By Anne Wallace Allen – October 31, 2014
Idaho Business Review
Saint Alphonsus Health System is building a new clinic that will house urgent care and primary care facilities on 1.3 acres in Bown Crossing in east Boise. The 13,200-square-foot building, which Saint Alphonsus calls a “health plaza,” will include room for adding specialty medical services later, said spokesman Josh Schlaish. Saint Alphonsus owns hospitals in Boise and Nampa and in Baker City and Ontario, Ore., and about 60 clinics in the region between Boise and Baker City.
The new facility will be larger than the typical Saint Alphonsus clinic, and will include physical therapy and a rotation of specialists such as cardiologists and orthopedists, said Mike Chidester, director of real estate for the health system. Hundreds of homes have been built in recent years east of Bown Crossing in developments such as Harris Ranch in the Barber Valley, with more homes planned. “Harris Ranch and the growth in that area was really important,” Chidester said. “There are a lot of employees of some of the employers we work for in the area.”
Boise builder Retail West Properties LLC is the developer for the building, which will be accessible from Parkcenter Boulevard and will have 57 parking spaces. It’s the company’s first foray into medical construction, said Retail West President Eric Davis. The company has experience in shopping center and other retail construction. “These clinics have a retail orientation if you think about it,” Davis said. “They’re out in hightraffic, high-visibility locations.” The medical building has more rooms inside than retail spaces typically do, Davis said. “Because of all the rooms inside, it’s a little more mechanically and electrically intense,” he said. “But it’s fundamentally the same with regard to site improvements, parking, access, lighting, and landscaping.” LCA Architects designed the brick, stone and stucco building, and Andersen Construction is the general contractor. Construction started Oct. 20, and Saint Alphonsus is expected to move in next summer.