Baptist Medical Center has received the green light from the Downtown Development Review Board (DDRB) for an extensive renovation and expansion project at Prudential Drive.
The project calls for the expansion and renovation of its existing emergency services department and cardiovascular surgery suite, including the construction of a new, four-story, 123,000-square-foot emergency and patient care tower. The new building would be constructed within the existing footprint that includes the current pedestrian plaza and will replace the existing emergency patient drop-off entrance, ambulance drop-off.
The plans were presented to the Downtown Development Review Board (DDRB) at its Jan. 16 meeting for both conceptual and final approval, both of which the board granted unanimously.
Projects seeking DDRB approval must typically follow a two-meeting cycle, going before the board for conceptual and final approvals separately, however the staff report stated that concurrent approvals can occur under “very limited and unique circumstances.”
“This is one of those unique circumstances in that this is an infill project that is not adjacent to any public right-of-way,” the staff report stated, noting that the new building site is entirely within a parcel away from any public right-of-way.
Trevor Lee, managing partner of architectural firm Hoefer Welker, presented the project to DDRB members at the January meeting, briefly explaining the breadth of the expansion and what it will accomplish.
“This is a complex project at a complex site and we have spent the better part of the year working on this project and designing it,” Lee said. “It is one of the more, in my opinion, transformational projects for the city.”
Construction of this project will be extremely sensitive and cautious given the fact that the emergency department will remain open and fully operational throughout the building process. Responding to a question regarding a complete subsurface analysis, Lee said the team will proceed with extreme caution while “peeling back those layers and understanding what might not be on either infrared found utilities or on plans of what our utilities might be in this area.”
“The staging and the enabling of this project is going to take a very long time,” Lee added. “We’re going to be very, very careful.”
The project was well-received by all board members, with those sharing comments all expressing positive feedback to the applicant.
“I am so excited about this project,” said DDRB Vice Chair Joanna Berling. “It is a beautiful addition to the campus, which is a beautiful addition to our city, so thank you and good luck.”
In addition to Hoefer Welker, the development team includes contractor Batson-Cook Construction, landscape architecture firm Marquis Latimer + Halback, Inc. and engineer Osborn Engineering.
