Memorial Healthcare plans freestanding ER in St. Johns County (Courtesy of the Jacksonville Business Journal) — Memorial Healthcare Group, which operates HCA Florida Memorial Hospital in Jacksonville, plans to build a standalone emergency care facility in St. Johns County.
Plans submitted for county approval are for a 19,000-square-foot development of a freestanding emergency room, medical office and ancillary commercial/office space at State Road 16.
The medical care project would be placed on two lots at 890 S.R. 16 and 870 S.R. 16 — at the northeastern corner of Woodlawn Road and S.R. 16 intersection. Memorial Healthcare purchased the lots from the Lightsey family in April 2023 for about $3.7 million.
One lot was unoccupied while the other has a house that will be demolished to make way for the development.
In order to go forward, Memorial Healthcare is asking the county for a rezoning of the land — about two acres — from Residential Single-Family 3 to Planned Unit Development.
The request is scheduled to be heard by the Planning and Zoning Agency at Thursday’s regular meeting. Once the PZA makes a recommendation, it will go before the County Commission at the March 19 meeting.
Although there is some residential, most of the frontage property on S.R. 16 is commercial.
Memorial Healthcare does have a presence in St. Johns County with another emergency care center in Julington Creek.