Discussions to focus on future of St. Mary’s Hospital campus

If you can imagine St. Mary's Hospital with a more campuslike setting, perhaps a walking trail meandering through landscaped areas with a coffee shop along the way, then hospital administrators want to hear from you.

Officials at Bon Secours hospital, nestled next to tree-lined West End neighborhoods near the Richmond-Henrico County line, are inviting neighbors, government officials and others to a week of discussions looking at future hospital development.

"What resources do we need to add to the campus, and how do we grow in a way that is in collaboration with the neighbors," said Dougal Hewitt, senior vice president of mission at Bon Secours Richmond Health System.

The planning event, called a charrette, kicks off Friday morning with an opening presentation at the downtown Richmond Marriott. Working sessions through next week will be held at St. Mary's Hospital at 5801 Bremo Road, with a wrap-up presentation back at the Richmond Marriott on Nov. 12.

Bon Secours held a similar planning event in January for St. Francis Medical Center in Chesterfield County. That facility is newer and located in an area with undeveloped land nearby.

St. Mary's, in contrast, opened in 1966 and is surrounded by established neighborhoods. "The questions are quite different around how do you create a hospital as the center of the community," Hewitt said.

There is a lot of interest among neighbors, for instance, about what will happen with the vacated Richmond Community High School building at Patterson and Libbie avenues. The hospital has expressed interest in the property.

"There's some concern about being able to keep space for athletic fields for the soccer and parks-and-recreation programs," said Richmond School Board member Kimberly Bridges.

Donna Marie Nelms, past president of the Westwood Civic Association, said hospital administrators have been responsive to their concerns.

For instance, when neighbors complained about bright parking-lot lights, the height of a new building, and employees parking in nearby neighborhoods instead of the hospital garage, hospital officials compromised.

"It's nice to have the hospital close by, but I would hate to see more construction," said Nelms, who lives about four blocks from St. Mary's.

Contact Tammie Smith at (804) 649-6572 or .