Hospital plan gets favorable review during first public look

Village officials say Aurora project has hurdles to clear but would be well-placed addition to community

Ozaukee Press, October 22, 2007

By Steve Ostermann
Ozaukee Press Staff

Aurora Health Care’s plan to build a 480,000-square-foot hospital and medical center on Grafton’s east side cleared its first hurdle Tuesday, when the project received a largely favorable concept review during a village Plan Commission meeting.

Although commission members made few comments, several village officials said the preliminary plans are consistent with Grafton’s master plan for development in the I-43/Port Washington Road corridor and would be an asset to the community and surrounding area.

“In my view, this fits in very well with what we’re doing as a community as a whole, “ Village President Jim Brunnquell said.

“It’s a great boon that Grafton was selected for this project. It will bring jobs to the community and give us a health-care facility that provides competition and service.”

In August, Aurora Health Care announced plans to purchase Advanced Healthcare and create a medical system that would build an 89-bed Grafton hospital in the freeway corridor. The four-story building would be on 105 acres northwest of the intersection of Highway 60 and Port Washington Road.

The site includes 76 acres in the Town of Grafton that would be annexed to the village and 29 acres already in the village.

About 70 people attended Tuesday’s meeting, which was the first step in a review process expected to take several months.

Plans call for development, which would be across the road from the Grafton Commons shopping center anchored by the Costco Wholesale Store, to be built on the southern two-thirds of the 105 acres. In addition to the hospital, the complex would house a 24-hour emergency department, Vince Lombardi Cancer Clinic, helicopter pad and other facilities.

Surrounding the eastern and southern sides of facilities would be parking areas for more than 1,000 vehicles.

In a report to the commission, Village Planner Mike Rambousek said the project requires rezoning to allow a planned unit development but is consistent with the master plan’s designation of the site for retail, office and light industrials uses.

Officials said the village’s sanitary sewer and water systems have large enough capacities to accommodate the project. In addition, both utilities have been extended north of the Highway 60 for the Grafton Commons, they added.

However, Rambousek said the project will require other impact studies, including traffic, wetlands and municipal emergency services.

"One of the most important things is that the police and fire departments work very closely with staff,” he told the commission. “Their input will be critical.”

Mike Scholl, vice president of Hammes Corp., which is developing the project, said the hospital and medical center would enhance local health care by giving residents access to more services. The facilities will employ 600 people and could be expanded on land north and west of the building sites, he added.

“We believe this proposal will be an outstanding amenity to the gateway of the Village of Grafton,” Scholl said.

There were few comments from people who attended the meeting. However, one village resident questioned the need for a hospital in Grafton, just several miles north of Columbia St. Mary’s Ozaukee Hospital, a Mequon facility that recently expanded its operation to 159 beds.

“There will be extra hospital beds in Ozaukee County, and if there are empty beds, who pays for them?” asked John Enright. “It’s going to drive up costs.”

Enright said Columbia St. Mary’s Ozaukee provides quality care for area residents, who don’t need more expensive service.

“I urge you to consider this carefully,” he told the commission.

In response, Rambousek said the commission’s role was to weigh the merits of the project based on development standards, not from competition or marketing perspectives.

“This area has been identified for this type of development,” Rambousek said.

The commission took no action Tuesday.

A public hearing on the rezoning and initial review of the annexation request, certified survey map and site and architectural plans will be held before the commission Nov. 27.

On December 14, the Architectural Review Board and commission are both scheduled to consider the plans, with the commission to make recommendations on annexation and rezoning to the Village Board.

The Village Board could act on both requests as early as December 17.