VCU Health files plans for 100,000-square-foot medical office in Chesterfield

VCU Health has filed plans to build a four-story, 100,000-square-foot medical office building on a recently acquired property near the Chesterfield courthouse. (BizSense file)

Recent filings with Chesterfield County have shed light on VCU Health’s vision for a property it recently acquired near the intersection of Iron Bridge and Beach roads.

The health system is planning to build a four-story, 100,000-square-foot medical office building on the 8.5-acre site, according to a site plan the county received this week.

The project would appear to be a relocated and enlarged version of the 60,000-square-foot outpatient surgery center and office facility that VCU Health once planned as an anchor to the Courthouse Landing development under construction just up the road.

After pulling out of Courthouse Landing, VCU Health earlier this year acquired this newer site, which consists of undeveloped land at 9820 Iron Bridge Road and 7220 Beach Road. The property is next to the Food Lion-anchored Courthouse Commons West shopping center and near the Chesterfield courthouse.

A 540-space parking lot is planned for the site. Vehicle access to the proposed facility would be on the under-construction Nash Road extension. The property also would be accessible from Iron Bridge by way of the existing Commons Square roadway.

A VCU Health spokeswoman declined to comment on the project.

VCU Health is planning to build a four-story medical office building at the corner of Iron Bridge Road and a future extension of Nash Road. (County documents)

The health system backed out of Courthouse Landing by mid-2024 due to perceived delays in the development’s construction and other issues that prompted it to seek a new location, according to filings with the state.

Courthouse Landing’s developers have since said they are on track to see some of the development’s first pieces be completed this spring, with others to kick off throughout the year.

VCU Health received regulatory approval to relocate the proposed surgical center from the state health commissioner in December. Certain medical facilities and equipment need to be approved through the state’s Certificate of Public Need regulatory process, and moving an approved project also requires state permission.

The state health commissioner’s approval letter described the new location as “Virginia Route 10 (Iron Bridge) and Commons Square.” The letter said the outpatient component of the building is expected to cost $33.4 million.

A March 24 site plan refers to the project as an “M.O.B./A.S.C.” facility, acronyms that typically refer to “medical office building” and “ambulatory surgery center,” which is a medical facility that provides surgery services that don’t require overnight stays.

The Chesterfield project moves forward as VCU Health is working on another project on land it recently acquired in Richmond. The health system earlier this month informed the state health department of its intention to build a medical facility at the former Pet Dairy facility on Robin Hood Road, which VCU Health acquired late last year.