Last month, the City of Maricopa voted unanimously to sell three parcels next to Copper Sky Regional Park to S3 BioTech LLC so the developer can move ahead with plans to build a medical campus. At the time, it was reported the company was planning a specialty emergency hospital with 25 beds and at least 100KSF of space for medical services, ambulatory surgeries, lab and office space. Other planned uses for the space included apartments/condos, a sports stadium, training facility and a physical therapy center.
After filing a public records request and receiving the Planned Area Development overview we are now able to report on the master plan in greater detail.
S3 BioTech and partner Abraham Dewitz have a five-year vision for the property. Phase 1A (1-36 months) features the medical campus. Phase 1B (1-48 months) consists of an “Innovation Campus,” and Phase 2 (1-60 months) will be a “SportsTainment District.”
The medical campus will feature 559KSF of building area, with another 1.035MSF for the Innovation Campus and 910KSF for the SportsTainment District. All components of the development will be integrated to maximize “Smart City” architecture and interconnectivity.
Key projects listed in the overview consist of:
- Maricopa ER Hospital,
- Outpatient surgical center and medical office buildings ,
- Behavioral health and sports psychology,
- Sports and Science Academy,
- Select service hotel,
- Life Science and Innovation Center,
- Multi-purpose sports complex, and
- Festival garden/public market.
D3 – as the developer refers to the plan – is touted as “a true 52.3 acre mixed-use live and work development composed of three campuses totaling (more than) 2.5MSF of building area.” The company has commissioned and expects to release a study by Elliot D. Pollack & Company that predicts 11,500 construction-related jobs and 3,000 jobs from annual operations.
Estimated construction tax revenues will be $81.9M, with Maricopa’s share projected at $17M. Annual primary and secondary tax revenues are projected at $6.3M, with a total 30-year economic output of $4.3B and a combined fiscal impact for Arizona, Pinal County and Maricopa estimated at $512.4M.
Total development investment is estimated to hit $762.2M.
To facilitate the development, S3 Biotech is requesting a change from the current Mixed-Use and Transition designation to Planned Area Development.
S3 notes the City has spent more than $50M developing the 160-acre park and that, “The City’s vision is to reimagine the current 160-acre Park as a focal point of the City and a destination-branded sports and experiences site.” Maricopa has a second phase vision that will expand the site up to another 160 acres, and commercial development is already proceeding along SR 347/John Wayne Parkway with hotel, senior living and multifamily projects. The developer feels the remainder of commercial development in the park area is ideally suited for its long-term goals.
The developer refers to the overall project as “an extensive infill and redevelopment project” and says that, while there will need to be restructuring and relocation of various infrastructure components, “all of them fall within the realm of the normal engineering and design challenges that routinely accompany large-scale urban infill redevelopment.”
Medical Campus
The overview says the Medical Campus component of the development will feature a new hospital facility with a 24/7 emergency room that will be able to serve 90% of the community’s healthcare needs. At full build-out, which earlier reports state could range as large as 250KSF and 120 beds, “The D3 Medical Campus will be able to provide effective and affordable healthcare services to the Community,” according to the overview, with the most complex cases being referred to larger regional healthcare centers.
One portion of the Medical Campus plan will repurpose the existing Maricopa Police Dispatch Center once the City finishes its new 32KSF police headquarters building. The repurposed space will become an extended care and physical therapy center.
D3IC – The D3 Innovation Campus and SportsTainment District Campus
S3 envisions D3IC and the SportsTainment District as “high-end, mixed-use environments that foster creative collaboration, establish a sense of community and attract a talent pool of networked knowledge workers.”
The Innovation Campus will provide a research environment for medical and sports medicine programs, along with a Sports and Science Academy that includes a training institute and boarding school for student and professional athletes.
The SportsTainment District will feature community activities, youth sports facilities and programs, concerts, festivals and other public-focused events and interaction opportunities.
Maricopa’s Planning and Zoning Commission is scheduled to hear the Maricopa Specialty ER Hospital proposal this month, and City Council will review it in July. Construction is expected to begin as soon as approvals are in place, with a construction timeline estimated at 18-24 months.
