Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Lewis-Gale pushes on in Daleville
Plans were submitted for an imaging center, long in the works, and a physician practice.
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After years of planning, Lewis-Gale Medical Center is moving closer to breaking ground on a medical office building at the Daleville Town Center.
Lewis-Gale had previously said it would open an imaging center complete with a new CT scanner at the Daleville Town Center by March this year. That deadline was not met, and a spokeswoman declined to comment on why.
Earlier this month, however, plans were submitted for a much larger Lewis-Gale medical building that include the previous plans for an imaging center along with plans for a physician practice.
Fralin and Waldron Inc., the developer of the Daleville Town Center, filed a request with Botetourt County on Sept. 1 for a permit to build a two-story, 20,000-square-foot medical office building to house the operation.
Nancy May, a spokeswoman for HCA Southwest Virginia, which includes Lewis-Gale, offered few details about the project.
"The new site will include both imaging service and physician practice components, but we are not ready to discuss the specific details," she said in a written statement.
May said the company always intended to have a physician practice component in the same building as the imaging center.
Stephen Claytor, vice president of development at Fralin and Waldron, said the Botetourt County Board of Supervisors could approve the $5 million project at its Oct. 27 meeting, and construction could begin soon after. The building could be finished about a year later.
"A medical office building is something we've long contemplated -- it fits perfectly with the vision of the Daleville Town Center -- and we're pleased to be partnering with HCA," Claytor said.
Lewis-Gale first discussed its plans for moving to the Daleville Town Center back in 2007, when it sought state approval to operate a CT scanner in the area. The project was later approved and Lewis-Gale said it would open a 2,250-square-foot imaging center at the mixed-use development on the western side of U.S. 220 between Interstate 81's Exit 150 and Fincastle.
The proposal was met by competition from Carilion Clinic, which also sought and was granted state permission to operate a CT scanner in the rapidly growing Botetourt County community. Carilion has since spent about $1 million to install a scanner at an existing medical practice located at 46 Wesley Road in Daleville.
"We are providing the service now and I think that is the important thing," Carilion spokesman Eric Earnhart said.
Carilion has already said it is eying a new medical office building that would double the size of its practice. Carilion has a contract to purchase property at Orchard Marketplace, across the street from the Daleville Town Center, Earnhart said. The new building would replace the Wesley Road location and require state approval to relocate the CT scanner.
Staff writer Rex Bowman contributed to this report.
