Building Expansions: The Solution Next Door

In today's complex and competitive health care arena the only constant is change. As health care facilities struggle to keep up with the demands of regulatory and market forces, space continues to be "the final frontier."

Across our client base, we see similar needs: office space, storage, parking and space for new programs and initiatives. In an urban setting where land is at a premium, the problem of enlarging a facility is made more difficult by restrictive zoning.

Through our recent project work, we have found that the solution is often right next door. Most Health Care facilities are located in low to medium density residential zones where land costs are still relatively affordable. In many cases, facilities already own residential buildings or abutting parcels that are being used somewhat inefficiently for storage and office space.

Local zoning limits the amount of health care space that can be built on a given according to floor area ratio (FAR). FAR is essentially the total permitted above ground floor area expressed as a multiple of the land area.

A strategy we have successfully employed to increase the yield of a parcel is to classify a health care addition as a free standing ancillary services building or community center.

Continue Reading