Lutheran Hospital planning expansion of its Jefferson Boulevard campus in next few years

Lutheran Hospital is preparing for a major expansion of its campus at 7950 W. Jefferson Blvd.

Although construction is not imminent, the hospital's parent company, IOM Health System, has asked the Fort Wayne Board of Zoning Appeals for permission to erect three new medical office buildings and expand two existing parking structures. BZA approval is needed in part because two of the buildings and one of the parking expansions would exceed normal height limits in the "airport overlay" planning district intended to minimize possible obstructions near Fort Wayne International airport.

According to the application to be considered at a public hearing Sept. 17, the plan calls for a new four-story office containing 125,000 square feet of space; a five-story building with 100,000 square feet; a new 75,000-square-foot, three-story office; addition of two stories to an existing three-story parking structure, adding 402 spaces; and a one-story deck over an existing parking lot.

Lutheran spokesman Geoff Thomas said the proposal is "in response to growing patient utilization, but there's no project with a shovel ready to hit the ground. We're looking out five to seven years."