Clarian Zeroes in on Expansion into Fishers
Clarian Zeroes in on Expansion into Fishers
May 24, 2006 – Paraphrased Article from Indianapolis Star
By Bruce C. Smith
Clarian Health Partners is buying land along I-69 in Fishers, staking a claim to the future health and wellness of one of the fastest-growing communities in the country.
The state's largest health-care organization has secured nearly 95 acres under a purchase contract in Saxony, a development of homes, offices and retail at Exit 10 of I-69.
The hospital system -- which operates Methodist Hospital, Indiana University Hospital and Riley Hospital for Children -- has been expanding boldly from its Downtown roots, especially to affluent suburbs populated with well-insured people. Last year, the hospital system opened the posh Clarian North Medical Center in nearby Carmel.
One certainty is that Clarian will mesh with Saxony's carefully woven mixture of homes and businesses in a pedestrian-friendly community. Clarian would add a community-based health and wellness program.
Clarian officials said Tuesday that in the short term the Fishers development could include a fitness center, plus sports medicine, occupational medicine, imaging, outpatient medical services, a sleep center and an urgent care center.
In the long term -- perhaps decades in the making -- Clarian could add another hospital in Hamilton County.
"Initially, this (in Saxony) could be a collection of smaller buildings that culminate over time into a greater resource. All of it would be pegged to the community's growth," said Clarian Vice President William B. Stephan.
Ohio-based Republic Development is the lead developer of Saxony, a 725-acre planned community around the north and south sides of Exit 10 straddling Fishers and Noblesville. Saxony's plans include 1,300 houses, townhomes and apartments, plus 3.5 million square feet of office and industrial space and over a million feet of retailing.
Clarian administrators said they will consult the neighbors in and around Saxony. They have already started talks with Fishers' government officials about the health-care needs of the town, which has 55,000-plus residents and no full- service hospital within its borders.
Town Manager Gary Huff said: "We do not currently have a hospital, so this could fulfill that need, along with the other medical developments they are planning. This will be a fantastic development for Fishers."
He said a medical complex also could mean new well-paying jobs, a boost to the local economy, and Clarian's high standards for construction "fit the vision for a major gateway into Fishers."
