchard Drive and Cherry Hill Road April 11 at a cost of $11 million.

‘‘We know there needs to be a set of primary-care services in Takoma Park,” Robertson said, adding that suggestions for that campus so far have included urgent care and diagnostic services, and emergency room facilities. ‘‘We’ll work with the community to create a set of plans around the type of health care services to keep in that community.”

County Councilwoman Marilyn J. Praisner (D-Dist. 4) of Calverton said it was ‘‘way too early” to gauge whether the project had full county support, but said she had no problems with the location.

‘‘I think the surrounding community will be very receptive of its move,” Praisner said. ‘‘The major concern is that they continue to work with the communities around the existing campus.”

The next step for the hospital will be to file a Certificate of Need with the Maryland Health Care Commission. The filing is a requirement for health care facilities considering a move. All applications require projects to have ‘‘secured a site” prior to applying for the certificate, Robertson said. The state will evaluate whether the site is geographically accessible, financially viable and cost-effective in meeting the health care needs of the region, among other criteria.

Takoma Park elected officials were pleased to hear the hospital was willing to work with city residents on future uses of the Takoma Park campus. Eighteen months ago, hospital officials announced that Washington Adventist would be moving out of the city because its current facility was limited and would not serve the hospital’s future interests.

The announcement surprised many city residents, some of whom had been negotiating with the hospital on its plans to expand.

‘‘I’m certainly glad the hospital is planning to leave medical facilities on their current campus,” Takoma Park Mayor Kathy Porter said. ‘‘This is not something that’s going to happen tomorrow, but I certainly look forward to working with the hospital and hearing what the community would like to see there.”

Andrew Sommers, co-chair of the city’s Health Services Impact Committee, said the new site was ‘‘not the worst choice.” Takoma Park residents would still be more inclined to use the remaining facilities in the city. But, he said, rearranged bus routes or a shuttle service that would make the new site more accessible to the city’s low-income residents might make commuting more appealing.

Scott Steward, a spokesman for neighboring Columbia Union College, said it would be ‘‘tremendous for the community” if the hospital continued providing health care at its current location, and added that any decision by the hospital to move out of Takoma Park would not affect current and future partnerships with the college.

Andrew Strongin, a member of community group Sensible Growth, was more cautious in his support of the announcement. He hopes the hospital will be responsive to ‘‘what should be an outpouring of opinions” on what residents will want to see done on the Takoma Park campus.

‘‘If the hospital was going to keep some kind of emergency care here and at the same time have some kind of community health center to provide care for those who really need it ... my guess is the hospital would get substantial community support,” Strongin said.

Residents near the purchased land, which is not in a residential neighborhood like the existing Takoma Park site, are excited about the prospect of a hospital nearby.

Anise Key Brown, director of the Eastern Montgomery Regional Services Center, said the hospital approached the East County Citizens Advisory Board two years ago with a proposal to move there. She added she was excited about the news, and although the community had some concerns about the project, she was hopeful the hospital would work with residents to resolve those issues.

‘‘Anything that adds to our base economically ... we view that as a plus,” she said.

Stan Doore, a board member on the East County Citizens Advisory Board and a member of the Calverton Citizens Association, said that while he and the board felt the hospital would be a ‘‘good, solid business” for that community, he hoped the design of the site would address an inevitable increase in traffic.

Robertson said it was too early to speculate on design strategies for the hospital, and how much construction of a new hospital could cost, only saying that ‘‘hospital construction is not inexpensive.”

The purchase was a proactive step to allow for the growth of the hospital, he said, and more space at the new site would give the hospital the ‘‘ability to do things better” with the capacity for a larger emergency department and more comprehensive outpatient services.

About 41 percent of patients at Washington Adventist Hospital come from Montgomery County, with about the same number coming from Prince George’s County, Robertson said. The rest come from Washington, D.C., and surrounding Anne Arundel and Frederick counties.

The timing of the announcement had nothing to do with the anticipated closure of the struggling Dimensions Healthcare system in Prince George’s County, Robertson said, adding that the new location would maintain an emphasis on ‘‘serving the community and high-end cardiac services.”

Dimensions Healthcare operates Prince George’s Hospital Center in Cheverly, Laurel Regional Hospital, the Bowie Health Campus, the Gladys Spellman nursing center and the Larkin Chase Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Prince George’s County.

‘‘There is concern in Prince George’s County. ... We are committed to meeting the needs of Prince George’s and Montgomery counties,” Robertson said. ‘‘This helps make sure Washington Adventist stays a strong hospital.”

Staff Writer Danny Jacobs contributed to this report.