The overall 15.41-acre site owned by Morton Plant North Bay Hospital is generally located east of Madison Street, north of Indiana Avenue, south of Kentucky Avenue and southeast of Ohio and Forest Avenues. The block bounded by Kentucky and Forest Avenues and Oak Hill Drive is included in the site.
The current hospital building provides general acute care hospital services, outpatient services, an educational center, emergency room and all ancillary structures and facilities typically associated with a hospital. It houses 154 patient beds. To meet the needs of the growing community, Morton Plant North Bay Hospital is renovating the emergency department and providing a new main entrance to the hospital. This will improve campus flow and provide a better experience for patients, families and visitors. Construction is expected to commence later this summer and continue through early 2018. Upon completion, the expansion will provide a 28-bed emergency department, a 15-bed observation unit, new hospital main entrance and lobby and a new emergency room entrance and lobby.
As part of the expansion efforts, the hospital would like to provide wayfinding for to direct emergency vehicles, patients, visitors and employees around the campus. The current request increases the area to 2,918.5 square feet. The proposal also includes new donor signage, although its placement has not been determined.
In 1998, a sign variance application was approved for the hospital granting an increase in sign area, increase in number of ground signs and reduction in sign setback. The approval was granted subject to two conditions that prohibited placement of ground signs in the right-of-way (ROW) and the free-vision zone. In 2010, a sign variance was approved for the hospital campus with greater increases in sign area, number of ground signs and a reduction in sign setback. It included 1,207 square feet of new signage in combination with 831 square feet of existing signage. The variance was approved subject to the continuation of previously imposed conditions. In 2011, a sign variance application was approved for seven fitness station signs within the rights-of-way along Oak Hill Drive and Kentucky and Forest Avenues.
For sites with commercial zoning, the Code permits a total sign area of 1.75 square feet per lineal foot of building frontage, or one-half square foot for each lineal foot of lot frontage, whichever is greater and up to 200 square feet. The maximum size provision is for all wall and ground signage. Wall signs are permitted if they face a street frontage. Ground signs are to maintain a setback of 15 feet from property line.