A 1.6 million-square-foot medical and innovation campus with a hotel, housing and other uses is being proposed for about 30 acres of land less than an hour south of Phoenix.
The $762 million project, District 3 at Copper Sky Park, will be developed at the southeast corner of State Route 347 and Bowlin Road at the Copper Sky Regional Park in the city of Maricopa. The facility is being developed by S3 BioTech LLC. Maricopa City Council approved selling the site to the entity in June.
Documents submitted to the city say the overall site, which will be developed in multiple phases, will comprise a mixed-use space with a medical campus, luxury condos, a hotel, a life sciences center and innovation campus, a sports psychology center and sports science academy.
D3 is expected to bring 2,819 jobs to the city, as well as an estimated 11,500 construction-related jobs. It's also estimated to generate nearly $300 million in economic activity each year, according to documents, which cited an economic impact study completed by Scottsdale-based Elliot D. Pollack and Co.
"D3 will promote economic employment and economic activity while creating diverse public open spaces and a collection of unique places for active community members," project documents said, adding that the development will serve as an active community centered around health, education, innovation, sports and entertainment, walkability and more.
The city's planning and zoning commission recommended approval to rezone the property into a planned area development to allow for the new campus on Aug. 22. Although no tenants were named, documents said D3 already has key anchors to develop new health care technologies and operators to provide health care, education and other services in Maricopa.
At full buildout, documents said the D3 medical campus will be able to provide "effective and affordable" health care services to the community, while the most complex cases will be referred to regional health care centers. Project documents also said that D3 has also partnered with "prestigious" universities that are currently involved in the creation of smart city technology.
Residents that spoke at the planning commission raised concerns with the project removing the existing recreational fields and parks in the area, as well as limited parking and traffic. The developer said it is working to relocate and add more sports fields or parks to the city.
The first phase of the project will comprise:
- Maricopa Emergency Room Hospital: 51,000 square feet, three floors
- MOB/Outpatient Surgery Center: 108,000 square feet, three floors
- Select-service hotel: 120,000 square feet, 150 rooms, seven floors
- Condominiums/Extended stay: 205,000 square feet, 100 units, seven floors
- Extended care and physical therapy center: 75,000 square feet, three floors
- Smart parking structure