January 15, 2015, 6:39 PM Last updated: Thursday, January 15, 2015, 11:17 PM

Marko Georgiev/ Staff photographer

Governor Christie greets Dr. Gabriel Esteban, president of Seton Hall University, on Thursday.

New Jerseys proposed private medical school is off to a formidable start: Lawmakers from Trenton and Washington as well as Governor Christie pledged on Thursday to help the plan become a reality, eager to see the former Hoffmann-La Roche site in Clifton and Nutley back as a bustling medical-research hub.

Executives of the parent company of Hackensack University Medical Center and Seton Hall University, who have joined to launch the school, unveiled their plans inside a building that is expected to welcome the first class in 2017.

Marko Georgiev/ Staff photographer

The former Hoffmann-La Roche site in Clifton and Nutley.

Officials were short on details about the funding of the venture, declining to identify the cost or how it will be financed. The hospital network and Seton Hall will fund the project equally, said Robert C. Garrett, president and CEO of Hackensack University Health Network. Officials will also rely on donations and seek loans and grants from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority.

There is also the issue of replacing nearly $15 million in total annual taxes the Swiss drug company had paid to the two municipalities before leaving the site in 2013. Officials are negotiating how much and what type of payment will be made. A Hackensack executive said the organization is committed to paying the towns.

The unnamed institution philanthropic donations are being sought, which could change that will offer four-year programs for about 125 students per class once the school is established. And retaining those physicians is a founding goal of the new venture, Garrett said.

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Medical school plan for former Roche complex wins wide support