<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0UngYN_1GnuuPPK00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0UngYN_1GnuuPPK00" width="767" height="588" ><figcaption>PHOTO BY JOSHUA KODIS</figcaption></figure>A development group hoping to build a new hospital at the intersection of Route 60 and 66th Avenue has submitted paperwork asking for amendments to the county’s land use regulations to move the project forward.Representatives for the owners of the site asked the Board of County Commissioners in September for some direction or consensus as to whether commissioners like the idea of a third hospital in the county. The developers and county staff made presentations at the meeting. In the end, no vote was taken. But the development team, spearheaded by former county commissioner Tim Zorc, heard enough to move forward with a trio of zoning and land use applications that will cost around $1 million to prepare and submit.Three of the commissioners – Chairman Deryl Loar, Commissioner Susan Adams and Commissioner Joe Earman – seem open to the zoning changes necessary to accommodate a five-story, 260,000-square-foot main hospital, plus ancillary buildings like an emergency room and surgery center. The ER and surgery center would be built first, then connected to the main hospital when it’s completed by 2032 or 2033.The main hospital building would need to rise five stories and up to 80 feet, which exceeds what current code allows but is far less than the 170-foot height exception granted decades ago to Vero’s existing hospital.The county needs to approve three things for the project to proceed – the 260,000-square foot main hospital building size, the 80-foot maximum height, and adding the word “hospital” to the comprehensive plan.The developer’s requests must now go through a process of consultation with planning staff and consideration by the Planning and Zoning Commission in public hearings.There’s a chance this first application for hospital-specific exceptions to the county comp plan could be heard by the end of 2026, according to Zorc. “It depends upon what the meeting schedule is over the holidays and if they cancel meetings,” he said.County Planning Director Ryan Sweeney said last week that staff had not yet vetted the developer’s application, which was submitted by Mills Short and Associates on Oct. 26.“These documents are currently under sufficiency/quality control review and have not actually been processed. There may be minor revision or corrections to the application materials before they are formally processed and reviewed by staff,” Sweeney said.“The proposed amendment would increase the maximum permitted floor area of an individual building from 60,000 square feet to 260,000 square feet for a hospital building within the designated preferred location area,” the application states. “The amendment is being pursued in conjunction with a separate request to establish a hospital-specific building height incentive of up to five stories or 80 feet, whichever is greater. Together, these amendments would establish a regulatory framework that accommodates contemporary hospital design while maintaining the County’s established mixed-use development standards and compatibility requirements.”Once the Planning and Zoning Commission process is complete, the State of Florida would need to review and approve any proposed changes to the comp plan and return findings back to the county commission.County staff and the development team’s attorneys – former county attorney Dylan Reingold and beachside land use attorney Bruce Barkett – crafted the language of application so it could not be applied to any use other than a hospital, or to any location other than the location adjacent IRSC Mueller Campus. If the project is approved, Zorc said IRSC healthcare students will complete clinic experience requirements in partnership with the new hospital next door.If all goes well, Zorc said the developer could contract with one of the three or four hospital operators interested in the site next year and reveal which hospital will operate the facility.The application provides for a hospital with 108 beds, plus outpatient facilities and medical office buildings in a mixed-use development. Once built out, this would establish a new medical corridor along 66th Avenue to serve the fastest growing parts of the county, west and south of Vero.“A modern full-service hospital requires the integration of emergency services, diagnostic imaging, surgical facilities, inpatient accommodations, specialized treatment areas, medical support services, and administrative functions,” the application states. “These departments must operate within a coordinated building environment to facilitate patient transfers, efficient staffing, emergency response, and the delivery of comprehensive medical care. The proposed 260,000-square-foot allowance recognizes these unique requirements and provides sufficient flexibility to accommodate a modern hospital facility within a single integrated building.Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital’s leadership has questioned the need for a third hospital, and whether a third hospital would be commercially viable.No date has been set for a public hearing before the county Planning and Zoning Commission. Staff may ask questions or need more information from the applicant before the matter can go before the commission.<img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2rnOi6_1GnuuPPK00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2rnOi6_1GnuuPPK00" width="403" height="380" ><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1AUdx4_1GnuuPPK00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1AUdx4_1GnuuPPK00" width="241" height="227" ></div></body>

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A development group hoping to build a new hospital at the intersection of Route 60 and 66th Avenue has submitted paperwork asking for amendments to the county’s land use regulations to move the project forward. Representatives for the owners of the site asked the Board of County Commissioners in...

Developers of planned new hospital submit first applications to county

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A development group hoping to build a new hospital at the intersection of Route 60 and 66th Avenue has submitted paperwork asking for amendments to the cou

Developers of planned new hospital submit first applications to county

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