A new 12-acre health-care facility is in the works on Fern Avenue, marking the inaugural project planned for Foley's recently established Medical Overlay District.

The Foley Planning Commission has given its approval for rezoning the site as a planned unit development, with the proposal now awaiting final approval from the Foley City Council.

The creation of the Medical Overlay District was endorsed by the council back in 2023, with the aim of fostering the growth of medical services in the vicinity of the South Baldwin Regional Medical Center, in anticipation of the area's increasing population.

Meanwhile, the South Baldwin Regional Medical Center itself is undergoing a significant expansion that will boost its bed capacity to 140.

Wayne Dyess, Foley's executive director of infrastructure and development, believes that the Fern Avenue project and the development of the district align well with the hospital's expansion plans.

"This is the first one (health-care facility) in the medical overlay district, taking advantage of the hospital expansion, the $250-million expansion there," Dyess told Planning Commission members. "We feel like this is a very good plan.”

Mayor Ralph Hellmich welcomed the prospect of the proposed medical park saying it would bring in medical services that Foley residents now have to travel out of town to receive.

"I think this is great," Hellmich said. "This will help support our new $250-million hospital and this will bring specialty doctors that we currently don’t have, that are in Pensacola or Mobile, here because they are really interested in this new hospital."

Adam Spangrud, a partner in the project, revealed that several medical providers have already shown interest in establishing offices at the site. He emphasized the positive impact that facilities within the medical overlay district would have, allowing doctors to be in close proximity to the new hospital and offering services currently unavailable in Foley.

"We’ve had great feedback on this from both doctors and some folks in the community that are currently driving 40 minutes to an hour away to get certain specialty care," Spangrud said. "It’s been positive on both sides and everybody on the zoning and planning team has just been great to work with. I think we’ve made a lot of good progress so far."

The establishment of a hospital district in north Foley, as recommended by a Design Alabama study, aimed to stimulate the growth of medical services in the area.

Permitted uses within the Medical District Overlay District include hospitals, medical clinics, pharmaceutical businesses, medical technology research and related ventures. Additionally, other complementary uses may be situated within hospital or clinic buildings or as standalone entities within the overlay district area.