Massive medical campus to be built in Riverside County
March Healthcare development is approved for construction; McCarthy named GC.
Riverside, CA — After a six-year process, March Healthcare Development (MHD) and the March Joint Powers Authority (JPA), have negotiated the terms of a Disposition and Development Agreement (DDA) for the most advanced medical campus in the country – March LifeCare.
MHD is building a ‘Medical City’ on land that was formerly part of March AFB. The March LifeCare Campus encompasses over 6 million square feet. The in excess of 150 acre, three-phase development includes: a hospital, ambulatory care facilities, medical office buildings, skilled nursing centers, assisted living residences, and retail. The campus is being designed by the world-renowned company HOK, the number one architectural design firm in the country. The builder is McCarthy Building Companies, the top producer of hospitals in California. The bond issuer for the project is the top minority bond firm in the country Siebert Brandford Shank & Company.
The March JPA is the agency responsible for securing development on the former Air Force Base. At their April 7th meeting, after months of public hearings, and displaying the terms of the DDA, the March JPA Commissioners voted to approve the DDA. The DDA provides for the developer to acquire all or portions of the property, according to the negotiated terms.
Prior to the approval, the March LifeCare design firm – HOK, presented the master plan for the campus, which can be found on the website. The plan highlights the uniqueness of the campus, which is futuristic, yet honors the legacy of the base.
Project Leader and Managing Partner of MHD, Don Ecker, spoke of the significance of the DDA agreement and what the project will mean to an area suffering with economic woes including 15% unemployment. McCarthy Building Companies is being deluged with applications for the over 5,000 construction jobs the project will bring in Phase 1. Overall, the project is expected to create 12,700 construction jobs, and 7,200 full-time healthcare and related jobs.
Ecker also introduced the premiere edition of MHD’s March LifeCare Magazine. The magazine is designed to keep the community informed of the project’s features and participating entities.
MHD is planning for the upcoming ground-breaking for the project.
Source; Business Wire
