MOULTRIE — The Moultrie City Council cleared the way Tuesday for Colquitt Regional Medical Center to build apartments for medical personnel, but not without some debate.

The hospital had applied for almost 3 acres of land along Main Street to be annexed into the city and zoned R3 (Multi-Family Residential). In his presentation before the vote, Stephen Godley, the city’s planning director, said the county Planning Commission had recommended approval.

In separate votes during Tuesday evening’s city council meeting, councilmen agreed to both requests. Both votes were unanimous of the five councilmembers present; Councilwoman Wilma Hadley was absent.

Several of the people who spoke against the project began by stipulating they were not opposed to the hospital itself or hospital CEO Jim Matney, who was presenting the proposal, or in some cases opposed to the project. They just didn’t want it in the specific location that was chosen.

“This is nothing to say we don’t need you,” said Debby Cross, of Holly Trail, who said one reason her family had bought the house they did was its proximity to the hospital, “but it is to say I don’t want you in my back yard.”

As part of its teaching role, Colquitt Regional attracts medical professionals from outside the area for training, Matney said. While it has residency programs based at the hospital itself, Colquitt Regional also participates in residency programs with Emory University, Morehouse College and other schools that involve those schools’ residents working for one, two or up to three months at Colquitt Regional. Those residents need a place to live, and such short-term rentals aren’t available in Moultrie.

The hospital also has doctors on call, who have to be able to get to the hospital within five minutes of receiving a summons. It would help for them to be able to stay in an apartment literally across the street from the hospital while they’re on call.

In addition to solving those challenges, the proposed apartments could also be used by the families of pediatric or cancer patients who need to be in the hospital for an extended time, Matney said.

The description raised a concern from Griffin Dunn of Wiregrass Circle. Dunn said the project sounded less like apartments than it did transient housing — and transient housing isn’t allowed under the R3 zoning that the hospital had requested.

When asked by the council, Godley clarified: R3 is for multifamily housing. Transient housing, such as hotels and motels, are allowed in commercial zones, either C-2 or C-3.

Godley did not define transient, but comments from councilmen and the city attorney seemed to indicate housing is not transient if the person lives there more than 30 days. But Godley said he didn’t know of any way to enforce a rule on how long an individual had to stay at the apartment.

Hospital officials never directly addressed the claim their apartments would be transient housing. Matney did say the Hospital Authority would contract with the hospital’s departments to meet their housing needs — for instance, the pediatrics department would contract to provide apartments for the families of pediatric patients. The implication seemed to be the apartments would not be transient housing because the contracts would be constant and long-term with the departments, even as individuals moved in and out of the apartments.

Other concerns were raised about traffic. People on both sides of the matter said speed limits on that part of Main Street are too fast, but Main Street is a state-maintained road so the speed limits are set by the Georgia Department of Transportation. 

Councilman Cecil Barber said a state traffic study has been requested in the area and is under way. It could lead to lower speed limits or to engineering plans for the roadway’s future.

State agencies would also determine questions about the apartment complex’s entrance and stormwater runoff.

Some of the opposition was related to the potential for different uses of the property in the future. 

County Hospital Authority Chairman John Griffin offered his personal guarantee that the Hospital Authority would not sell the land. He proposed reading a resolution to that effect into the Hospital Authority’s minutes, which he said would give it the power of established policy. 

He was somewhat undercut by City Attorney Mickey Waller, who told councilmembers, “Our [the city council’s] resolutions are binding until we make a new resolution” — implying that a future Hospital Authority board could reverse any resolution the current board put in place.

Councilman Cole Posey moved to annex the property, seconded by Barber. Councilman Daniel Dunn asked to amend the motion, but under parliamentary procedure only the person who made the motion can do that. Posey agreed to an amendment but it took several minutes of discussion to figure out the wording.

He moved to annex the property subject to the Hospital Authority resolution stating the property would be used for the purposes it had described.

The amended motion passed unanimously.

People involved in the debate then rose to leave the city council chamber. The council waited patiently for the bustle of the crowd to move outside, then voted unanimously to zone the property R3 (Multi-Family Residential).