Janesville medical complex helps spark development
Photo
Home Health United
JANESVILLE — An underdeveloped Interstate interchange on Janesville’s south side soon will show signs of new life, thanks to the ongoing construction of the Dean/St. Mary’s medical campus.
Sara Investment Real Estate will build a 7,000-square-foot facility on adjoining property that it will lease to Home Health United, a provider of home health services now doing business on North Washington Street in Janesville.
The project will use about half of the property Sara owns at the southeast corner of the intersection of Racine Street and Wright Road.
“I think it’s highly likely that in the next five years we’ll see more development in that area because of the Dean/St. Mary’s campus,” said Brad Cantrell, Janesville’s community development director. “I think it will be both health care related and complementary businesses such as hotels and restaurants.
“It’s a natural.”
Construction is on schedule for the medical campus, which includes the $90 million St. Mary’s Janesville Hospital and the $60 million Dean Clinic. Completion is expected in late 2011.
Rick Bourne, Home Health United president and chief executive officer, said the move from Janesville’s west side to east side makes sense.
“We’re very excited about it,” Bourne said. “We’re affiliated with St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison and have collaborated with Dean. This is an opportunity to continue that relationship.”
Bourne said Home Health United, which serves 25 counties in southern Wisconsin, has outgrown its west-side building. The company will be able to tailor its new building for the 30-plus employees who will work there, he said.
Lynn Marcello, Sara’s director of strategic partnerships, said her company has been working with Home Health United for more than a year on the building, which will cost $669,000.
Sara paid $871,000 for the 10-acre parcel in 2008, six months after hospital and clinic officials announced their building intentions.
Difficult lending markets briefly delayed the hospital/clinic project.
“When the hospital project went on hold for awhile, so did our discussions with Home Health United,” Marcello said. “But once they started pushing dirt around, we again started talking about this building.
“The hospital project certainly kicked all of this off, and we think it will be a great corridor.”
Marcello said Sara plans to build a second building on the site, which for the time being will connect to Wright Road with a frontage road.
Cantrell said the city has done extensive traffic studies in the area in anticipation of more development. Ultimately, he said, the medical campus, the Sara development and Wright Road will include a roundabout.
“Ever since the Interstate arrived in the early 1960s, that intersection has been under developed,” Cantrell said, noting that a proposal many years ago for a truck stop at the interchange failed.
“I think it just shows that if you are patient and wait, you will see the right kind of development,” he said. “I think we’ll see top quality development out there.”
Aug 30, 2010 at 10:11 p.m.
Suggest removal
Generally, the market is supposed to take care of the empty building problem by the landlords dropping the cost to lease them. The unfortunate truth is that businesses that can afford to fit out their own space will do so in preference over rehab. Certainly there is no new building that is as "green" as reusing an older building, so it would be nice if that were a consideration (but that won't happen without a carbon tax). Ultimately the Smart Growth plan the city filed a year or two ago will limit sprawl and thus the supply of new construction; this is how Portland, Oregon has revitalized its inner core.
Aug 30, 2010 at 7:20 p.m.
Suggest removal
Chell prob with doing that it's away from interstate. I think they're attempting to spark development around interstate it's more convenient & economical. I do however understand where you're coming from with empty buildings. Janesville might need to revitalize that somehow instead of spending all its money on bike trails, parks and teacher pay raises. Don't get me wrong our teachers do a great job but I question timing of that measure. Considering no one else is getting raises all are hurting it sends out a strange message especially when money is needed for other things.
I personally think a newer look is better especially around interstate because it sends an attractive message for outsiders who travel through these parts. And believe me you want this because this area is hurting economically. I think Janesville City Counsel should exhaust every possible avenue & fill these parts with restaurants & other things which will attract interest from all. Maybe even a business park would be good but don't set prices so high it scares people away!
Aug 30, 2010 at 6:15 p.m.
Suggest removal
With all the empty buildings in town already can't they find one to use rather than building another one that will someday sit empty and rot?
Before you post a comment, consider this:
Note: GazetteXtra.com does not condone or review every comment. Read more in our User Policy AgreementPost Comment
Commenting requires registration.