Estero design board praises NCH facility redo

The NCH Heathcare System's stand-alone emergency facility in Estero received mostly praise on Wednesday from the village board in charge of reviewing new construction design and landscaping plans.

The two-story, 41,000-square-foot NCH building would be built on the west side of U.S. 41, across the street from Coconut Point mall.

According to NCH plans presented at a public workshop Wednesday night at the Village Hall, emergency services would occupy a majority of the building and would include an ambulance entrance.

A radiology department also is in the building designs. Physicians would work out of a dozen exam rooms.

And the building's architecture fits into the village's overall look, according to comments from members of Estero's Design Review Board, which hosted the meeting. In July, the board was less impressed with NCH's renderings.

Joe McHarris, chairman of the Design Review Board, said the updated NCH facility displayed "an incredible amount of betterment."

"I'm sorry, it was a hodgepodge before," McHarris said.

The Design Review Board rejected the July application and said the decision was based both on the site's poor design and an unusual zoning request related the building's architecture.

More: NCH plans Estero medical complex

More: Estero board rejects NCH plans for standalone ER in south Lee County

The request is unusual because the board is tasked with weighing projects based on aesthetics, not land use. Those issues are meant for Estero's Planning and Zoning Board. 

NCH architects took July’s feedback and returned with plans the Design Review Board members said they could praise.

"This workshop was a great improvement from (the) last meeting," said Phil Dutcher, chief operating officer of NCH. "It was much better to talk back and forth without worrying about approval."

NCH's placement of an external generator was still a problem for the Design Review Board.

The diesel generator that would be separate from the building is needed for emergency power, NCH said. Both the Design Review Board and the NCH designers struggled on Wednesday to come up with ways to hide the machinery.

After collecting several ideas at the meeting, NCH's designers have to implement a strategy into an updated site plan.

No decisions were made at the non-voting workshop. NCH project managers made a presentation and obtained broad feedback from the board.

NCH said it plans to return to the Design Review Board with a final application.

“Someone pulled everything together,” McHarris said. “Kudos to them. I just want to thank you for listening.”

Building design approval is just one requirement NCH would have to meet before bringing its facility to Estero.

The property's 2003 zoning rules allow for medical use but limit operating hours to between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m., the Design Review Board pointed out.

The 24/7 ER NCH aims to open cannot turn away patients based on hours of operation, and forced closing times would stop any emergency facility, the healthcare system has argued.

NCH is challenging that limitation. Representatives say the zoning requirement specifically allows “emergency medical service,” take precedent over hours of operation restrictions.

The Estero Village Council will review the zoning conflict at a future meeting, which leaves the Design Review Board to focus on aesthetics.

Several residents have spoken out against the proposed NCH facility at public meetings because they say it is unnecessary.

The NCH site is about a mile from it's competitor Lee Health’s $140 million outpatient campus, which also has plans for an ER. The Lee Health project is under construction south of Coconut Point mall.

The Design Review Board is expected to see NCH's final application in the coming months.