Rappahannock National Bank envisions a “professional center” including medical clinic, pharmacy and government complex
By James P. Gannon
Rappahannock National Bank’s plans for a “professional center” on its 20-acre property along Route 211 include a medical center with a pharmacy, a county government offices building, and other professional offices for attorneys, accountants, and the like, but not retail stores or fast-food restaurants, Bank President Michael T. Leake said.
In a wide-ranging interview with The Rappahannock Voice, Leake disclosed that Fauquier Health System, Inc., the parent company of Fauquier Hospital, has purchased a 4.8-acre parcel behind the bank, which is expected to become a medical center with one or more physicians, a pharmacy, and possibly offices for medical specialists. It is not yet certain which doctors may eventually set up practice in this proposed facility, or just when it may be built, however.
The bank president agreed to sit down to discuss plans for what is now called the “Rappahannock Commons Professional Center,” which was originally known as “Rappahannock Commons Commercial Center” when the county approved zoning for the 20 acres in 2002. Leake made it clear that he envisions a complex of buildings and uses that are professional in character and design, rather than commercial such as a strip mall of retail shops or restaurants.
Many people have had mistaken ideas of what the bank plans to do with the vacant property surrounding the new bank building, Leake said. “There’s been a lot of speculation since we bought the property,” he noted. “I have heard it would be a strip mall or retail center or a lot of other things that we have never envisioned.”
“My vision for the property is unchanged” from the beginning, he said. “It is to create a professional center” that could include medical facilities, government offices, professional offices, possibly a post office, a branch of a community college, or a community center, Leake explained. “We won’t have a (retail) strip center. We’re looking for professional-type of users that complement what we are doing here,” at the bank, the executive said.
Two parcels of the 20 acre complex have been sold so far. Last April, Rappahannock County purchased, for $111,672, a 1.8-acre parcel immediately behind the bank building for future use as a county offices building. John McCarthy, county administrator, said in a separate interview that this proposed government center could house two or three agencies currently in leased quarters in the town of Washington. These include the Health department, Social Services department, and the local agricultural extension office.
Current plans envision a 7,500-square-foot building, with about 3,000 square feet devoted to Social Services, another 3,000 square feet for the Health department or extension offices, plus a 1,000-square-foot meeting room, McCarthy said. But it may be three or four years from now before the building is constructed. “We are going to look to hire an architect in about two years,” the county administrator said.
Meantime, the county is accumulating a building fund to pay for the facility; the county’s current real estate tax rate of 58 cents per $100 of assessed value includes 2 cents earmarked for the cost of the new government center. This will raise about $300,000 or more per year toward the building’s expected cost of $1.5 million or more.
The other parcel of the professional center was sold in September 2005 to the parent company of Fauquier Hospital. McCarthy, who besides being county administrator is also chairman of the board of Fauquier Health System, Inc., said the purchase price was $375,000 for the 4.8 acres.
Leake said the hospital corporation bought the parcel with the idea of partnering with local physicians to build a medical center, with offices for one or more family physicians and extra offices for visiting specialists, such as an orthopedic surgeon or an ob-gyn specialist, who might spend one or two days a week in Rappahannock County. “They are in discussions with some physicians,” about setting up practice in the new clinic, the bank president said.
McCarthy, speaking in his role as board chaiman of Fauquier Health System, noted that “most people in the county go to Fauquier Hospital,” so a local Rappahannock clinic with a tie to the hospital makes sense. “We’ve got to have better medical care out here,” he commented. “We would like to work with a local physician” in a partnership at the bank’s professional center. “There’s also a lot of interest in bringing pharmacy services here” so Rappahannock residents would not have to drive to chain drug stores in surrounding counties to fill their prescriptions. Thus, the medical clinic may include a pharmacy–but not a chain drug store.
“The hospital is eager to partner with a physician, either an existing local physician or another,” to practice at the proposed medical center, McCarthy said. Discussions have been held with Dr. John McCue, who has his private practice nearby on Route 211, but no agreement has been reached. McCarthy said plans envision “some flexible space” for medical specialists who might share it on a part-time, rotating basis.
In addition to the bank, medical center and government offices, there is space in the bank’s complex for two or three other uses, Leake said. There is an open 3.7 acre lot along Schoolhouse Road, and a larger 6.6-acre parcel that fronts on Route 211 and Schoolhouse Road.
“We are not aggressively marketing the properties,” Leake commented, but “people are approaching me on a one-to-one basis.” He has rejected some overtures, including those proposing a grocery store or fast-food restaurants. “I have been approached by franchises and large retail (prospects) but it just didn’t fit our vision,” he said. “We are probably looking at two or three other uses, maximum,” Leake added.
These could include “a multi-use professional building” with offices for lawyers, accountants, insurance agents or others, “an educational building” such as a branch of a regional community college, or a post office. “I would welcome that (a post office) but I have not had any conversations with the Postal Service,” Leake said. Another possibility that Leake would welcome would be a county community center–but the financing of any such public facility would present a significant challenge to a small county such as Rappahannock, he conceded.
The Rappahannock Bank, as property owner, has placed covenants and restrictions on the site that will restrict uses and control architectural styles, building materials, landscaping and lot maintenance to insure that whatever goes on the property is “compatible” with the bank. “We want like-kind structures here,” Leake said. “Our building is sort of the model of what we want.”
Ultimately, the bank president said, he would like to see Rappahannock Commons become a kind of “one-stop” center where local residents could do their banking, see a doctor, get a prescription filled, stop at a government office, and visit a post office. Whatever happens, “we’re not going to develop something out here that is not acceptable to the community.”
-- James P. GannonComments
Comment from monira
Time: January 2, 2007, 2:57 pm
I hope more information is forthcoming about the medical services being planned in the complex around the bank. We
have 2 excellent primary care physicians in the community. We are a population of about 7200. We should act like an intelligent community and determine what medical services we should invite into our community. We should enter into a dialogue with Fauquier hospital to have an input into the process of medical services being planned for us: do we want diagnostic services, lab, xray, MRI, Cat scans?, do we want specialists?: geriatrics, pediatrics, orthopedics, etc.. how about services such as a pharmacy, what impact will this have on the practices of our 2 primary care Docs?.
Will the prices and fees be competetive? Will the phycians accept assignment including Medicare and Medicaid? Will priority in appointments be given to local full time residents rather than weekenders?
Let us participate in the process, include our two primary care physicians in the discussion; according to insurance companies including medicare, the local MD is the gatekeeper for referals.
Monira Rifaat
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