By Marie Mulvenna

With the recent approval of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners for a rezoning of 20 acres near Northside Hospital, St. Joseph’s infirmary received the green light to proceed with long-range plans to relocate the present Ivy Street facility to a new location at Peachtree-Dunwoody Road in northeast Atlanta. St. Joseph’s has been a downtown landmark since 1880 when it became Atlanta’s first hospital.

Sister Mary Brian Anderson, RSM, administrator of the hospital, said the hospital “would more than likely relocate to the new site” if studies indicate that this is feasible. The hospital presently holds an option on two parcels of land and must have comprehensive soil and topography studies done before it can be determined if the site is suitable for hospital construction and usage.

The hospital applied to the Atlanta-Fulton County Joint Planning Board several months ago seeking a rezoning of the area from residential to office-institutional, thus permitting possible use by the infirmary. In the letter of intent submitted to the planners, the hospital outlined plans for a hospital with approximately 300 beds. The facility would have a base structure of two floors connected to and serving a nursing tower of eight floors. The towers would house 30-40 patients on each floor. The basic design offers the option of future expansion for an additional nursing tower and the possibility of a doctors’ office building connected to the hospital, should such a need arise.

It was clearly stated by the hospital that services would complement rather than duplicate the present services provided in the area by Northside Hospital. St. Joseph’s would offer highly specialized services similar to those provided in the downtown area but not generally available in the north metro area. Plans call for a neurological institute to provide both diagnosis and treatment, plus continuing specialized diagnostic procedures for coronary artery diseases and complete facilities for open-heart surgery and specialized vascular surgery.

Sister Mary Brian said she felt St. Joseph’s move to the new area would be a tremendous asset to the community, providing comprehensive health care along with Northside Hospital and the future Scottish Rite Hospital, which will deal almost exclusively with pediatric care. Sister explained that St. Joseph’s would not handle obstetric care, a service they had discontinued in August 1972. Nor, she said, would St. Joseph’s handle pediatric care other than for those patients admitted via the cardiac or surgery departments. In addition, St. Joseph’s proposes areas of sharing costs, including group purchasing computer services, laundry services, etc.

Sister also told the Bulletin that an additional letter had been submitted to the planning group prior to the hearing outlining the hospital’s desire to comply with various requests of civic groups in the area. Among those requests were landscaping, sufficient buffer zones, a sidewalk, and a specific percentage of the property allocated for other than building use (walks, landscaped yards, pedestrian plazas). Officials of the hospital have met several times with residents of the section, hearing their objections and concerns. The main objection, according to Sister, is that the hospital will attract other businesses such as gas stations, and motels and would detract from the general character of the area which is almost completely residential. Continuing efforts will be made, Sister related, to make the hospital development as appealing as possible to the neighborhood.

A detailed site development and grading plan must be submitted to the planners before any work on the site is done. The hospital also agreed to withhold application for a building permit for any construction until after sewerage is available for servicing the property.

Plans for the hospital stipulate a building of contemporary design with smooth and textured finishes on cast-in-place concrete for the nursing tower and the connected two-story structure utilizing similar pre-cast panels. In their letter to the planners, St. Joseph officials said they would “maintain the same high standards of appearance and operation at our new location as has been maintained at the present one.”

The hospital would maintain an optimum of 312 beds with a maximum of 339 beds, which is their present licensed capacity. Ultimate expansion would make room for approximately 600 beds plus the second nursing tower and possible housing for interns, resident physicians, nurses and other students. Parking facilities will accommodate 700 cars initially and 2,382 ultimately. Ultimate plans might also include a pharmacy, flower shops, eating places, and other medically related retail establishments.

The hospital’s plans seek permission for exceeding the height limitation of 132 feet. Sister Brian pointed out that the nursing tower would still not exceed the present height of either Northside Hospital or an adjacent medical professional building.

Sister told the Bulletin she did not feel the move to the suburban complex would be detrimental to patients and added that there are more beds in use in suburban areas than in downtown locations. She explained that many patients seek service at suburban offices of doctors and are reluctant to come downtown due to traffic, parking problems and the fear of harm to visitors who would be downtown during evening hours.

As to when the hospital might move, Sister said much depended on the forthcoming tests, purchase of the 20-acre site and the method of building. She explained that the “fast-tracking” building method in which architect and contractor plan and work step by step together would take three years. The conventional route, Sister Said, could take up to five years.

Staff at St. Joseph’s seem to be pleased with the possible move and Sister said many had already indicated that traveling to the new area would be no problem at all. “We don’t expect to lose many personnel,” Sister stated.