$173MM Veterans Administration Hospital Coming to Downtown

[Tulsan]

This will replace the decrepit state offices at 3rd-6th and Houston.

https://www.tulsaworld.com/news/veterans-administration-hospital-planned-for-downtown-tulsa/article_e124bf33-b11e-55e2-a660-ea320ab4452a.html

Note that this was also addressed in the governor's proposed budget, including $5 million for staffing.

https://www.tulsaworld.com/news/governor-s-no-growth-budget-proposal-leaves-no-room-for/article_7a2fe4f1-175c-5260-9346-235089017f55.html

Other features of the governor's budget proposal include:

• Transfer of the Kerr-Edmondson state office complex in downtown Tulsa to the Oklahoma State University Regents for use as a veterans clinic. The proposal also includes almost $5 million for the OSU Medical Authority for equipment, recruitment and residency positions.

Edited to correct the amount to be spent.

[DTowner]

The funding is in the Trump Administration's proposed budget, so it is not a done deal.  Nonetheless, it is a good sign that something positive could happen on that side of downtown.

[DowntownDan]

I wonder where the workers' comp courts and other state offices will go. Would there be room in the new county building across from the courthouse to lease to the state?

[Tulsan]

I wonder where the workers' comp courts and other state offices will go. Would there be room in the new county building across from the courthouse to lease to the state?

Wondering same thing. Maybe the courts stay downtown but the other services go somewhere with cheaper rent and more parking? Or could they build a new state offices complex?

[ComeOnBenjals]

Hopefully this gets going fairly quickly ( in government terms). That area of Downtown could certainly use a face lift. With the Tulsa County building renovation underway, it could look a lot better in a couple years.

[SXSW]

This will be a major shot in the arm (pun intended) for OSU Medical Center and this whole part of downtown.  Hopefully this leads to additional development at OSU as well so the whole area can be more of a "medical district".  

Now we just need a new federal building so Page Belcher can be demolished and a new convention center hotel built on that site.  Maybe there could be a combined federal/state office building built in that vicinity.

[DTowner]

In one of the local TV news stories last night, it said the exterior of the building would be kept, but that it would be gutted and renovated inside.
 
I hope all the state employees working there now are relocated to other spots downtown, but I'm not sure the amount/quality of space necessary is available at the this time. Given the budget, I doubt the state will build a new building anywhere, much less somewhere downtown.

[swake]

At least part of the employees look to be moving to the 201 Executive Center at 5th and Denver

State Land Office working to purchase downtown Tulsa office building
https://tulsaworld.com/business/local/state-land-office-working-to-purchase-downtown-tulsa-office-building/article_02b175e8-3bca-11eb-a4a9-2b355385667c.html

The Commissioners of the Land Office approved five land transactions Thursday designed to help fund an office building in Tulsa.

The commissioners voted Oct. 8 to authorize Commissioners of the Land Office  Secretary Elliot Chambers to spend up to $9 million — or the appraised value, whichever is lower for the purchase of 201 W. Fifth St. and/or 419 S. Denver Ave. in Tulsa, along with any associated acquisition costs, exchange properties and cash, if necessary.

The West Fifth Street property, also known as the 201 Executive Center, is listed as 82,354 square feet with 138 parking spaces.

[Tulsan]

https://news.okstate.edu/articles/communications/2020/new_veterans_hospital_in_tulsa.html

First announced in February 2020 as part of the Fiscal Year 2021 President's Budget submitted to Congress, the $120 million federal appropriation to build a new veterans hospital in Tulsa was approved by Congress on Dec. 21 and signed into law by President Trump yesterday. The project, Veterans Hospital in Tulsa (VHiT), is the work of a collaboration among the federal government, state of Oklahoma, city of Tulsa, private philanthropy, and Oklahoma State University.

The new veterans hospital will be located in downtown Tulsa at 7th and Houston on the expanded OSU Medical Center Campus. The effort will convert the existing Kerr-Edmondson Buildings on the site into a modern 275,000 square-foot, 58-bed medical-surgical hospital for veterans. The partially occupied Kerr-Edmondson Buildings have been owned​ by the state of Oklahoma and are being transferred to OSU/A&M Regents by the state for the purpose of the hospital project.

Dr. Kayse Shrum, president of the OSU Center for Health Sciences, said making sure our veterans receive the very best care is the least that can be done to honor them for their service.

