Hospital to break ground

University Hospital officials plan to break ground Friday on a medical office building that could house about 30 physicians at their North Belair Road campus in Evans.

Kyle Howell, University's vice president for support and facilities services, said the three-story building will include a 7,500-square-foot diagnostic imaging center and more than 40,000 net square feet of medical office space.

It will be a replica of the existing building at the intersection of Belair Road and Town Center Drive and will include a 242-space parking deck.

Howell said the Evans campus needed more space to accommodate the growth in business in the area.

"Columbia County is a very important market," he said. "But health care is so different than it was 20 years ago. The residents of the county want convenience, they want convenient health care, and we want to provide that to them."

Howell said University would like to see more specialists, primary care and surgical practices move to the building. To date, no practices have leased space in the facility, but Howell said some local physicians groups and doctors offices have expressed interest in leasing space.

Elected officials, physicians and business leaders have been invited to attend the 11 a.m. groundbreaking at 465 N. Belair Road.

Howell said architect and contractor HDR, of Omaha, Neb., should have the building ready in the fall of 2007.

University Hospital isn't the only area hospital group planning a diagnostic imaging center and additional medical office space in Columbia County. In June, the Medical College of Georgia's Physicians Practice Group won a rezoning for about 58 acres of land near the intersection of Washington and Knob Hill Farm roads.

PPG officials have said they plan for a 16,000-to 30,000-square-foot medical office and imaging campus that would be completed within two years.