Members of Stuart Town Council voted to table a request to rezone the hospital property meeting after Town Manager Bryce Simmons said he had it on good authority that Foresight Hospital and Health Systems will not open the hospital in Stuart by the end of the year.
“Right now, it’s all talk,” Simmons said at the July 19 meeting. “We don’t have anything to approve.”
Simmons asked if the council wanted to officially change the current zone since it does not have an “actual physical plan” to review that would help determine whether the property would meet the rezoning criteria.
Town Attorney Chris Corbett asked Simmons if he was implying that Foresight’s plans for a medical facility may fall completely through, and another company could want the more than 10 acres for another purpose.
“I’m implying that they may not have a plan, and if they were to sell the property tomorrow it may be more flexible in its currently zoned criteria than establishing this as a hospital” zoned area, Simmons said, adding that he believes the town should not do anything until Foresight comes to the council for a clear zoning for the property.
Mayor Ray Weiland said the council has the rezoning document ready, if and when Foresight asks to alter the zoning.
“It’s something that we can look at and see if it were to become a zoned property for the hospital medical center business that this would be an acceptable zoning verbiage,” Weiland said. “If it were to happen, we could revisit this possibility and just keep this in our back pocket in a file somewhere until it’s necessary.”
Simmons said, “Our timeframe is sort of wide open right now. We are not under any sort of deadline for approval to have this property rezoned for this proposed zoning verbiage,” he said of the request to change the property from Community/Regional/Commercial to a Medical Hospital Center District.
In other matters, the council:
*Heard an update on the Star Theater inspection report. Simmons said the report noted there were a couple of things the town would need to look at long-term, including a crack in the back exterior wall.
It “starts at the top and goes halfway down. It doesn’t make it all the way to the foundation, the foundation is still completely solid, no cracks,” he said.
Simmons said it’s obvious the crack happened since renovations were done to the building because it is not painted.
“If I had to make an educated guess, I would say it happened at the same time that the earthquake happened in Sparta because that’s around the same time that we had those cast-iron water lines that broke on Blue Ridge Street,” he said.
Simmons said another issue the inspection report noted was rotted-out boards on the back deck.
“I think our Downtown project is basically going to already address that, and I don’t think that should be the deterrent,” Simmons said.
*Approved using American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to pay the town’s auditors.
*Discussed the need to update the town’s employee handbook.
*Heard an update on public works projects.
*Discussed town policy.
*Discussed repainting the caboose, but reached no decision.
*Approved the meeting minutes.
*Paid the bills.
*Discussed the town’s water bills.