$20 million clinic shows what’s possible at Vista Field
Architect to respect Italian stylings on exterior
of Yakima Valley Farm Workers’ newest clinic
The
Tri-Cities’ newest health clinic will respect design standards of the Port
of Kennewick’s neighborhood on the
outside.
On
the inside, the newest Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic will offer
state-of-the-art medical services to its patients.
The
nonprofit broke ground this month on its latest location. The Miramar Health
Center project is being built on a five-acre parcel bordering the Port of
Kennewick’s Vista Field redevelopment project.
The
clinic isn’t within the Vista Field neighborhood, but its architects say
they’re making a good-faith effort to ensure
the 29,000-square-foot building blends into the
neighborhood.
With
Miramar Health Clinic, Yakima Valley Farm Workers continues its mission to
deliver medical and dental services to patients of all incomes.
It
will serve those with – and without – insurance.
But
first, it must be built.
For
that, Yakima Valley hired The Neenan Co., a design-build firm based
in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Neenan has designed
and built medical facilities throughout the Northwest.
Its
projects in Washington include the Columbia Basin Health Association’s
Othello clinic and three Vancouver clinics.
Neenan
assigned a 12-person team to oversee the Kennewick project. It
expects to deliver the project to its client in about a year.
Future proofing
“We
strive to design and construct durable buildings that are comfortable and easy
for patients to find their way around,” said Whitney Churchill, senior design
manager.
Churchill said
the team visited Kennewick for inspiration before it
developed the exterior appearance.
That
included reviewing the design standards the Port of Kennewick adopted for Vista
Field.
The
port’s mixed-use project will have the feel of an Italian village and
pedestrian-friendly amenities.
For
the clinic, that means a pedestrian-scale building.
While
Vista Field is informing the exterior appearance, the interior
is purely practical.
Neenan is creating
a design with change in mind.
“One
of the biggest challenges we face in this industry is future-proofing,” Churchill said.
“We
want to hand over a building that will be beautiful, efficient and useful for
50 or more years. This can be tricky given the ever-changing landscape of
technology.”
White roof, native plants
Miramar
does not have sustainability targets such as the U.S. Green Building Council’s
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, standards. But it does
have green touches.
It
meets energy code and will have white roofing materials and native plants in
the landscape.
“We
certainly consider the natural environment in each of our
projects,” Churchill said.
The
building is divided between medical practices (32 percent), administrative
and office (20 percent), future building out (20 percent), dental (12 percent),
pharmacy (5 percent) and laboratory (2 percent).
Opens in 2021
Miramar Clinic
opens in early 2021 at 6335 Rio Grande Ave., near Lawrence Scott
Park and the Kennewick Chuck E. Cheese restaurant.
Yakima
Valley Farm Workers bought the Kennewick property last spring, paying $1.9
million for the undeveloped site northwest of the now-closed Vista Field
runway.
The
project was temporarily held up by the port, which sold the land more than
a decade ago.
The
port’s commissioners considered exercising a buy-back clause to
bring it back into the Vista Field planning area.
The
move would have preempted the clinic project.
The
port backed off after learning Yakima Valley Farm Workers
intended to install a modern clinic in the neighborhood.
Miramar expects to
employ 70, including doctors, dentists and pharmacists, to serve patients.
The clinic targets the estimated 39,000
low-income Tri-Citians who are not currently served by a community health
center.
