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New medical facility at old McDonald’s on Post Road in Westerly gets preliminary approvals.

WESTERLY — A proposed two-story building on Post Road would offer same-day surgery and other procedures, according to the project’s developers.

Developer John Greim said the new building would be constructed at 262 Post Road, the site of a now-vacant and defunct McDonald’s restaurant. The property is just across South Woody Hill Road from a medical office building that houses the South County Health Urgent/Walk-in Care facility. Greim said he hopes the new building would “combine” with the 30,000-square-foot one at 268 Post Road to create a medical campus. Greim was also the developer on the 268 Post Road project.

“The goal and intention is to create a center that is in synergy to the building” next door, Greim said.

The Planning Board, on Tuesday, unanimously approved master and preliminary plans for the proposed ambulatory care facility. The plans will also require approval by the Zoning Board of Review. The applicant for the Planning Board approval was 262 Post Road LLC.

The old McDonald’s building would be knocked down and a new, two-story, 8,600-square-foot building constructed. Greim said he envisioned the building would be leased for procedures such as endoscopy, surgery, and urology procedures. The facility would provide “ambulatory care services on an outpatient basis to afford patients greater access to procedures outside of a hospital setting,” Greim said.

The existing building is used by South County Health and also offers diagnostic imaging, a primary health care practice, an orthopedics practice and a medical laboratory.

“My intention would not be to put the same types of practices … then the two buildings [would be] competing,” Greim said

Sean Greene, an architect with New England Medical Design Inc., of Providence, said the campus atmosphere would be created by using the same and similar types of building materials as were used for the existing medical office building, which the firm also designed. The buildings will be similar in form as well, he said.

Planning Board member Joseph M. Montesano praised the design of the proposed new building.

“You did a fantastic job,” Montesano said.

The new facility will share an overflow parking lot at the existing facility for use by employees.

Planning Board member Jason Parker asked if additional shrubs could be planted in an expansive grass area in front of the existing building. Greim said it was unlikely due to the presence of a large septic field.

Greim also developed a similar facility in East Greenwich in 2008, and South County Hospital is also a tenant there.

This press story is from the The Westerly Sun

By Dale P. Faulkner Sun staff writer Jun 17, 2020 Updated Jun 17, 2020