FILE PHOTO
Atlantic General Hospital.

By Rachel Ravina, Staff Writer

(Jan. 3, 2018) A request to reclassify the water and sewer systems of a proposed Atlantic General Hospital outpatient center for the Ocean Pines area was approved by the Worcester County Commissioners last month.

The site is located at on Racetrack Road, just south of the southern gate to Ocean Pines, according to the project description.

The proposal aims “to change the designation for the properties from W-6/S-6 (no planned service) to W-1/S-1 (planned to be served within two years).”

The potential property includes 98,964 square feet of designated space for “medical offices serving different medical specialties,” according to a public hearing notice.

Director of Environmental Programs Robert Mitchell said the county planning commission recommended approval of the developer’s amendment request in November and that request appeared to be consistent with the comprehensive plan.

Mitchell added the space would also require 34 equivalent dwelling units, according to a public hearing memo.

Following Mitchell’s presentation, attorney Hugh Cropper IV said a national medical campus developer would be responsible for building the facility, and will then lease it to Atlantic General Hospital.

“Our plans are quite far along,” Cropper said.

Cropper said attention would be paid to any environmentally sensitive matters.

When the hearing was opened for public comment, no one approached.

“I assure you it’s going to be a very attractive building sort of in the character of Atlantic General Hospital, but keeping with the agricultural tradition under the design plan,” Cropper said. “Every effort will be made to preserve existing forests on site as it is right now.”

Cropper went onto say there “will be enough [trees] preserved on site to meet the threshold.”

Commissioner Jim Bunting made the motion to approve the reclassification amendment, which was seconded by Commissioner Joseph Mitrecic.