Plans for new surgical towers at UNC Hospitals were presented by university representatives to the Chapel Hill Town Council during a business meeting held earlier in the week.

The presentation was made by Anna Wu, the associate vice chancellor for facilities services, who noted that the proposed location of the towers has been modified.

“The surgical towers are moving from behind the hospital to a site that is already included in our development plan — to right on Manning Drive across from the cancer center,” she explained.

UNC Hospitals received approval from the North Carolina General Assembly last year to fund the construction of the towers by borrowing up to $250 million through bond sales.

The towers are intended replace antiquated facilities with modern operating suites, but Wu explained that this vision will take at least four years to fulfill.

“[The timeline] shows us beginning construction in June of 2019 with a completion of December 2021,” she reported. “We should be able to show you a little bit of what it might look like in the coming months.”

In addition to briefing council members on the towers, Wu relayed that a center for military veterans will be erected in the wake of a demolition planned for Odum Village Apartments.

“The second floor of the former community building [at Odum Village] is going to be the new Carolina Veterans Center,” she announced.

Improvements to the Mary Ellen Jones Building were also discussed, with nine floors of laboratory space planned as additions to the aging biomedical sciences facility.

“We’re going to build a terrace connection [from UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center] across to the third floor entrance of Mary Ellen Jones,” stated Wu. “We expect the envelope to be completed this summer, and the balance of the interior will be completed next fall.”

According to Wu, Barnes & Noble will also play a role in campus development this summer by making renovations to the company-operated campus bookstore.

“This summer, we also have a renovation that Barnes & Noble is doing to the bookstore,” she declared. “Next summer, we’ll come back and do the balance of the repaving in the [campus] pit.”

Campus development and area beautification are expected to continue through the summer as brickwork and trees in the vicinity of Polk Place are rearranged.

Photo by UNC.

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