A NORTHSIDE HOSPITAL is planning to make another investment in the Belhaven neighborhorhood.

But this time, the hospital isn’t spending millions of dollars to expand its facilities. Rather, it’s opening more than eight acres of land for professional and residential development in the Belhaven area.

Baptist Health Systems, along with the Greater Belhaven Neighborhood Foundation, will begin searching for a developer to transform hospital property east of Baptist’s North State Street campus into a mixed-use development. The move comes as the hospital works to complete a long-range facilities management plan and more than $70 million in expansions on its main campus.

The proposal, although in the preliminary stages, would include property bordered by Fortification, Poplar, North State and Jefferson streets. Baptist President and CEO Kurt Metzner envisions a development that would include office and retail space, a small 90 or 100-room hotel and residential units.

“We want to work together to figure out the best way to use it,” Metzner said at a recent foundation meeting. About 175 people turned out at the Fairview Inn two weeks ago, a record crowd for meetings.

“We want to build the kind of things that solidify the area and make it more attractive,” he said.

The project has already garnered support from residents, property owners, and GBNF officials.

Jim Kopernack, the foundation’s board chairman, said the project would “fit in beautifully” with the neighborhood’s theme.

The foundation has been working with Baptist for about a year and a half to bring the project to life. Recently, the group hosted a planning charrette (Basically, a charrette is an intense brainstorming session.) to come up with a “new-urbanism” land use plan for the acreage.

WORKING WITH LOCAL architects like Michael Barranco, Kopernak said a plan was developed that would be pedestrian-friendly and create a sort-of outdoor room feeling when people walk through it. “It will be very neighborhood friendly,” Kopernak said.

Robbie Channell, Baptist’s spokesman, said the hospital owns a little more than 10 acres in the six-block area. Of that, it plans to develop approximately 8.69 acres. The rest of the hospital’s property, he said, is home to the Medical Arts East and Behavioral Health facilities.

Now, the hospital has a laundry service and an abandoned office building on the property. Channell said one building might be torn down to make way for growth.

Another four acres adjacent to the property is divided among several property owners, including the owners of Keifer’s Restaurant, and A. Waddell Nejam, the owner of several Belhaven apartment buildings.

Nejam said he supports the hospital, but is waiting to see what it will propose. “They’re in the planning stages, but I’ve told them I’m willing to work with them,” he said.

The property owner said he has a vested interest in the community and hopes the hospital will make the right decisions in developing the property. Nejam owns 450 residential units in Belhaven, including most properties on Morningside Street.

He also owns two apartment complexes on Jefferson Street and Carlisle Street. The hospital is working with Zimmer Real Estate Services to make sure the project will meet everyone’s expectations.

Baptist is expected to send out notices nationwide for developers in January 2008, Metzner said. “Our timetable starts next month,” he said. “We hope to have something to show by spring.”