WOODBRIDGE — The project checks all the boxes, county documents show.
A 250,000-square foot medical hub proposed by healthcare juggernaut Kaiser Permanente to be located in Woodbridge, dubbed Kaiser South, would fit the county’s long-range development plan to bring more commercial business development to the east side of the county.
County officials also say the 15-acre complex that would be built at 13285 Minnieville Road, at the intersection of Caton Hill Road, fits within the economic development, community design, and transportation plans — which all fall under the county’s overall comprehensive plan.
The Prince William County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday is expected to approve a rezoning that would permit the healthcare firm to build its complex which would be up to 335,000 square feet when completed. Currently, a developer may only build a 305,000 square-foot office complex on the property known as Caton’s Crossing.
The current zoning rules were put in place in 2006 when the property was rezoned from agriculture to mixed-use development use. Today, apartments and an office building sit at Caton’s Crossing. Kaiser South would be the third piece of the development.
If approved, Kaiser would build its new medical hub in phases. First completing its initial 250,000 square feet and then later adding the remaining 85,000 square feet. The new hub will contain doctors and dentists offices, clinics, laboratories, a pharmacy, and an eye-care center.
“The new medical center will accommodate Kaiser Permanente’s robust growth and the continuing demand for the organization’s top-rated, integrated health system, which combines health care and health coverage in one convenient package,” Kaiser spokesman Scott Lusk told Potomac Local via email.
A surface parking lot and a parking deck will be built with up to 1,270 parking spaces, adds Lusk. He did not respond to questions asking about the total anticipated the construction cost of the project, how many patients will be seen annually at the hub, or what will happen with a Kaiser office at Potomac Mills mall after Kaiser South opens for business.
A video on the Prince William County Economic Development website states Kaiser Permanente has 800,000 members in the Mid-Atlantic region. About 325,000 of them are in Northern Virginia and use 10 Kaiser health centers in the Washington, D.C. region.
The complex is expected to have 185 employees. The building will have six floors, and a height capped at 95 feet, according to county documents.
The project received the green light from the county’s Planning Commission on March 6. The Board of Supervisors is set to hear the case on Tuesday, March 19 at 7:30 p.m.
“I can’t imagine any serious opposition [to the project],” said Prince William County Board of Supervisors Chairman At-large Corey Stewart. “Its’ a great thing for the county.”
Transportation effects
The new Kaiser complex is expected to generate about 600 additional car trips in the mornings, and 600 new trips in the afternoons, both during peak commuting times. Minnieville Road already carries 23,000 cars per day, while the adjacent Caton Hill Road
Kaiser was required by the county to conduct a traffic impact study in 2017. We reported on that study, which found traffic conditions around the new development are expected to worsen by 2020.
As part of the proffers to the county, Kaiser will monitor the traffic and at the Minnieville Road entrance to the property, across from Holly Acres RV Sales, will produce a traffic count, and then report back to local and state officials who will determine if a new signal light is needed prior to the county’s approval of Kaiser’s final site plan.
If a signal is needed, Kaiser will be on the hook to pay for it and crosswalks at the intersection. Kaiser has also agreed to pay for the construction of deceleration and turn lanes into the property, and a new OmniRide bus shelter.
