Issaquah - A new medical campus will be constructed on the 12.5-acre parcel in Issaquah, Wash. Plans call for a comprehensive ambulatory care center, five-story medical office building and acute-care community hospital. Site preparation work began in mid-August and foundation excavation is slated to start in late January 2010, with the ambulatory care center and medical office building targeted to open in summer 2011, and the first phase of the hospital following at the end of first quarter 2012. The site and surrounding area were pre-developed by Port Blakely Communities and an expedited process for permitting is in place.

The master site plan allows for future growth as the needs of the community evolve over the next 100 years. Swedish/Issaquah is the largest and most complex health-care facility under development in Washington state. When fully operational in 2012, Swedish will create 600 to 750 new jobs for people working in the ambulatory care clinics and hospital settings.

Swedish officials also estimate the project will spur 250 to 300 construction-related jobs as well as 1,000 to 1,500 other non-hospital jobs at area businesses (i.e., retail, housing, city permitting, other contracted services, etc.). For design work on the project Swedish selected Seattle-based CollinsWoerman to provide architectural services and develop the campus master plan. Sellen Construction Co. is the general contractor. The new Issaquah Campus is being programmed to be the most energy efficient health-care complex in Washington state and one of the most energy efficient in the country.