Western Connecticut Medical Group joins ‘medical mile’

BY DIRK PERREFORT
Hearst Connecticut Media

Efforts to create a “medical mile” surrounding the Route 6 corridor in Newtown are gaining momentum after the Western Connecticut Medical Group signed a lease for a building that”™s yet to be constructed on Mount Pleasant Road.

At least two people involved with the deal confirmed this week that the group has signed a lease for 15,200 square feet for the building, one of two under development by Westport-based Maplewood Healthcare and its real estate arm, Hunter Gregory. The group is an affiliate of the Western Connecticut Health Network, which operates Danbury, New Milford and Norwalk hospitals.

“This lease just solidifies the fact that this corridor is truly becoming a medical mile,” said Greg Smith, the principal and founder of the development company. “By having a system like the Western Connecticut Health Network setting up shop and planting some roots on that corridor, it”™s an affirmation of our prediction that the area is becoming a medical destination.”

Earlier this year, the development company completed the first of two buildings on the site, which will be anchored by DaVita Dialysis. Now that an anchor has been named for the second building, Smith said they will be breaking ground on that structure within the next few weeks.

Smith said he anticipates the announcement of the lease to the regional hospital network will accelerate the leasing process for the remainder of the two buildings on the site, at 164 and 170 Mount Pleasant Road.

“Nailing down that anchor tenant will drive other complimentary services that may not be offered by the network or DaVita,” he said.

While officials with WCHN were not available to comment on the lease Thursday, Smith said early conversations with the network suggested the building might be used for primary care physicians and specialty groups affiliated with the hospitals. He added, however, that those plans are still fluid.

“They are still working on the programming of it,” he said.

Todd Payne, principal with Goodfellow Real Estate, said in a statement that the lease is a significant deal for the corridor as it develops into a medical destination.

“The Mt. Pleasant corridor has been labeled the ”˜medical mile”™ and the commitment of WCMG to the area and the investment of Maplewood Healthcare this is becoming an established medical location,” he said in the statement, released last week. “With access just off exit 9 of I-84, Rt 25 and Rt 6 this area draws from Waterbury, Bridgeport as well as the greater Danbury community.”

Already, more than 80,000 square feet of medical space is either in the pipeline for the corridor or is soon to be constructed. That’s in addition to age-restricted housing units and assisted-living facilities also under development in the corridor, much of it by Maplewood.

“A lot of health care networks are moving their non-critical-care services directly into the community,” Smith said. “We see our business model as a bolt-on to that by providing the real estate they need. Not only are we riding that wave, but we are getting out in front of it.”

Hearst Connecticut Media includes four daily newspapers: Connecticut Post, Greenwich Time, The Advocate (Stamford) and The News-Times (Danbury). See newstimes.com for more from this reporter.