Nationwide Children’s Hospital has announced plans for two new facilities near its downtown campus to accommodate growth in patient services. Both new buildings will help to decompress parking and current outpatient clinics which have outgrown their available space on the hospital’s campus. Moving selected services off of the main campus will allow them to expand, as well as accommodate growth by other hospital programs in the spaces they vacate.
Construction is slated to begin on the Livingston Avenue Ambulatory Building in January 2015 on the northeast corner of East Livingston Avenue and South Grant Avenue on 10 acres of property the hospital purchased from Columbus City Schools (CCS) in March 2013 (the Columbus Africentric School football field and parking lot). CCS is leasing the property from the hospital through the 2014 football season while the school district moves forward with their plans to relocate the school. Tentative plans call for this building to house ambulatory services such as primary care, dental, behavioral health and the Center for Healthy Weight and Nutrition. Traffic patterns have been examined and it is anticipated that there will be no negative impact on the current residents and businesses in that area. However, it is expected that businesses will benefit from increased exposure to families accessing the new ambulatory services facility.
Originally, placement of the Ambulatory Building had been considered for property owned by the hospital on the west side of 18 Street, north of I-70. But that site was reconsidered when an architectural assessment determined that there is not enough space for a future companion building to the ambulatory facility in the long-range plan. The hospital remains committed to developing this site within the next five years and has already funded $750,000 for the expansion and beautification of the 18th Street bridge.
Ground will be broken late 2014 for a Faculty Office Building on the southeast corner of Livingston Avenue and Parsons Avenue. This facility will house academic offices that will be relocated from the hospital’s main campus to accommodate growth in the medical staff. The hospital is exploring the possibility of including restaurant or retail space on a portion of the first floor, as well as a tunnel under Livingston Avenue from the hospital’s main campus to provide access to this new building, the current parking garage, the Center for Family Safety and Healing and the Ronald McDonald House on the south side of Livingston.
Building costs, specific size and a complete list of occupants will be determined as the architectural plans progress now that the locations have been finalized for both new buildings.