Columbus Regional plans for future hospital on west side

Columbus Regional Health is making plans to move its main hospital to the west side of the city. But hospital officials say the plans are in the beginning stages and the move will come years down the road.

Last week, the Columbus Plan Commission recommended adoption of a new part of the city’s master plan, incorporating an outline for 690 acres the hospital owns on the west side of the city. To be called the City View District, the property is between Interstate 65 and State Road 11 and south of Jonathan Moore Pike and has previously been known as Garden City Farms.

A prominent portion of the property, overlooking the Robert N. Stewart Bridge and East Fork White River, is penciled in for a new hospital, according to planners. Kelsey DeClue, spokesman for CRH, explains:

Hospital officials say that the current 17th Street location is landlocked and in danger of flooding again, as it did during the 2008 disaster. And the aging building was not designed for modern technology and infrastructure.

The proposed district plan also includes residential neighborhoods, commercial centers, a research & development campus, open spaces, green corridors, and room for other amenities.

After being approved by the Columbus Plan Commission last week, the plan will go to Columbus City Council for final adoption.

Photo courtesy of Columbus/Bartholomew County Planning Department.