Mesquite District Update for October 15, 2012
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Over the past few months I have received several calls from residents inquiring about the Peoria Regional Medical Center (PRMC). The development is located north of the northwest corner of Lake Pleasant Parkway and Yearling Road, and is widely recognizable by the large steel beams.
In 2007, the principals of PRMC approached the City of Peoria to develop a northern Peoria medical facility. As with any project application, the City of Peoria reviewed the development plans. The City’s reviews include an analysis of the site improvements, including the infrastructure and design guidelines, conformance to our general plan, and other applicable codes and ordinances. PRMC successfully completed these processes.
Shortly after PRMC began construction of the facility, the project stalled. Since this time, the City is and has been working closely with PRMC ownership to understand the private financing issues associated with this development project. Despite city requests for information and a timeline for resumption of construction activity from PRMC ownership, no new information has been provided.
It is important to note that the City of Peoria is neither privy to, nor routinely asks for, financial statements associated with a private development project. The only exception to this would be if the City was providing financial assistance to a private development project, which was not the case with PRMC. The application submittal itself is a costly process, and developers do not fund these costs until they are fully prepared to begin the project. The City of Peoria could not have known that the project would encounter financing issues, causing the project to delay.
Within the State of Arizona, private property rights are very strong. At this time there are no specific actions we can take to force the work to continue. In addition, there are no actions we can take to require the steel beams to be removed. The City of Peoria must respect private property rights and follow Arizona Statutes.
The City of Peoria has conducted a building safety inspection to ensure the site is safe. The developer has erected a fence enclosing the area, and the site is considered safe and secure, per city code. Although we understand the visual blight and nuisance, there are no legal actions we can take outside of public health and safety concerns, which have been addressed. We will continue to monitor the location for safety and code infractions issues.
The Phoenix Business Journal published an informative article regarding the hospital founder. Phoenix Business Journal Article
