$135M hospital breaks ground in Williamson County

The Austin Business Journal reports that Page is expanding its extensive portfolio of healthcare projects. This market sector is one of six commercial areas in which Page focuses its efforts.

Now, a new developer and health care provider will make their debut in the Austin area with the construction of a $135 million surgical hospital designed by Page near State Highway 45 and LaFrontera Boulevard in Williamson County.

Forest Park Medical Center Austin is an offshoot of the Forest Park Medical Center system, which was created by physicians in Dallas in 2006 and 2007. The group is in an aggressive expansion mode across Texas.

About 60 Austin-area physicians will own the new hospital, which will be completed in December 2014.

“Some of those physicians originally came to us and asked, ‘Can you do something like this in Austin?’” said Dr. Robert Wyatt, the founder and chief medical officer for the Forest Park system.

Many more physicians will perform procedures at Forest Park Medical Center in Austin beyond the ownership group. Wyatt said Forest Park is prepared to go head-to-head with larger, more established health care providers in the area.

“We’re pretty good competitors,” Wyatt said. “Forest Park will be the best hands down for what we do.”

On it’s website, Forest Park touts itself as being advanced at minimally invasive procedures.

Currently, Forest Park has hospitals in Dallas, Southlake and Frisco, with facilities under construction in Fort Worth and San Antonio.

The Neal Richards Group in Dallas is the developer of the 145,000-square-foot hospital in Williamson County, which will include 46 patient beds.

Though the hospital is located near Round Rock, site permits and water and sewer service are being handled by the city of Austin.

Derrick Evers, CEO of the Neal Richards Group, said this project will be a catalyst for establishing the company’s footprint in Austin in the years to come.

Evers and several executives with the Neal Richards Group come from a background with The Staubach Co. and Trammell Crow Co. In addition to developing the Forest Park facilities, the company has developed retail, office and church properties.

“We’re intending to be a long-term partner with the city of Austin,” Evers said.

The hospital will be built on 8.5 acres of a 50-acre parcel, which the Neal Richards Group purchased from Cousins Properties Inc. Evers said his company plans to build ancillary buildings on the rest of the land, such as medical office space, which will complement hospital services.

Page was selected to design the Austin hospital, the architectural firm’s first assignment with the Forest Park system and Neal Richards Group.

“They caught on to our vision immediately,” Evers said.

Adolfson & Peterson Construction, which is headquartered in Minneapolis but has offices across the U.S., is the general contractor.

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