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Huntsville Hospital is planning on building a more than $50 million health care facility on 7.75 acres south of the $240 million North Village Town Center development on North Memorial Parkway. City Urban and Economic Development Director Shane Davis said his office had been helping the hospital find a suitable site in north Huntsville. The new facility will include an emergency room and an imaging center. Davis said other services would be added as the area continues to grow. The City Council approved purchasing the site from the Howard Revocable Family Trust for about $8 million. Davis indicated the city would use revenue from the sale of the adjacent land to the developers of Home Depot, Target and Express Oil Change to help pay for the sale. The net from the sales of the land for North Village Town Center is expected to be more than $881,000. “This is a good news story,” Davis said. “It’s taken about a year to get here. I think Huntsville Hospital’s first initial investment is over $50 million. They were looking for a piece of property for long-term growth.” The city will sell the property to Huntsville Hospital after the purchase is complete. “What we would like to do is get control of the property and finish due diligence and start working on that agreement with Huntsville Hospital in doing some site design and site layout, which we will bring to this city council,” Davis said. “I’m super excited for District 1,” District 1 City Councilwoman Michelle Watkins said. “This investment tells that people do believe that District 1 is a place to live, and not only that, but that District 1 is worth the investment.” According to the Huntsville Hospital website, the Huntsville Hospital Health System is seeking approval from the state to build two-free standing emergency departments, including the one planned for north Huntsville. The other would be in Hampton Cove. It also plans to grow the existing emergency department at Madison Hospital by six beds, increasing capacity by 25%. “No area of the state is growing more rapidly than the Huntsville community,” Jeff Samz, President and CEO of Huntsville Hospital Health System, said. “Our hospital system has been the backbone of healthcare here for 130 years. We’re committed to doing whatever it takes to address current needs and to prepare for even more growth in the future.”
