Healthy Investments Benton Drive Office Condo Project Courts the Health Care Community

A new pocket of activity in the health care sector is blooming on Benton Drive in East Longmeadow, and developers hope the property will soon become a medical destination of sorts for residents of Greater Springfield.

The parcel of land where the Benton Drive Office Condominium Complex now stands was purchased from Westmass Area Development Corp., one of the leading industrial and business-park developers in the region, by the physician-owners of Pioneer Valley Spine & Sport in 2005. Building began in 2006 with Associated Builders as the general contractor, and the centerpiece of the project, the 30,000 square foot office condominium building, was completed at the close of 2007.

It’s the first building on what is actually a five-parcel site, with the potential to accommodate four smaller buildings — two in front of the existing complex, just off Benton Drive, and two in the rear, on what is now undeveloped land. That adds up to about 40,000 square feet of additional office space.

Geoff Elia, general manager of the sports medicine outfit Pioneer Spine & Sport, said the move grew from a need for larger space that was more accessible to more people, and while he and his partners are not developers, they saw a need for versatile, health care-related space, and developed it.

“We wanted to expand in terms of space and events and programs, and in a central location,” said Elia, noting that the property is also the only space zoned for urgent care in East Longmeadow. “That allows for greater exposure to other health care professionals.”

The Center of Things

Doug Macmillan, the president of Macmillan and Son Inc., the Springfield-based firm handling sales for the condo complex, said it has indeed been positioned in the market as a medical campus, open to both businesses that perform medical services on-site, like Pioneer Spine & Sport, or require more traditional office space, such as the building’s second tenant, home care nursing provider Capuano Care.

“This is a brand-new, state-of-the-art, Class A building that we think offers a lot of benefits to the medical community,” he said, noting that the property is also only a few hundred yards from the Connecticut border and is easily accessible from a number of surrounding communities, including Longmeadow, Springfield, Hampden, Wilbraham, and Enfield, Conn.

“It’s very central, only eight minutes from I-91,” said Macmillan. “We also have the other plots available for construction based on need, and that allows us to court all types of tenants. Plus, there’s ample parking.” He added that, as a new building, the condominium has been built in accordance with the most current building and energy-efficiency standards.

“A lot of people have found value in the ability to control their own climate, for instance, and as such, their own costs,” he said. “Plus, in terms of the floor layout, energy use, and plumbing, the building is as up-to-date as it can be.”

Sales of the condominium office space in the existing building are underway now, and Macmillan said more than half of the building has been sold, with the creation of a medical campus always at the forefront of any discussions. Units can range in size, down to as few as 1,600 square feet, to accommodate smaller businesses, such as physician’s offices.

The ability to own rather than lease is another draw, especially in East Longmeadow, which has lower commercial property tax rates than many area cities. Macmillan said there are other reasons why ownership is attractive, too, such as comparatively low interest rates, flexibility (not being tied to a long lease in space that no longer suits a company’s needs), and the investment nature of commercial real-estate purchases. As the inventory of available land continues to shrink, existing real estate does indeed become more valuable.

“We’re in a desirable market, and a lot of people want to own,” said Macmillan. “The condominium concept is not a foreign one, but it is unique to this area. For many people, it offers a cost-effective partnership, as well as added equity.”

Moving Days

In addition to Capuano Care and Pioneer Spine & Sport, the Return to Work Center, an offshoot of Pioneer Spine & Sport that works with people suffering from work-related and industrial injuries, has also taken up residence, as has a physician’s office, and the MRI Center, a network of outpatient imaging facilities in New England, is in the process of moving in.

Angela Kramer, business development manager for Western Mass. with the MRI Center, said the location, security, and zoning of the building were the biggest draws for her company. As they put the final touches on their space in the complex, she’s been welcoming members of the community to its front door, including police and fire personnel who are creating emergency plans tailored to the complex and, in particular, some of the intricate and powerful equipment that it will house, especially at the MRI Center.

“This is the first medical facility like this in town,” she said, “and we’re looking at the beginning of a different kind of health care in this community. We’re working to make people aware that we’re here, and orient them to this new aspect of East Longmeadow.”