SMH picks architect and contractor to help master plan a new hospital in North Port

Earle Kimel, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
·3 min read
The main entrance of Sarasota Memorial Hospital Venice campus as viewed from the emergency room entrance. Flad Architects, the firm that designed the Venice campus, was chosen to work as part of a master planning team for two new SMH facilities in North Port.
The main entrance of Sarasota Memorial Hospital Venice campus as viewed from the emergency room entrance. Flad Architects, the firm that designed the Venice campus, was chosen to work as part of a master planning team for two new SMH facilities in North Port.

NORTH PORT – Sarasota Memorial Health Care System is negotiating with a planning team to build two new medical campuses in North Port – including  the city’s first acute-care hospital, which should be built off of Sumter Boulevard at the Interstate 75 interchange.

SMH will start negotiations this month with Flad Architects and Barr & Barr General Contractors to finalize a contract for master planning services.

The hospital posted a legal ad for the services last fall.

Flad and Barr & Barr have experience with healthcare facilities in Sarasota and elsewhere.

Flad designed SMH-Venice Hospital – located 13 miles north of the proposed Sumter Boulevard campus – as well as Phases 1 and 2 of the Brian D; Jellison Cancer Institute, the radiation oncology center on University Parkway and the oncology tower at the SMH-Sarasota campus.

Barr & Barr is building the new Kolschowsky Research & Education Institute on the former Doctors Gardens office building site, which will be part of the Sarasota campus.

Filling a gap in healthcare services

“Our goal is to develop master plans for our two south county campuses that are forward-thinking, financially sound and flexible enough to meet the needs of those communities now and well into the future,” Sarasota Memorial Health Care System CEO David Verinder said via email. “We look forward to completing this important step in the planning process and working with our governing board, city leaders and surrounding neighborhoods to develop new medical campuses we all can be proud of for years to come.”

Sarasota Memorial Health Care System CEO David Verinder.
Sarasota Memorial Health Care System CEO David Verinder.

Both medical facilities are sorely needed in south Sarasota County, which is home to SMH-Venice and HCA Florida Englewood Hospital, a 100-bed acute care hospital.

Community Health Systems Inc. closed its 312-bed Shore Point Health Venice hospital in August 2022, leaving a significant void in the region's healthcare infrastructure.

HCA Florida Englewood is also planning to build a free-standing emergency room in Wellen Park.

What is the timetable for construction?

SMH has targeted a 2025 groundbreaking for both campuses, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the hospital, which opened as a 32-bed facility on Nov. 2, 1925.

Sarasota Memorial Health Care System has started master planning and pre-construction site work on its new medical campus and hospital in North Port.
Sarasota Memorial Health Care System has started master planning and pre-construction site work on its new medical campus and hospital in North Port.

Over the next several months, the architects and contractors will meet with SMH officials to craft a master plan, along with cost estimates, for review and approval by the Sarasota County Public Hospital Board.

The hospital board reached consensus at its 2023 strategic planning session to start development of the two projects but there has been no formal approval of either.

Both projects will require approvals and permits from the city of North Port as well.

Flooding after Hurricane Ian – considered a 500-year flooding event – revealed drainage concerns at the Sumter Boulevard exit off of I-75, suggesting the need for significant investment in controlling stormwater to ensure that the hospital is not isolated by future storms.

Last September, while discussing ongoing impacts of Ian, Deputy City Manager Jason Yarborough indicated that the city expects to work in partnership with owners of the undeveloped land surrounding the interchange to improve the drainage there.

What will the hospital look like?

The 32-acre parcel at 4900 N. Sumter Boulevard is planned for a 350,000-square-foot facility with up to 200 acute care beds, as well as a 35-bed emergency department and 24-bed observational unit.

The 32-acre parcel eyed as the location for the Sarasota Memorial Hospital North Port campus is at the southeast corner of the Sumter Boulevard interchange with Interstate 75.
The 32-acre parcel eyed as the location for the Sarasota Memorial Hospital North Port campus is at the southeast corner of the Sumter Boulevard interchange with Interstate 75.

The hospital could be built in phases similar to the buildout at SMH-Venice.

Plans also call for a parking  garage for 600 to 800 vehicles and a surface parking lot for 500 to 700 more, a 20,000-square-foot central energy plant and a 60,000-square-foot office building.

What will the Wellen Park campus look like?

The 28-acre SMH-Wellen Park site at 7900 S. Tamiami Trail, could have at least a 15,000-square-foot free-standing emergency care facility that could be expanded to 30,000 square feet.

The 28-acre parcel eyed for a Sarasota Memorial free-standing emergency department is at the southeast corner of South West Villages Parkway and U.S. 41.
The 28-acre parcel eyed for a Sarasota Memorial free-standing emergency department is at the southeast corner of South West Villages Parkway and U.S. 41.

The early plan allows for the possibility of the free-standing emergency room to someday connect to a 300,000-square-foot, 150-bed acute care hospital.

In addition, plans call for a 20,000-square-foot medical office building that could double to 40,000 square feet.

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This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Architect and contractor to help with SMH North Port master plan