STAMFORD, Conn. — Stamford Hospital in Connecticut recently received approval from the Stamford Zoning Board to move forward with the first phase of its redevelopment plan and campus overhaul. The overall project is expected to cost $575 million.
The first phase features the construction of the first five stories of a new multi-level Specialty Healthcare Building with public amenities and a pedestrian walkway connecting it to the current hospital. This new building will be capable of significant expansion in later phases.
Phase one also includes an all-new, state-of-the-art emergency department to handle current and future demands for services. The new ED will more than double the number and size of exam rooms to accommodate today’s technology and the new guidelines endorsed by the American College of Emergency Physicians. It will also have separate adult and pediatric services. Other features include: new surgical suites, an expanded intensive care unit and consolidation of the hospital’s expanding heart, vascular services and interventional cardiology labs. Phase one also includes construction of a new central utility plant for energy generation and conservation.
The second phase of the facility plan features the long-term goal (10-15 years) of vertically expanding the new specialty building to create a bed tower to house medical and surgical beds in the future. The innovative design was developed by WHR Architects, a Houston, Texas-based architectural firm highly experienced in hospital design and construction.
The new facility (and entire campus design) will meet or exceed LEED and sustainability standards, including improved accessibility and pedestrian flow incorporating natural materials, new walking paths and meditation gardens.
The hospital first announced in December 2008 its intent to rebuild a new hospital campus at its current location as a sign of commitment to the revitalization of the area. At the same, the hospital announced a partnership with Charter Oak Communities, formerly the Stamford Housing Authority, to work together so the organizations’ goals could be achieved while benefiting the West Side.
In 2009, Stamford Hospital started the required state and local regulatory process that required approval from the State of Connecticut Office of Health Care Access and various city of Stamford boards. In addition, the hospital acquired property to expand the campus from 21 to 30 acres. OHCA approved the plan in February 2010 as the review process began with city of Stamford Planning and Zoning boards. Both boards approved the general development plan in the spring/summer of 2010. Throughout the process, Stamford Hospital has kept its neighbors – Hubbard Heights and the West Side Neighborhood Revitalization zone – abreast of its plans.
The hospital will soon commence with preliminary infrastructure and road work. Once the infrastructure and road work in completed, construction on the new central utility plant that will power the facility will begin. The exact start time is TBD.
