$3.3B Construction Project Kicks Off

Inland Empire

McCarthy Building Cos. Inc. joined California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in a public ceremony on July 27 to start work on America’s first “Health and Wellness City” at the former March Air Reserve Base in Southern California. Named “March LifeCare Campus,” the 10-year, $3.3 billion construction project will become a unique “city” encompassing 246 acres, housing some 6 million square feet of health related structures including: a hospital, medical office buildings, retail, a hotel, a continuing care retirement community, wellness centers and healing gardens as well as facilities for veterans, skilled nursing, spiritual healing and ambulatory care. Gov. Schwarzenegger summed up the significance of the massive project: “This is going to become known as the ‘Mayo Clinic ‘of the West… and during construction, 12,700 construction workers will be employed. After completion, 7,200 permanent healthcare related jobs will be created.” The March LifeCare Campus project begins at a time when the Inland Empire area suffers some of the worst unemployment in the nation while experiencing a shortage in necessary healthcare, according to a prepared statement. “We’re seeing an on-going State and local community commitment to redevelop an area that is in much need of economic growth and additional healthcare capacity,” says Michael Tuohy, McCarthy’s project director for March LifeCare. At the ceremony, two heavy duty Link Belt demolition machines were ordered by the Governor to start taking down the first of over 16 structures to make way for the 1.4 million-square-foot first phase of the three phase project. McCarthy Building Cos. is the general contractor for the current $4.5 million demolition work and master builder for the programs overall construction. US Demolition Co. of Anaheim, CA began the take-down of the first building at the ceremony.