New medical office building planned near Scott’s Addition

A new medical office for a Fresenius Kidney Care Center is slated for 3407 W. Broad St. near Scott’s Addition. (Fultz & Singh)

As it pads its portfolio with a property purchase in Manchester, a local development group is preparing to move forward with a new office project near Scott’s Addition.

Thalhimer Realty Partners, the investment and redevelopment arm of Cushman & Wakefield | Thalhimer, filed plans with the city’s planning division to construct a two-story, 8,500-square-foot building that would house a Fresenius Kidney Care Center at 3407 W. Broad St.

TRP purchased the 0.6-acre property at the corner of Broad and North Thompson streets in July 2018 for $831,000, city property records show.

Thalhimer Realty Partners purchased the property last July. (BizSense file photo)

Preliminary plans filed Aug. 30 call for the existing one-story structure, which previously housed an auto insurance office, to be razed and replaced. Much of the clinic would occupy about 8,000 square feet on the first level of the building with several dialysis stations, a lobby area, nurse stations, offices and a conference room. The second level would include a 530-square-foot office.

An employee-only entrance would front Broad Street, according to site plans, while a patient entrance is planned along Thompson Street. Much of the facility’s 36 parking spaces would be located on the east and south sides of the property.

Fresenius Kidney Care, a division of Fresenius Medical Care, based in Germany, provides kidney dialysis through a network of more than 2,000 clinics across the U.S., including seven centers in metro Richmond. The company could not be reached for comment about the project.

Restrictive site

Fronting Broad Street along the Pulse rapid transit bus line, the property was rezoned TOD-1, or “transit-oriented nodal district,” a couple years ago. The zoning designation was created to entice developers to construct taller, midrise development along the Boulevard, Myers Street and Broad Street corridors that border Scott’s Addition to the east and south.

TRP principal Jason Guillot said the firm envisioned a denser office project on the site when it purchased the property last year. But limited street parking, existing power lines, and the lot’s size and shape made it difficult to add height and width to the development — forcing the group to scale back its desired density, he said.

Guillot said Fresenius is entering into a long-term lease to operate on the site once the building is constructed. Construction could begin during the first quarter of 2020, Guillot said. He did not disclose a project cost.

Fultz & Singh Architects designed the building, while Richmond-based Gradient PC is listed as the project’s civil engineer. Midlothian-based Leipertz Construction is the general contractor.

Thalhimer Reality Partners purchased the the building at 515 Hull St. as part of its City View Landing development in Manchester. (J. Elias O’Neal)

The project adds to TRP’s growing list of developments around the city, including at its City View Landing development underway along Hull Street in Manchester.

As part of its $25 million expansion of that development, which includes 161 apartments and 13,300 square feet of ground-level commercial space, TRP recently acquired a one-story, nearly 4,000-square foot building at 515 Hull St. for $775,000, according to city property records.

The transaction was recorded Sept. 23. The vacant building at one time housed Big River Advertising.

TRP principal Drew Wiltshire said the firm plans to change the existing facade of the building to match the architectural style being incorporated into the other buildings under construction in City View Landing. Once completed, Wiltshire said the firm plans to lease the space to an office tenant.