By Adrienne St. Clair for Arizona Builder’s Exchange
AMD Global, LLC and MSW Development have submitted a rezoning request to the City of Tucson to build a micro-hospital on the SWC of Broadway and Rosemont boulevards.
The new AMD Global Micro-Hospital will be 2 stories, standing at a height of 30 feet, and providing approximately 64KSF of space. The project is valued at about $35M.
According to project documents, the hospital will be a 24-hour operation and “will be developed, owned and operated by AMD Global in partnership with 7 local physician offices.” It will provide for most medical services except for urgent care, such as heart attacks and major trauma.
The site is surrounded by residential areas to the south and west. Broadway Boulevard runs along the northern edge of the property, and Rosemont Boulevard runs along the eastern edge.
The site was originally approved as a neighborhood shopping center back in 2015. It would have featured a large anchor retail store and a few smaller businesses. However, the developers would like to rezone the property as a two-lot commercial subdivision, where the hospital would be built on one parcel of the lot and the other parcel would feature one retail/restaurant building consisting of approximately 6KSF and some outdoor space. The hospital will be built on the spot where the original anchor retail store would have been.
In a letter to the city explaining the project, MSW Development’s Thomas Warne listed several reasons Tucson should approve the change. First, the revised plan would contain approximately 20KSF less building area on the site, allowing for more open space. Next, the hospital would be the same height as the original retail building store. The new plan will also allow for the main hospital building to sit further away from the residential areas on the south and west sides of the property. Finally, the overall site will have “considerably more” landscaped outdoor area and will generate about 950 fewer vehicles on the site per day, depending on the business that ends up filling the retail space on the second parcel of land.
Council heard and approved the revision request at its Aug. 8 meeting.
The Tucson city manager recommends AMD Global’s request be approved, provided the developer complies with several conditions that deal generally with safety, design and the city’s plan.