Westcor, hospital in talks to build medical facility

Mall developer Westcor and the John C. Lincoln Health Network are in talks to build a medical facility in the North Valley.

The proposed emergency- and primary-care facility would be east of Interstate 17 at Dove Valley/Sonoran Boulevard, in Phoenix, on land owned by Westcor.

The plan will be discussed at a public meeting at 6 p.m. Feb. 1 at the Goelet A.C. Beuf Community Center, 3435 W. Pinnacle Peak Road, Phoenix.

Phoenix-based Westcor, a subsidiary of the Macerich Co., is behind several malls in Arizona, including Paradise Valley Mall and Kierland Commons in northeast Phoenix, and owns property around the state.

John C. Lincoln is a not-for-profit network that includes physician practices, community-outreach programs, a foundation and two hospitals. They are John C. Lincoln Deer Valley Hospital, 19829 N. 27th Ave., in north Phoenix; and John C. Lincoln North Mountain Hospital, 250 E. Dunlap Ave., in north-central Phoenix.

The proposed medical facility is intended to serve the growing North Valley, John C. Lincoln Health Network officials said.

"This expansion fits with John C. Lincoln's strategic plan to grow within our service area," President and CEO Rhonda Forsyth said. "We plan to start with a free-standing emergency- and primary-care facility, expanding to a hospital and medical office buildings in the future."

To carry out the plan, Westcor officials said Thursday that they must obtain zoning changes to the site at I-17 and Dove Valley/Sonoran Boulevard. Westcor's property is zoned for commercial use with a special permit overlay that allows for auto malls.

Westcor wants to use half of the 80 acres it owns for medical facilities, said Karen Maurer, the company's assistant vice president for development relations.

"We are in partnership with John C. Lincoln to explore our options to bring medical services to that property," Maurer said. "We are very early in the process."

Phoenix city planners said they received a packet from Westcor on Wednesday afternoon and had not read the material.

by Betty Reid The Arizona Republic Jan. 21, 2011 12:15 PM




Westcor, hospital in talks to build medical facility