NorthBay Project Gets Provisional Approval

NorthBay Project Gets Provisional Approval
By Ben Antonius

FAIRFIELD - NorthBay Healthcare got the go-ahead Wednesday for a 69,000 square-foot project on Mangels Boulevard, the precursor to an eventual hospital at the site.

The Fairfield City Council has the final say on the project, but the city planning commissioners were generally enthusiastic Wednesday about the building, which will include a conference center and house administration workers from hospitals and clinics in the region.

"We need more space at our hospitals and we are planning to move non-medical staff out," said Elnora Cameron, president of NorthBay Health Advantage, which is overseeing the project for the parent company. "We eventually expect to add clinical space to this 20-acre site."

Cameron said NorthBay has an agreement with the city of Fairfield to "have clinical facilities out there by the year 2010."

Commissioners expressed some concern about the traffic effects on Mangels and Business Center Drive, discussed adding public art in the landscaped land outside the facility and suggested moving trash bins that would have been visible to drivers.

Before the final vote of approval, commissioner George Curry asked about the 300-seat conference center. It will only be accessible through a security checkpoint in the main lobby, but Cameron said it will be made available to community groups.

"Our intention is to allow community groups to use the conference center; we certainly won't keep it busy full time," she said.

Reach Ben Antonius at 427-6977 or bantonius@dailyrepublic.net.