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Planning Commission approves Broadlands hospital
The proposed Broadlands Regional Medical Center got the Planning Commission's approval the evening of Nov. 24, by a 5-to-4 vote.
The approval sends the controversial application to the Board of Supervisors' Jan. 14, 2009 meeting.
Commissioners Robert Klancher (Broad Run), Helena Syska (Sterling), Chris Broderick (Potomac) and Gigi Robinson (Leesburg) opposed the motion to send the application forward with a recommendation of approval.
Klancher said the county's health care facilities policies guided his decision. The Broadlands location will not encourage strong development of health care in the county, he said.
Chairman Christine Tolle (At large), who supported the application, said the development of a hospital on U.S. 50 could be years coming.
Margaret Lewis, president of HCA's Capital division, welcomed the vote. HCA, the largest for-profit hospital corporation in the country and the parent of Reston Hospital, has been working to get approval for the project since 2001.
In 2005, the previous Board of Supervisors denied a nearly identical proposal, citing traffic and disruption in a residential neighborhood. HCA went to court to overturn that decision.
In March 2008, the current board agreed to take a second look at the application, in return for HCA's dropping all law suits.
The 164-bed hospital, if approved, will be built on 57.7 acres at the southeast corner of the Dulles Greenway and Belmont Ridge Road. The site plan includes entrances on Broadlands Boulevard, but ambulance access will be restricted to Belmont Ridge Road.
The site is zoned for an office park. HCA has applied for a special exception and for an amendment to the zoning map to allow the hospital.
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