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Mercy expansion approved

JANESVILLE — The Janesville Plan Commission on Monday approved a conditional-use permit for a 35,000-square-foot addition to the southeast corner of the Mercy campus at 1000 Mineral Point Ave., Janesville.

The project will add 143 parking spaces on two floors and up to 35 doctors’ offices on the third.

The $10 million addition has been engineered so another story can be added in the future.

At Monday’s public hearing, the only resident to speak asked that Mercy be required to notify neighbors before any future expansion.

That request was made a condition of the permit.

Mercy is working with the city assessor’s office to determine the parts of the building that are taxable or tax exempt, Mercy spokesman Richard Gruber said. Mercy also is working with city staff to determine if tax incremental financing can be used to allow Mercy to reinvest in downtown Janesville renovation, he said.

Mercy will be allowed a limited amount of instructional signs to direct visitors, Janesville’s developmental specialist Kelly Lee said.

The expansion will accommodate a major new trauma service, which will include three surgeons dedicated to treating traumas 24/7, said Mercy President and CEO Javon Bea. The changes will mean transporting fewer patients to other hospitals, Bea said.

The tan colored, concrete and steel building would also support the new cardiology care and imaging suite.