Healthcare: Mercy Regional drops its developer of Avon hospital facility
By MEGAN ROZSA and RICHARD PAYERCHIN for Morning Journal
AVON — Mercy Regional Medical Center has split with its developer, Landmark Healthcare Facilities LLC, which was to build a new health center at Interstate 90 and SR 611 in Avon.
However, the Lorain-based hospital and medical system remains committed to building the new health care campus. Mercy Regional Medical Center plans to build a three-story, 82,000-square-foot medical office at 38399 Colorado Ave., bordering I-90 and SR 611.
“As Mercy moves forward with the Avon health campus, it is critical that we continuously evaluate our plans and partners to ensure long-term success for the facility,” an announcement yesterday from the hospital stated. “Due to significant differences that have arisen between Mercy and the developer originally selected to work on the project, Mercy has decided to terminate our relationship with them at this time.
“Plans are in place to have a suitable developer selected by mid-February,” the hospital statement stated. “Mercy is committed to the development of the Avon health campus and is on target to complete the project in the summer of 2012.”
The Milwaukee-based Landmark Healthcare Facilities and its sister company, Landmark Healthcare Properties Fund LLC, describes itself as “a leading full-service developer of physician office buildings and clinics, ambulatory care and surgery centers, cardiac and cancer centers, imaging centers, fitness and women’s centers and laboratories,” according to its website.
As of June 30, 2010, the Landmark Fund owned 24 outpatient buildings, totaling about 2.4 million square feet, in 14 states. Landmark Facilities is owned by Joseph, Nicholas and Benjamin Checota.
Mercy hospital worked with the developer, but could not reach an agreement about the building, hospital Marketing Director Kasha Frese said.
“Despite our best efforts, we were unable to reach an agreement with Landmark on the quality of the building,” Frese said. “We want to be sure it meets the needs of the community as well as the physicians.”
Mercy Regional Medical Center is the owner of the land.
“The ground lease was never finalized and that was because we couldn’t come to an agreement in terms of the overall quality of the buildings,” Frese said.
The hospital hopes to have plans in place with a new developer by mid-February with completion by summer 2012. The hospital’s planning staff have not picked the next builder yet, Frese said.
Staff at Landmark Healthcare Facilities was not available for comment last night. The developer had no contact with Avon officials who considered the necessary municipal actions for the project, Avon Planning Coordinator Jim Piazza said.
