NHRMC under contract to buy Wilmington Athletic Club

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) —  New Hanover Regional Medical Center is under contract to buy the property that is used for the Wilmington Athletic Club.

Hospital spokeswoman Carolyn Fisher said the owners of the property approached them with their intent to sell a few weeks ago.

“With the gym closing, the property, with its close proximity to the hospital campus, provides a much-needed opportunity to better serve our patients and visitors by expanding our parking in the short-term and eventually building new facilities and services,” Fisher said.

Fisher said NHRMC is in the process of expanding its main campus Emergency Department and the Zimmer Cancer Center.

“With the planned addition of a new Orthopedic Hospital to the main campus at NHRMC, more patient and visitor parking on campus is a priority,” Fisher said. “We have a number of our employees parking in a lot across 17th Street and have plans to build a parking deck in that space to add hundreds of new spaces.”

Fisher said the land under contract will likely be used to give employees a place to park while the new parking deck is under construction so the parking reserved for patients and visitors won’t be impacted.

“Eventually, the land may be used for additional facilities to support the medical services needed by our patients,” Fisher said. “Our community’s demand for services continues to grow and we are constantly evaluating how we can meet those needs. “