L&M asks for zoning changes to support plans for more services

Waterford - Lawrence & Memorial Hospital is seeking to amend zoning regulations so the satellite campus it plans to build on 104 acres between Route 1, Cross Road and Parkway South can have a greater variety of services and types of facilities than are currently allowed.

The public will have a chance to comment on the proposal at a public hearing Monday. L&M's application to amend zoning regulations for the property is the first official request for the approvals needed for the project, first announced in late 2007. Due to the economic downturn, the plan has been moving ahead slowly since then.

L&M spokesman Kelly Anthony said Monday that in addition to the amended regulations, the hospital is also asking that a Medical Campus Overlay Zone be established on the site. He added that L&M has extended its option to purchase the property, located about 5½ miles from the main hospital in New London. It is owned by Waterford-New London Realty Associates.

Most of it is now zoned for industrial uses, although a portion is currently zoned for residential development, Waterford Planning Director Thomas Wagner said. Current regulations allow for medical facilities but are more restrictive in range of services than L&M would like, he said.

The zoning changes, if approved, will give L&M "the ability to work more creatively with other health care providers" in developing services and facilities at the Waterford site, Anthony said. The hospital is exploring partnerships with organizations and businesses it is not currently involved with to develop and operate some of the components of the new "medical campus."

Among services it is considering are those that specialize in care for senior citizens, children and cancer patients, Anthony said. The hospital is also considering including a rehabilitation fitness center and area that would offer classes in nutrition and healthy cooking, he said.

In its application, L&M said it "contemplates building an additional emergency department, relocated programs and services (including subacute physical rehabilitation, imaging, inpatient and outpatient psychiatric care, an outpatient laboratory and support services) and, ultimately, a medical office building.

The hospital is seeking to develop the Waterford site to relieve space constraints at the main hospital that limit its potential for expansion. The main hospital would also be renovated as part of a larger plan.

Anthony said the hospital has no specific timeline for the project, although the "quiet phase" of fundraising among private donors has begun.

j.benson@theday.com