Courtesy of BBL Construction Services
By Rod Bacon
Saratoga County is poised to be the home of a full service medical facility.
Plans call for the Saratoga Regional Health Center to have a soft opening in July.
Spearheaded by Rich Paulsen, founder of Albany-based Paulsen Development, and his sons, Matthew and Ryan, the two-phase project will consolidate a wide range of medical specialities in a single location.
According to spokesman Dr. Lenny Goldstock, an orthopedic surgeon at OrthoNY, Phase I, located at 612 Maple Avenue in Wilton, will house a branch of his practice as well as those of EyesNY, Albany ENT & Allergy Services, Saratoga Schenectady Gastroenterology Associates, and St. Peter’s Hospital.
“I’ve been partners with Rich for twenty years doing medical development,” said Dr. Goldstock. “He has a history of sharing in the success of his projects by offering tenants ownership to develop ancillary revenue to the physician groups, and that’s part of the appeal of this project.”
He noted that Paulsen Development has been involved in nearly all of OrthoNY’s buildings in Albany, Schenectady, Wilton and hopefully Glens Falls.
OrthoNY will occupy approximately 35,000 square feet of the building that will house a large clinic space and a four-room ambulatory surgery center where physicians will be able to do everything from carpal tunnel to spinal fusion procedures. There will also be magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and physical therapy services.
“It’s a complete orthopedic destination for patients,” said Dr. Goldstock.
Under the leadership of Dr. Amjad Hammad, managing partner of EyesNY, there will be a multi-room, multi-speciality ambulatory surgery center and clinic space.
Drs. Gavin Setzen and Lawrence Kaufman will treat patients at Albany ENT & Allergy Services as well as starting a facial plastics program with a new partner.
Saratoga Schenectady Gastroenterology Associates will have clinical space.
St. Peter’s Hospital is putting in a comprehensive cardiology center with acute care and a full laboratory.
Finally, Bear’s Cup Bakehouse, which has shops in Saratoga Springs and Lake George, will have space offering breakfast and lunch for those in the building.
The general contractor for the two-story, 125,000-square-foot facility, which cost $70 million, is BBL Construction Services of Albany. They worked with hcparchitects, also headquartered in Albany, on its design.
According to Cody Dutcher, director of business development for BBL, multiple locations were considered before settling on the 13.4-acre site in Wilton.
“There were a multitude of factors considered in the decision,” he said. “We had to make sure the site would accommodate a large building and associated parking. Also, the developers wanted access to Exit 15 and the Saratoga Springs area.”
Dr. Goldstock said planning for the project started five years ago and was originally a small facility for just OrthoNY. Many sites were considered, as were different designs. Because of the high costs of land, construction, and borrowing money they had to “go to scale” and add more medical providers. When completed there will be 155,000 square feet of commercial space.
Phase II of the project, called Maple Commons and located across the street at 631 Maple Avenue, will house imaging and primary care centers for St. Peter’s Hospital, as well as orthopedic implant company Prodigy Surgical and Empire Oral Surgeons. Bear’s Cup Bakehouse will also offer their delectable treats in this building.
This phase will consist of three buildings estimated to cost $52 million. Two of them will have 31,019-square-feet of mixed use commercial space that will house medical offices, a branch of Bear’s Cup Bakehouse and a Hotworx fitness studio. The third will consist of 125 studio, one- and-two-bedroom apartments.
According to Dr. Goldstock, the apartments were included in the plan because it’s difficult to find housing in Saratoga County. He said the hope is that medical personnel working at the facility will appreciate the proximity of the living quarters to their worksites.
“That’s why we did it … walkability,” he said. “There are going to be sidewalks from Maple Commons to the main facility and a crossing light on the road. We want to generate housing for those who work in that building.”
Financing for the primary building was provided by Beacon Bank and Key Bank financed the auxiliary buildings.
He said that because the project is creating significant job growth in the region it got support from the Saratoga County Industrial Development Agency (IDA). He estimated that over 450 medical professionals will be employed at the facility.
According to Dutcher, the first of the three buildings at this site is scheduled for occupancy in October, with completion of the other two staggered in three- to four-month intervals.
“We’re on schedule because of a very good relationship with BBL, a extremely competent builder,” Dr. Goldstock said.