Independence Regional Health Center will be constructed at the northeast corner of 39th Street and Jackson Drive in Independence. It will be a 465,000-square-foot, seven-story structure with 257 beds.

The project now moves on to the Independence City Council for final approval. If approved, construction can begin. Hospital officials hope to open the new facility sometime in 2007.

The design of new hospital allows for the building to eventually expand outward. The plans also allow for three additional floors to be added to the building, so it can expand upward as well.

'This is a big deal. This is more than a $300 million project. This is the most expensive project ever built in Independence and one of the most significant in terms of technology and economic impact on Independence,' said Dick King, attorney for HCA.

'This is not only one of the biggest projects ever in our city, but this will certainly be one of the largest private employers in the City of Independence. This hospital will be one of the most modern in the Kansas City area and I don't think I'd be overstepping my bounds by saying it will also be the best.'

King also announced Samuel Rodgers Health Center signed an agreement to open an urgent-care facility at Independence Regional Health Center on Truman Road. He said this should go a long way toward alleviating concerns residents in this area had about the level of emergency care they would receive with the hospital at the other end of the city. Further details were expected to be announced today.

The only major concerns about the new hospital raised by planning commissioners were whether the transportation infrastructure would be completed on time. The project requires extensive improvements to 39th Street, including the addition of several new turn lanes and two new traffic lights. The intersections of 39th Street at Jackson Drive and Little Blue Parkway must also be improved. A portion of the $44 million in tax incentives for the project will be used to pay for the road improvements.

Despite their concerns about road improvements being completed in time, in the end, commissioners all agreed the project's benefits to the community outweighed any concerns. They approved the plans by a 5-0 vote, with commissioners Al McInnis and Ben Mobley absent.