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The West Valley City-backed renewal project known as Fairbourne Station near City Hall is getting a booster shot from a major medical employer.
Granger Medical Clinic will announce Wednesday that it plans to construct a $25 million, four-story office building at Fairbourne, covering 4 acres at 3500 S. Holmberg St. (2970 West).
To be completed in late 2018, the 90,000-square-foot facility, with a curved-glass facade, will house at least 60 health care providers and support staff, offering a full range of medical services, including family medicine and urgent care.
Top city officials and Granger Medical executives will break ground Wednesday in an official ceremony at the future building site.
City Manager Wayne Pyle said Tuesday that, in addition to huge benefits to the city's economy, Granger Medical's presence will improve access to health care for city residents and others in nearby communities.
"This is a coup for us," Pyle said.
Granger Medical, one of the Salt Lake Valley's largest independent health care groups, was founded in 1954 in Granger, a precursor community to West Valley City, which incorporated in 1980.
Citing challenges the city sometimes has faced in recruiting professional employers, Pyle praised company officials for "a real sense of ownership and commitment to their hometown."
Years in negotiation, the announcement is also good news for officials involved with Fairbourne Station, West Valley City's 4-year-old experiment with urban revitalization.
Planned and built starting in 2011 along with the Utah Transit Authority's West Valley Central Station, Fairbourne is a 40-acre redevelopment project meant to remake and energize the city center.
The transit-oriented development is intended to blend access to light rail with residential, retail and offices, open spaces and an Embassy Suites hotel — all anchored by City Hall, a Salt Lake County library branch and police and court offices.
The project, backed by West Valley City's Redevelopment Agency, eventually could add nearly 200,000 square feet of commercial space to Utah's second city, along with about 1,000 apartments.
Pyle said the city completed the assembly of available land for the Granger Medical facility in recent months.
The building will involve several street realignments and upgrades to city utilities such as electricity, sewer and water.
Granger Medical CEO David Tanner said the company chose Fairbourne due to its central location in West Valley City, as well as its proximity to TRAX, the Valley Fair Mall and Interstate 215.
Founded by two doctors, physician-owned and -managed Granger Medical has doubled in size in the past two years, Tanner said. The new building at Fairbourne will help it consolidate staff from offices across the region and serve as the company's flagship.
"It really is a great place for us," Tanner said of Fairbourne.
Twitter: @TonySemerad