Hoag Hospital Women’s Pavilion nears approval

June Casagrande

HOAG HOSPITAL -- The Hoag Women’s Pavilion will likely come one step

closer to reality Thursday when the Newport Beach Planning Commission is

expected to approve a traffic study for the project.

The study shows that traffic created by the proposed seven-story

center won’t be significant enough to require any special accommodations

by the hospital. Planners anticipate that of the 1,167 car trips

generated each day by the center, 141 will be during morning peak hours

and 186 will be during afternoon rush times.

“This basically shows there’s no impact that requires any kind of

mitigation,” said Pete Foulke, executive vice president of Hoag Hospital.

Work is already underway at the hospital, near Newport Boulevard and

Coast Highway. Last year, work began on an expanded parking garage, which

should open by the end of the month. In July, workers began widening

Hospital Road to add a second left-turn lane onto northbound Newport

Boulevard.

“The study seems to show that access doesn’t seem to be unduly

impacted by the project and it seems there’s more than adequate parking,”

Planning Commissioner Ed Selich said.

The Women’s Pavilion is expected to be completed in 2005. It will

include 42 private rooms for new mothers, 18 labor delivery recovery

suites, three operating rooms dedicated solely to caesarean sections, a

nonactive intensive care unit with overnight suite for parents, and other

facilities to specialize in childbirth and women’s health treatment.

* June Casagrande covers Newport Beach. She may be reached at (949)

574-4232 or by e-mail at o7 june.casagrande@latimes.comf7 .

* WHAT: Newport Beach Planning Commission meeting

* WHERE: Newport Beach City Hall, 3300 Newport Blvd.

* TIME: 6:30 p.m. Thursday