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Published Thursday, May 22, 2008 in Local

Hospital gets building variance from county

By Sarah Fay Campbell

The Times-Herald

The new Piedmont Newnan Hospital will be big, fancy and state of the art.

But it won't quite comply with Coweta County's Quality Development Corridor Overlay District.

Coweta's ordinances aren't designed for nine-story buildings, so some variances were in order.

On Tuesday, the Coweta County Board of Commissioners approved variances for the proposed Piedmont Newnan Hospital, which will be located at the southeast quadrant of Poplar Road and Interstate 85.

The QDC requires that buildings be at least 80 percent "class A materials" -- brick, glass or stone. The bottom three floors of the hospital will be clad in brick, and the front and back of the medical tower will comply with the 80 percent requirement, as well, said Coweta County Planning Director Robert Tolleson.

The variances are for the sides of the tower. Piedmont Newnan requested that the sides be approximately 60 percent class A material and 40 percent class B material.

For the class B material, the hospital will be using a curtain wall framed stucco instead of masonry-backed stucco. A major reason is that the curtain wall stucco is substantially lighter and will save a few million pounds in structural weight.

In designing the new hospital, the architects tried to incorporate a lot of natural light, Tolleson said. Studies have shown that patients heal two days faster when exposed to natural light, Tolleson said.

When asked how the granting of this variance was consistent with the board's denial of a variance on brick for a proposed Wal-Mart, Tolleson reiterated that, for the first three floors, the hospital does comply with the QDC requirements.

The other variances were height, screening and perimeter plantings.

The county's ordinances only allow buildings to be 34 feet, 11 inches. The new hospital will be 160 feet. Sprinkler systems will be required, as will other fire protection measures.

The QDC requires that heating and air systems, and other equipment, be screened from view. The air handling system will be on the very top of the medical tower. The air handler needs lots of space around it to work efficiently and circulate air, Tolleson said. Additionally, the systems will likely not be particularly visible because they are 160 feet in the air. The variance granted by the commissioners allows the air handler and reheat units to be partially screened. The roof exhaust and stair pressurization fans will be screened by a brick wall. All rooftop fixtures will be painted to blend with the building.

Also, the county requires a 10-foot perimeter planting area in the QDC. The variance was granted because there will be substantial landscaping in other areas, and the planners are seeking to preserve more of the existing woodland.

The vote was 4-0. Chairman Tim Higgins was not in attendance.

In other meeting business:

* The board approved conditional use permits for Summer Hill Baptist Church on East Newnan Road and a 12-bed hospice facility on U.S. 29 North, next to The Heritage School and across from Wesley Woods.

* The board approved an agreement with the Georgia Department of Corrections for the housing of state prisoners at the Coweta County Prison, and an agreement with the Georgia Forestry Commission for rural fire defense and a lease/loan agreement for the water tank.