03-01-07 Negotiations on Purchase of Land for Medical Center Continue with Silver-Honaker
Published Thursday, March 1, 2007 in Free Lance-Star
BY JIM HALL
HCA missed its target date to complete the purchase of land for a new hospital in Spotsylvania County, but a company spokesman said that the sale could occur "any day now."
HCA had scheduled closing for yesterday to buy the 75-acre parcel near Massaponax where it plans to build the Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center. But the company is still negotiating with the Silver-Honaker Development Co., the seller.
"A lot of work has been going on behind the scenes. These last final details relating to the closing have been an issue, but we expect to resolve those any day now," said Mark Foust, vice president for marketing for HCA's Central Atlantic division in Richmond.
Jud Honaker, president of commercial development for Silver-Honaker, was out of town yesterday and unavailable for comment.
It's been six months since HCA received permission from the Virginia Department of Health to build a full-service, 126-bed hospital near the intersection of Interstate 95 and U.S. 17.
"People want to see it built and operating and so do we. We're working toward that end, and we're fully committed to it," Foust said.
Foust said that HCA hopes to have a "site-preparation" ceremony in late March or early April.
"This hospital is going to happen," Foust said.
HCA signed a $5.6 million land contract with Silver in December 2005. The contract called for the deal to be completed by Feb. 28.
"Both parties are in total agreement to continue working to iron out these last details," Foust said.
HCA's hospital permit was one of two awarded by the state in August. MediCorp Health System, parent company of Mary Washington Hospital, also received permission to build the Stafford Hospital Center, a 100-bed hospital near the county courthouse.
Land clearing for that hospital has already occurred, and yesterday workmen at the site east of U.S. 1 were erecting the basement walls.
HCA's progress has been slower, in part because of road and zoning questions.
HCA's land contract with Silver calls for construction of roads and a bridge over the interstate, all of which will require government approval.
The contract says:
That the Spotsylvania Parkway will be extended from U.S. 1 to Interstate 95.
That a new bridge will be built over the interstate.
That the Spotsylvania Parkway will be extended from the new bridge through the parcel to a new road that connects to U.S. 17.
The parkway would serve as the main road for the hospital and provide motorists with a new east-west connector. Silver and HCA will share in the costs of these projects.
None of the road projects has been approved, said Harry Lee, preliminary engineering manager for the Virginia Department of Transportation's Fredericksburg District.
Lee said the projects are being considered as part of an overall look at road needs in the Massaponax area.
"We haven't at this point issued any permits," Lee said.
Lee also said that the existing U.S. 17 bridge needs maintenance. VDOT is weighing what to do with this bridge, Lee said, since high-occupancy toll lanes or collector-distributor lanes could one day run under it.
VDOT would have to consider the same issues for any new bridge, Lee said.
HCA also has been slowed by Silver's request to have the property rezoned.
Silver has asked the county to rezone from industrial to commercial the 75-acre hospital site and an adjoining parcel of about 98 acres. The rezoning would give Silver the opportunity to develop 500,000 square feet of space for shops, restaurants and offices.
Chris Hornung, vice president of planning and engineering for Silver, yesterday predicted that the rezoning request would reach the county Planning Commission by April.
The hold-up on the closing of the HCA sale is the subdivision plat, Hornung said. Before HCA can close on the property, county staff must prepare the plat that subdivides the land.
"It took us longer than we thought to finalize the alignment of Spotsylvania Parkway," which separates the two parcels, Hornung said. "The hospital was ready to close on the property. It was just a matter of the plat taking longer than we thought."
Staff reporters Kelly Hannon and Dan Telvock contributed to this story.
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