Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin is moving ahead with plans for a $70 million community hospital in Sheboygan, or so it appears from project plans reviewed this week by city officials.
According to documents submitted to the Plan Commission, the 165,000-square-foot development would be constructed on 26-acres of vacant land at the northeastern corner of North Taylor Drive and Saemann Avenue, and would include, among other things, in-patient care, an emergency department, imaging services, outpatient surgery and a three-story medical office building.
Froedtert & MCW purchased the farmland from the Sheboygan School Area School District last spring for $3 million.
The site sits across the street from the Hospital Sisters Health System’s (HSHS) St. Nicholas Hospital, and about a half mile from Froedtert’s existing Sheboygan North Taylor Clinic at 1414 N Taylor Drive.
Growing reach
Asked if Froedtert planned to close that clinic following the opening of the new development, a spokesperson said only that the health network was reviewing primary care location options in Sheboygan.
“Our presence in the Sheboygan community aligns with our continued investment and commitment to provide access to academic medicine to the people of the diverse communities we serve and deliver the right care in the right place at the right time,” Stephanie Burton, executive director of communication for Froedtert Health, wrote in an email. “The Common Council’s March 2023 approval of the zoning changes is one of many steps as we continue to explore opportunities that will complement and grow the Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin health network’s presence in the Sheboygan community. We are currently working with the City of Sheboygan on next steps.”
Those steps, according to a tentative timeline, could include a project that starts construction sometime next year, takes 18-20 months to complete and is ready for patients by the spring or summer of 2026.
The project is estimated to create 300 permanent jobs, with at least 150 of those positions located within the new development.
Building and services
The four-story neighborhood hospital currently envisioned for the development would operate 24/7 and include an emergency department with 10 beds and 10 inpatient rooms for follow-up care and observation. Imaging services would include X-ray, fluoroscopy, ultrasound, and CT rooms with potential for MRI imaging.
The outpatient surgery center would boast four operating rooms with another 12 rooms for prepping for and recovering from procedures.
EUA (Eppstein Uhen Architects) is working with Froedtert on the design of the building. Current plans do not call for a parking structure. The development would include more than 400 surface-parking-lot spaces, however.
Senior Living Community
Froedtert is slated to share the 26-acre former school district site with a proposed Senior Living Community to be developed to the north of the hospital campus.
Wauwatosa-based Matter Development is seeking to construct a 187-unit senior continuum of care community on a roughly 6.3-acre site located at the southeast corner of Taylor Drive and Geele Avenue, according to Plan Commission documents. The project would include 120 independent living, 45-assisted living, and 22-memory care units.
The development, like others constructed by Matter in Oconomowoc, Mequon, and Pewaukee, would be operated by their affiliate Koru Health.
