City council approved the S-District site plan for the addition of a 2,300 square foot space at the southwest corner of Wood County Hospital for a radiation oncology office Tuesday night.
The vote passed 6-0 with the absence of Fourth Ward Council Member Greg Robinette.
The addition of the oncology unit was first presented to the city’s planning commission at the end of November 2012 and construction was recommended for the clinic on Jan. 2, said Planning Director Heather Sayler.
The plan for the office is to provide a more complete treatment center for cancer patients in Wood County, said Bill Kidd, vice president of Support Services at Wood County Hospital.
Currently, patients have to travel to Toledo if they need radiation treatment.
“We currently have a medical oncologist doctor’s office on [the hospital’s] campus,” Kidd said. “What we’re going to be doing as a result of this addition is building a radiation oncologist’s office that goes next to that so they’ll be side-by-side.”
Right now, the hospital can only provide chemotherapy treatments; this approval will allow the hospital to add a linear accelerator for radiation treatments, Kidd said.
The 2,300 square-foot addition allows the size of the office to reach a net size of 6,000 square feet. The building cost of the office will be approximately $1.8 million, Kidd said.
The hospital will need to apply for a zoning permit before it can begin construction, Sayler said.
However, the timetable for construction is now completely in the hands of the hospital, she said.
The radiation portion of Wood County Hospital was phased out in the late 1980s and early 90s because it was not sustainable at the time, Kidd said. He believes it is sustainable now and will provide a great service to the community.
“These families need to make multiple visits a month [for radiation],” Kidd said. “Taking out that 20-minute drive [to Toledo] can only be a help to them.”
As part of the ordinance, 20 additional parking spaces will be constructed on the north end of the hospital, Sayler said. The additional parking spaces will properly support the added office to the hospital.
This zoning change is the third one approved by city council this year, along with approval of a CVS Pharmacy on the corner on South Prospect and East Wooster streets, and the controversial strip mall on East Wooster Street, between North Prospect and North Summit streets.
Unlike the strip mall, which was met by opposition from residents in the area of construction and only passed council by a 4-3 vote, the radiation office addition was met with open arms.
“I’ve heard nothing but positive feedback; I think this shows Wood County Hospital’s commitment to the community,” said Mike Aspacher, Third Ward council member. “There are many residents who have to travel for this service. I don’t see this as another by a benefit to our community.”
