Westover Hills will be the site of San Antonio’s latest VA outpatient clinic, providing a wide range of health care services for veterans.
Construction began in April on a VA outpatient clinic at two previously undeveloped parcels of land totaling just over 24 acres along State Highway 151 and Rogers Road. The clinic is expected to be completed in early 2022.
The Department of Veterans Affairs announced in October 2018 it had signed leases for new facilities in 13 cities in eight states and Puerto Rico in order “to improve access to care and deliver health care facilities to veterans.” The San Antonio lease was awarded to US Federal Properties Company, which is located in Kansas City, Missouri.
The announcement listed San Antonio as one of three sites in Texas, including Houston and Lubbock. There are 11 VA outpatient clinics in the San Antonio and the region that are part of the South Texas Veterans Health Care System.
A spokesman for the VA said in an email to the Rivard Report that the community-based outpatient clinic will cover more than 190,000 square feet and include 1,526 parking spaces. It will provide a centralized location for coordinated health care services in primary care, mental health, specialty care, consolidated medical-surgical specialties, diagnostic services, dental, eye care, women’s health, radiology, and pharmacy.
“The VA is committed to providing high-quality care and increasing access to care to the veterans of the greater San Antonio area,” the VA spokesman stated.
San Antonio developer Marty Wender, who serves on the architectural control committee of Westover Hills, confirmed that construction documents for a building at that location have been submitted and approved by the committee.
Tax records show the parcel is owned by San Antonio VA LLC, which shares an address with Kansas City-based CBC Real Estate Group, which developed a VA outpatient clinic in Mobile, Alabama, and other federal properties. A phone message left for CBC Principal Dan Carr was not returned in time for publication.
The start date of the 20-year lease of the Westover Hills property could not be confirmed. But the VA committed to paying nearly $6 million for the first year of the lease, and over $8 million in subsequent years.
“These awards are the next step in increasing access for our veterans across the country,” stated VA Secretary Robert Wilkie last September. “VA stands firm in ensuring our veterans are treated in state-of-the-art facilities and continue to access the high quality of care VA is able to provide.”
The VA’s statement said it is working to better align the VA’s lease procurement processes with those of the private sector and other federal agencies, with an emphasis on increased competition, cost savings, and speed to market.
