Proposed Atrium Hospital in Cornelius

March 3. By Dave Vieser. A final decision on the rezoning needed for the new 38 bed Atrium Hospital in Cornelius is on the Town Board agenda this coming Monday. All indications point to approval.

The plan

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Hospital Authority, doing business as Atrium Health, plans to build a 38-bed hospital containing 282,000 square feet with a maximum height of six stories, or 120 feet. Accompanying the hospital will be several medical office buildings and accessory facilities totaling approximately 90,000 square feet.

A second phase will be added at a later date and would contain approximately 100 additional beds, if approved by the state.

The need

There seems little doubt about the need for a Cornelius hospital, especially when conditions at Novant’s 139-bed Huntersville Medical Center at Exit 23 are considered. The hospital opened in 2004 and has already added an extension. Town officials believe that the presence of another hospital in the fast-growing Lake Norman area will enhance care for those in need.

The location

The property is the former Cook family farm which sold for $34 million to an Arizona developer in 2006, before the real estate collapse. Work has already started on utility relocations at the site which is west of Statesville Road near the Bailey Road intersection.

The meeting

The Town Board meeting begins at 6 pm in Town Hall on Catawba Avenue. It will also be live streamed on the town website: www.cornelius.org.