"Our Veterans in northeast Oklahoma deserve a much-needed, easily accessible modern medical center where they can receive quality, compassionate care in a timely manner. For OSU-CHS, it's been a great privilege to be part of this visionary project," she said. "While caring for veterans is a top priority, the affiliation with the Veteran Affairs Hospital near our Tulsa campus will benefit our students and residents tremendously and further enhance our medical school nationally. Many physicians in practice today benefited from training at a Veteran Affairs hospital. After years of hard work and relentless determination by many civic leaders in Tulsa and local, state, and federal elected officials, we have achieved one of the most significant milestones, the funding for this project. We look forward to the start of construction and the completion of the project."

This is a unique opportunity to secure a large and important veteran resource, operated by the VA, but developed by and for the local community. The proximity to OSU's academic healthcare facilities will support a number of opportunities for collaboration, joint physician appointments, increased medical residencies, and shared services, all of which will improve ease and efficiency for veterans.

Oklahoma's United States Senators James Inhofe and James Lankford along with U.S. Representatives Markwayne Mullin and Kevin Hern, each strongly supported the original application for the new veterans hospital project and led the effort to prioritize this project for Oklahoma's veterans.

"This project is special to Oklahoma State University," said Burns Hargis, president of OSU. "We have great respect for the women and men who have served and are serving our country in defense of liberty and the pursuit of peace. We enjoy a longstanding relationship with the military, proudly graduating many students who become leaders in our armed forces. The approval of the federal funding for this project represents a significant achievement and step forward in reaching our shared goal to provide our veterans in northeast Oklahoma with an exceptional medical facility to care for them. We also appreciate the generosity of The Zarrow Family Foundations.  Without their unwavering support, this project would never have proceeded. Lastly, I recognize the leadership of Dr. Kayse Shrum, president of the OSU-Center for Health Sciences, for her visionary leadership in bringing this project forward." 

More than two-thirds of the 47,000 veterans who receive services at the current Jack C. Montgomery Medical Center in Muskogee come from the Tulsa metro area. Of the 115,400-plus veterans in the Eastern Oklahoma VA area, approximately 68% are closer to Tulsa than to Muskogee, leading planners to estimate the new hospital could serve up to 30% (or 14,000) more veterans annually.

The Eastern Oklahoma VA Healthcare System has initiated plans to convert the Jack C. Montgomery Medical Center in Muskogee ​into a much-needed regional facility for behavioral health, rehabilitation, and potentially long-term care for veterans in Oklahoma and surrounding states.

The total cost of construction for the Veterans Hospital in Tulsa is estimated at $130 million, funded by the $120 million appropriation and $10 million in philanthropic support. The state of Oklahoma has finalized transfer of the Kerr-Edmondson property valued at $35 million, and the city of Tulsa has committed $8 million toward a parking garage for the veterans hospital. 

The collaborative, community-driven project is made possible by the Congressional CHIP-IN for Veterans Act of 2016 (Communities Helping Invest through Properties and Improvements Needed for Veterans). The act allows local communities to serve as developers for healthcare facilities that are stated VA priorities.

The strategic CHIP-IN partnerships such as the one formed in Tulsa allows the Veteran Administration a pathway to build facilities more efficiently and quickly than traditional approaches. Local communities are in a better position to identify the most advantageous site, ensure service collaboration, and better oversee construction costs and deadlines in their local markets.

Construction is slated to be completed and turned over to the VA for outfitting by late 2023 and open to patients in late 2024.

[SXSW]

Hopefully the beginning of a medical district that can continue to expand in this part of downtown.

[Oil Capital]

Hopefully the beginning of a medical district that can continue to expand in this part of downtown.

Yes, very good news for Tulsa and downtown.

[buffalodan]

There are some pretty good sized tress on the southern side of that property. Between the state building and OSU. I hope they are able to keep them. For as many trees as they are showing in the area it would suck to tear out the three largest tress along that block.

[SXSW]

There are some pretty good sized tress on the southern side of that property. Between the state building and OSU. I hope they are able to keep them. For as many trees as they are showing in the area it would suck to tear out the three largest tress along that block.

Agree though I wouldn't mind seeing one of them go if it meant a new building on the parking lot at 7th & Houston.  Lots of opportunity to expand this hospital and OSU Medical Center across the street.

[DowntownDan]

OSU posted an announcement today of groundbreaking for this facility. I've seen no update to the purchase of buildings to move the workers' compensation court and other state offices. I assume the groundbreaking is on the OSU Med side, but I doubt this can move very fast if they are still looking for new space which would likely also need significant modifications.

[SXSW]

Is the groundbreaking for the remodel of the existing state office complex or the new parking garage?  My understanding is that the garage will be at 7th & Houston, shown in that rendering connecting to the new hospital by a sky bridge over 7th St.

I'm curious as well where the state offices will be moved to or if they will build a new building somewhere else downtown.