The groundwork for a gigantic medical campus that could change the face of healthcare in Delaware has been laid.
Two hundred acres of specially zoned “Institutional Service District” (IS) land has just come on the market in Milford, according to R&R Commercial Realty, the listing agency. The unique, highly permissive zoning allows for hundreds of uses and paves the way for a substantial healthcare-focused development.
“In these COVID-19 times, this is a shovel-ready project that could quickly add an enormous amount of capacity and resources to Delaware’s healthcare system,” said Elmer Fannin, the property owner. “Along with Bayhealth’s $300 million hospital right across Rt. 1 and the other recent healthcare developments in the area, this project would allow Delaware to compete for the medical capital of the Mid-Atlantic region.”
In 2006, the property, on Cedar Neck Road off Rt. 1, was annexed into the City of Milford and granted IS zoning. This zoning is described as having the purpose of furthering “public health, safety and welfare by providing a location for schools, governmental buildings and uses, healthcare related uses, a hospital and all other healthcare facilities.” A drafted concept plan of the site – called Innovation Park – includes a specialty hospital, medical or nursing school, a standalone rehabilitation facility, a senior living center, assisted living quarters, teaching centers (graduate medical, nursing and associated technical training centers), and independent labs used in research or as a support for physicians. Other approved uses for the site include medical disciplines such as pediatric care, women’s health, spinal injuries, eye care, pharmacology, podiatry, a same-day surgery center, a medical mall and assisted living or senior centers.
If developed, the campus could potentially bring thousands of jobs to central Delaware, adding hundreds of millions of dollars to the local economy.
“Milford is already growing significantly with new residential and commercial developments being built,” said Charles Rodriguez, R&R’s broker. “A centrally-located medical campus like Innovation Park would help the state and region keep up with the exploding demand for healthcare services.”
With a high-traffic location on Rt. 1 and full integration with all the needed utilities and infrastructure, Fannin says the last piece of the puzzle is an ambitious developer.
“With projects as big as Innovation Park, developers can often spend years in various city council, county and state-level meetings and forums to obtain the necessary approvals and permits,” said Fannin. “But, in this case, all that heavy lifting is already done. The project needs little more than vision, construction and a ribbon cutting.”
For more information on Innovation Park, visit randrcommercialrealty.com.
Source: R&R Commercial Realty