A rendering of the proposed division of the 63 acres near Presbyterian Rust Medical Center and Westside Boulevard shows how many medical-related businesses could fit in the proposed plan. Courtesy rendering.
The section of land between Presbyterian Rust Medical Center and Westside Boulevard could be filled with medical-related businesses, according to Bob Feinberg, senior vice president and principal at Colliers International.
Feinberg and his associate Tom Jones, also a senior vice president and principal, are teaming up with a different division of Colliers to find and promote medical-related business on the 63 acres of mixed-use land adjacent to the hospital.
“We asked the question, ‘Why can’t Rio Rancho be the center of excellence for medical services in New Mexico and maybe become a known entity in the region?'” Feinberg said.
He said his vision is to build a facility for activities healthy older people can do during the day.
“Why not have a full fitness facility out there?” he asked.
To achieve this goal, Feinberg and Jones have partnered with the section of Colliers that deals only with national medical brokerage services.
“These specialists only represent medical players, and we’ve gotten them very excited about this possibility,” he said. “They are going in now and grabbing the attention of people we don’t know how to get to, to consider the area.”
The plat is in the preliminary stages and has not been formalized, Jones said.
“We are contemplating 20 lots ranging from 1.6 acres all the way up to 6.7 acres,” Jones said. “The smaller pads will be on the retail frontage … and the larger pads will be as you move east toward the pinnacle of Westside Boulevard.”
Although the push for this section of property is to attract medical-related business, Jones said the frontage of the property on Unser Boulevard will all be retail.
“We could have a restaurant or a grocery store here, but the rest of the land is being designated for medical-related business,” he said.
Jones said the adjoining businesses and community all came into consideration when the idea to build a more medical-related area was brought up.
“Of course, the businesses that border this facility complement what we are trying to achieve here,” he said. “We hope that this will put Rio Rancho on the map as far as the medical industry goes and be a benefit for the community it will reside in.”
Sandoval Health Collaborative Director Richard Draper said health is becoming more consumer-driven.
“People want convenient, affordable and fun options to promote their well-being,” he said. “What’s happening at The Villages and soon across Rio Rancho is a huge economic development opportunity: Rio Rancho as a health destination that offers a continuum of care from wellness to acute care services.”
So far, there has been no verification on any businesses moving onto the site.
