VA breaks ground 112,000-sq-ft clinic

The Department of Veterans Affairs broke ground on July 8 for a new outpatient clinic in South Salt Lake that officials say will expand access to care for veterans across northern Utah. The facility will total about 112,000 square feet and rise at 3711 S. State Street, according to the VA Salt Lake City Health Care System. VA officials said the project is intended to relieve space constraints at existing facilities and shift some of the system’s most-used services closer to where veterans live. The new clinic is expected to house about 168 staff and provide primary care, mental health, women’s health, pharmacy, pathology and laboratory medicine, and whole health services, the VA said. Primary care and women’s health services now offered at the George E. Wahlen Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center are planned to move to the new site, easing demand on the main medical center campus. (va.gov) ### Where exactly is the clinic going? The site is at 3711 S. State Street in South Salt Lake, near 37th South and State Street, according to the VA and KSL. City planning records reviewed in June described the project area as an 8.14-acre parcel created by consolidating seven lots in the city’s Commercial Corridor zone. (va.gov) South Salt Lake’s Planning Commission approved the preliminary subdivision plat in June after reviewing traffic and access questions tied to the project. Building Salt Lake reported that the subdivision approval was the main city entitlement needed because medical offices are a permitted use in that zone. (va.gov) ### What care will move there? VA Salt Lake City said the clinic will consolidate outpatient services now split across existing facilities. The agency said primary care and women’s health services currently provided at the George E. Wahlen VA Medical Center are planned to relocate, while the new building will also include mental health, pharmacy, pathology and laboratory medicine, and whole health services. (buildingsaltlake.com) Dr. Angela D. Williams, executive director of the VA Salt Lake City Health Care System, said in a release that the project would bring “many of our most frequently used health care services” closer to veterans’ homes. Williams said the move would also create additional capacity for specialty services at the medical center. (va.gov) ### How big is the project on the ground? The building is planned at roughly 112,000 square feet, with city documents listing 112,595 square feet, and will include about 600 parking spaces. Those spaces are split between a parking structure with 362 stalls and a surface lot with 238 stalls, according to planning documents cited by Building Salt Lake. (va.gov) Bruce Moore of Perkins Eastman told the planning commission in June that the clinic is designed as a primary care hub for veterans in the area and would contain about 90 exam or consultation rooms. Moore said the plans also include a dedicated women’s clinic, telehealth areas, a large laboratory and phlebotomy area, and a “very robust” outpatient pharmacy. (va.gov) ### Who is building it, and when will it open? The VA said Las Vegas-based Molasky Development is the developer and Layton Construction is the builder for the South Salt Lake clinic. Perkins Eastman is the architect, according to city planning coverage published before the groundbreaking. Construction is expected to be completed in late 2028, with the clinic opening shortly after, KSL reported, citing VA leaders at the groundbreaking. (buildingsaltlake.com) The VA said the project team will deliver a facility intended to serve veterans in the region for years to come. (va.gov)