NORTH PORT, Fla. — The City of North Port is making its vision of having a centrally-located hospital come to life.
Commissioners took the next step by approving Sarasota Memorial Hospital's Sumter Development Master Plan at Tuesday's meeting.
"The master plan was putting in place just basic parameters because it's [not only] a hospital, but also we've never had a hospital come before to North Port," said North Port Mayor Alice White.
It could be built along Sumter Boulevard right off of I-75.
City leaders say the building is slated to be 10 stories high.
They also told North Port Community Correspondent Victoria Scott it will be built in stages.
You can watch Victoria's full report here:
However, some residents are showing some reservations about the location.
"We love the idea of a hospital coming," said North Port resident Robin San Vicente. "We're not against development. We are just really pro-environment and trying to ensure the stability of our environment without damaging all of our wetlands and then the residents suffer."
San Vicente told Scott the hospital will be in a very low area that is susceptible to flooding.
"Now that we've seen the plan from Sarasota Memorial Hospital, the site plan, how are they going to manage that water flow? It floods all the time."
White said the hospital will be responsible for managing it.
"They have to not only have city sewer and water – they can't be on septic," White said. "They also have to capture the storm water that falls on that property and manage it the way it should be managed."
SMH is also considering a site in Wellen Park.
Sarasota Memorial Hospital officials say they hope to break ground on it in 2025.
