Construction has started on the Sequoia Medical Center, a 52,000-square-foot, two-story medical office building at the southeast corner of Cypress Avenue and Akers Street in Visalia. Completion is expected by July 1, 2014.
The building will be home to a variety of specialty medical groups, including Orthopaedic Associates Medical Clinic, Inc., and South Valley Vascular Associates, Inc., and two divisions of the Kaweah Delta Health Care District: Therapy Specialists and Hand Therapy Specialists. In addition, Sequoia Prompt Care will locate its second site in the building.
The project, which will complete Kaweah Delta’s west campus, is on land leased by the district for 99 years to the project developers, State Center Properties.
“Kaweah Delta is not an owner of this building,” explained Mike Williams, Kaweah Delta’s director of facilities and planning. “Eventually, the property will be owned by the condominium association.”
“This gives tenants the opportunity to own their offices,” said general contractor Paul Quiring of Quiring General, LLC, of Fresno, who commented on the public-private partnership that made the project possible. “This is unusual. It’s especially unusual on leased land.”
“This building gives physicians a chance to expand,” said architect Anthony Pings of Anthony Pings and Associates. “It’s good for the hospital, it’s good for physicians and it’s good for patients.”
“This type of project will bring new investment into our community,” said Glenn Morris, Visalia Chamber of Commerce president/CEO. “It will also bring jobs.”
Office condos are rare in Visalia. Pings estimated that the last one was built more than 20 years ago. They are common in Fresno, however.
“The whole team was very comfortable with coming into the community with this project,” said Gary D. Quisenberry, senior vice president of commercial and business banking at Central Valley Community Bank, which provided funding. “We’ve done several office condos in Fresno and the medical condo projects have always been successful.”
Established in 1963, Kaweah Delta Health Care District celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2013. Kaweah Delta is a 581-bed district and the only level III trauma center serving Tulare and Kings counties. The Sequoia Medical Center groundbreaking was held on May 23, a week after the ribbon-cutting for the Kaweah Delta helipad.