$14.9 million medical office building planned

Community Mercy Health Partners and Springfield Physicians LLC will begin construction this month on a $14.9 million medical office building on the campus of Springfield Regional Medical Center.

Construction of the four-story, 80,000-square-foot building is expected to be completed by November of 2013. The building will provide health care, diagnostic treatment and physician services for the public, and it will be connected to the three-story $235 million hospital, which opened last November.

This is one more positive step to making the hospital and the neighborhood the medical hub for the community, said CMHP spokesman Dave Lamb.

They also have potentially reached an agreement with the city on a 60-percent tax abatement for the project. An emergency ordinance is expected to be voted on at tonights City Commission meeting. If passed, the ordinance would help construction begin before the threat of inclement weather strikes this winter.

Its pretty standard for this type of development to reach this type of agreement, Lamb said. Weve had a great relationship with the city from the beginning of developing the hospital campus and the other developments around it. Everyone recognizes that its good for the community, bringing these services together.

Springfield Mayor Warren Copeland said expects the ordinance will be passed at tonights meeting, and he hopes more will follow in the future.

This is a piece of what we were hoping for downtown, Copeland said.

The hospital plans to lease sections of the building to physicians and healthcare specialists across the area. The Childrens Medical Center of Dayton has already announced it will move its specialty care center, currently located inside the MercyCrest Medical Arts Building, 30 W. McCreight Ave, into the new medical office building in 2013, while others are planning to possibly move from offices located around both of the old hospitals, Community Hospital and Mercy Medical Center.

The Springfield Regional Imaging Center, currently located at 1343 N. Fountain Blvd., would also move to the new medical office building.

Were happy to see that the investment is continuing, which was part of the original vision of the campus, said Tom Franzen, the citys economic development administrator. With the way the economy has been, were glad to see continued investment in the medical community.

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$14.9 million medical office building planned