Ann Wishart, Valley Press Business Editor
June 3, 2005
New hospital spawns office construction
 
PALMDALE - Even before City Council members took golden shovels in hand Thursday and officially broke ground for the Palmdale Regional Medical Center, developers were planning. So far, they have proposed nearly half a million square feet of medical office building space within easy driving distance of the facility, according to Richard Kite, city planner.
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The need for doctors' offices near the soon-to-be-built hospital motivated developers to start applying for permits to build around the intersection of Tierra Subida Avenue and West Avenue Q-7, south of Palmdale Boulevard months ago. As creation of the medical center commences, building activity for dozens of medical office buildings could turn the area into a giant construction zone.
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Doctors and other medical professionals attended the groundbreaking for the medical center Thursday morning with more than 200 others, drawn by the joint effort by Universal Health Services and Lancaster Community Hospital to provide health care for area residents. UHS officials said they plan to have services available in 18 months. Operation will begin with 170 beds and enlarge to 250 beds and a full-service facility including surgery services, 36 emergency room beds, women's and children's health, obstetrics, gynecology, cardiology and a helicopter pad.
 
The medical center will attract hundreds of health care professionals to the area. Doctors wanting privileges at the new hospital also will be seeking office space. Those offices will need to be ready for occupation when the hospital opens its doors. "There is a tremendous amount of office building going through the permitting office," Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford said at the groundbreaking.
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