Columbus Regional Health is putting together a land use committee to determine what it wants to do with about 700 acres of land it purchased just outside the city’s west side.
The healthcare provider bought the farmland nearly a year ago, and eventually sold some of the acreage back to the seller. That made it an investment of about $9 million overall.
The land could allow Columbus Regional Health to expand its operations. Its current 35-acre campus is landlocked by surrounding neighborhoods.
A consultant will help create a vision for the farmland, and a land use committee will be involved in the process. It will be made up of county and city officials, along with healthcare representatives.
Columbus Regional Health President and CEO Jim Bickel says it will operate in two phases.
"First phase of working with the land use planner is to help us as the health system for Columbus regional health to identify 100-150 acres that we would like to preserve for our future use when we think about a health and healthcare campus in the future," Bickel says.
He expects the first phase to be complete in mid to late summer.
Bickel says the committee will get community feedback during the second phase.
Columbus Regional Health also purchased the former Clarion Hotel in 2017 for $4.25 million. The property underwent demolition earler this year.
A portion of the land will be used for specialty outpatient and medical offices. The rest will be used for other community needs such as lodging or retail.
