SAN MARCOS: Kaiser Gets O.K. For New Facility
Kaiser Permanente's long-delayed plans to build a facility in San Marcos have been resurrected, albeit in a slightly scaled- back form. A Kaiser proposal to build a 700,000 square foot- complex, down from 1.3 million square feet, was approved Monday by the city Planning Commission. The plan consists of a $9 million, 40,000 square-foot office complex, to be completed in summer of 2000, followed by a four-building, 120,000 square-foot medical building, then a 540,000 square-foot building. Kaiser spokesperson Jim McBride said, "The economy kind of went south there for a while, but it is back now where we feel we can proceed. We don't have plans anymore to build a hospital, primarily because in recent years there has been a change in the health-care industry to provide more in the form of outpatient treatment rather than long stays in hospitals. But, we never want to say never as far as building a hospital there." He said Kaiser's expansion is driven by recent membership gains, noting that enrollment increased by 35,000 last year, to 500,000, and the HMO should add another 15,000 members this year (Berhman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5/5).
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