Hospital's new four-story tower approved by Cape Cod Commission, traffic still a concern

HYANNIS — Cape Cod Healthcare's plan to redevelop and expand the southwest corner of its existing 27 Park St. campus got a unanimous nod from the Cape Cod Commission last week.

The panel voted to grant the proposal a development of regional impact approval, but with conditions.

The nonprofit corporation wants to add a four-story tower for cancer and cardiology services at Cape Cod Hospital. It also wants to add parking, landscaping and stormwater management.

The $137 million project will be linked to the main hospital by a connection ground floor infill area on the northeast corner and will add approximately 60,298 square feet of floor area on the campus.

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Michael Bachstein, vice president of facilities management for Cape Cod Healthcare, has been involved with the project for three years, from conception to traveling the country with staff to see the best practices in designing oncology and cardiology centers.

“We want just the best of the best for Cape Cod and we’re so proud that the state and local boards have been with us on this journey to understand how important this is to the future of hospital operations on the Cape,” Bachstein told the Cape Cod Times during an interview on Friday.

One proposal made just before the COVID-19 pandemic was a six-story tower. That plan was eventually withdrawn following complaints that the project was too large, he said.

"COVID put us in a bit of a stop and gave us the opportunity to reflect on really what we need here at the hospital," said Bachstein during a public hearing before the commission.

Boston architect firm SmithGroup drew up the plans.

How the project will meet hospital needs

The existing cardiovascular and oncology spaces are "wildly undersized and antiquated," Bachstein said.

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That's been known for a few years, he said, and hospital officials focused on what they could do. But with current guidelines and the expanding services and the growing population that needs care, Cape Cod Hospital does not have enough space, he said.

The small oncology unit hindered program development at a time where demand for such services is growing, he said.

"We're very much landlocked," Bachstein said.

The new oncology center increases capacity from 19 to 36 patient bays, with potential to expand. Radiation therapy will also be upgraded with new linear accelerator, updated CT simulation equipment and brachytherapy equipment.

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Meanwhile expanding the cardiovascular medical and surgical space will provide a 32-bed unit to replace existing 12-bed and 24-bed units housed in a 1950s portion of the hospital.

“They do not meet the technological needs we have to care for those patients today,” said Bachstein, noting that Barnstable County is the third oldest population by county in the United States.

The fourth floor would feature either 32 additional medical/surgical beds or clinical space, according to the presentation. At least two electric vehicle charging stations will be in the parking lot adjacent to the new building and an installed conduit would be able to support no fewer than 30 additional future charging stations.

Earlier this year, the hospital held a fundraising campaign to help pay for the project. Donations included a historic $10 million gift from the Edwin Barbey Charitable Trust Directors Peter and Pamela Barbey of Hyannisport.

The project is expected to add 15 new jobs at Cape Cod Hospital, ranging from maintenance, housekeeping and security to some clinical positions, said Bachstein. Three hundred construction jobs will also be added.

What are the conditions?

To approve a project as a development of regional impact, the Cape Cod Commission must find that the proposed project is consistent with the Cape Cod Commission Act, the Cape Cod Regional Policy Plan, municipal development bylaws and the local comprehensive plan.

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After a review, a commission subcommittee found the project could be considered in the following areas of the regional policy plan: water resources, transportation, energy, economy, coastal resiliency, community design, cultural heritage and climate mitigation.

For instance, the project reduces site-wide nitrogen loading, will decrease paved and managed turf areas and does not require additional wastewater capacity, said Jordan Velozo, chief regulatory officer of the Cape Cod Commission. The project also moves structures out of the 100-year and 500-year floodplain, decreasing vulnerability of the development to sea-level rise.

“Transportation was the issue the subcommittee spent the most time on during the review,” Velozo said.

The project calls for specific pedestrian, bicyclist and vehicle safety improvements at three intersections: Main Street at Lewis Bay Road/Camp Street, Main Street at Center Street/Old Colony Road, and South Street at Ocean Street/Old Colony Road.

As a key condition of gaining the commission’s approval, the hospital must submit a plan that outlines how it will handle traffic and parking before securing a preliminary certificate of compliance. Before the hospital can obtain a final certificate of compliance, it must provide all transportation mitigation.

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Then, one year after receiving that final certificate, the hospital must provide results of a traffic count at site driveways and parking counts.

The town of Barnstable recently approved the site plan. Next steps include getting approval from local authorities, such as the Conservation Commission. The state’s Department of Public Health also needs to review the plans and issue a determination of need.

Bachstein said the project could break ground between November and Feb. 1.

Eliza Cox, an attorney at Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP, representing Cape Cod Healthcare, called the project “a significant investment" by the nonprofit in fulfilling its mission.

“It results in new state-of-the-art equipment and technology, it facilitates the ability for Cape Cod Hospital to recruit top physicians and nurses to take care of all of us,” Cox said.

Zane Razzaq writes about housing and real estate. Reach her at zrazzaq@wickedlocal.com. Follow her on Twitter @zanerazz.

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Cape Cod Hospital plan for new cancer and cardiology tower approved