Northside Plans to Expand
By Kristal Dixon
Cherokee Tribune
WOODSTOCK — Northside Hospital-Cherokee continues to expand its footprint in Cherokee County.
The hospital on Monday formally announced it will partner with Duke Realty to build a four-story medical office building just west of Interstate 575 on Towne Lake Parkway.
The 100,000-square-foot facility will be located on the former Madison Pointe commercial development, which was demolished earlier this year.
Northside closed on its purchase of the eight-acre tract on May 25.
The building, which will be named Northside-Cherokee/Towne Lake Medical Campus, will be built and managed by Duke Realty.
“We are excited about this project and the increased access it will provide the community to the high-quality health care services and facilities they have come to expect from Northside,” Billy Hayes, CEO of Northside Hospital-Cherokee, said in a statement. “This new campus is sure to be a valuable health care asset to the citizens of the south Cherokee … areas.”
The building will feature various outpatient services and doctors practicing in a diverse number of fields.
Along with the building, a parking deck with 509 spaces will be constructed.
The hospital plans to hold an official groundbreaking ceremony later this month and the building is expected to open in August 2013.
It’s not the only facility Northside will soon open in Cherokee County.
The company also plans to replace its 84-bed facility on Hospital Road with a new facility on a 100-acre tract behind Canton Marketplace.
Northside plans had been met with objection by WellStar Health System, but the Marietta-based company decided not to move forward with its challenge to Northside.
Local leaders said the new medical office building will be a boom to the area.
Woodstock Mayor Donnie Henriques said the “class A” building will bring high-quality jobs to an area that wasn’t the best spot for commercial building.
“It’s taking the space of a retail outlet that shouldn’t have been there in the first place,” he said, referring to the previous development. “It was a bad plan for that location.”
The Woodstock City Council in May repealed a resolution that opposed installing a traffic light on Towne Lake Parkway at the and gave the green light to the new signal.
The mayor noted Northside’s plans fit the location perfectly as it won’t change traffic patterns.
County Commissioner Jason Nelms, who represents the area, added the new facility will benefit Cherokee County as a whole since it puts residents in a position to get medical care closer to their homes.
County Commission Chairman Buzz Ahrens added the county is “extremely grateful” that the company is expanding in Cherokee County.
“The Northside folks are deeply committed to the future of Cherokee, and we believe this is a huge unique selling point for any company or individual considering a location in the metro Atlanta region,” he said. “We believe they will chose Cherokee County, based on investments and commitments made by companies like Northside.”
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