The future is NOW: Trinity cleared to move ahead with relocation

Over the past five years, the message in the windows has been a staple sight for U.S. 280 drivers. But by the close of 2015, “NOW” in lights will be just a memory.

As of last month, the message has already been changed. Trinity on 280 is all systems go.

In May, the Alabama Supreme Court decided not to hear cases filed by Brookwood Medical Services, Inc. and St. Vincent’s Hospital against Trinity Medical Center of Birmingham. After more than four years of court battles, there are no more hurdles to clear.

“We are absolutely ecstatic for the future,” Trinity CEO Keith Granger said. “Clearly, we look forward to the opportunity to serve one of the fastest growing areas of the state.”

The decision means Trinity is allowed to move forward with plans to relocate from its facility on Montclair Road to the unfinished HealthSouth Corp. building in the Cahaba Center at Grandview. The 1 million-square-foot building was sold to Daniel Corp. in 2008, and Trinity Medical has sought to locate its operation there since then.

Granger said Trinity would begin construction at its new site by the end of the summer. Work to complete the building, Granger said, would cost approximately $280 million (Editor's note: corrected from "$80 million.")

Trinity has selected Brasfield & Gorrie, in strategic partnership with A.G. Gaston, to serve as construction managers for completion of the hospital. Brasfield & Gorrie served as general contractor on the hospital’s original construction more than 10 years ago.

Currently, the hospital has portions that are move-in ready. Some patient rooms and parts of the intensive care unit are complete. However, much of the structure is only framed and will need extensive work. Granger said construction on the building could be completed in approximately two years.

Coinciding with construction of the hospital, Trinity also plans to construct an office building and parking deck at the site. Granger said all three projects would be coordinated along a similar timeline.

The relocation is projected to launch substantial economic growth in the area. According to a 2008 study conducted by economist Keivan Deravi, Ph.D., a professor at Auburn University of Montgomery, activities related to the first year of construction and operations are expected to generate approximately 4,000 jobs, $126 million in job earnings and more than $3.1 million in tax revenues.

Deravi’s study goes on to list projections based on massive development on the Grandview campus. Within the first three years following the beginning of construction, he projected an economic impact of more than $881 million for the area. However, he said those numbers hinged on whether Trinity Medical and Daniel Corp. completed their plans for “two adjacent medical office buildings, two hotels, numerous retail operations, an office building and four parking decks.”

Calls placed to Daniel Corp. Vice-President Jim Adams, a company spokesperson, were not returned by deadline. However, Daniel Corp. indicated previously that its plans did include growing the campus to include hotels, retail and even a residential section over the next two decades.

“I was very careful to say those numbers were predicated on Trinity,” Deravi said. “The whole area was built with the purpose of having a hospital as an anchor, and given that an anchor will be created, there’s no question of economic drive. That’s a prime commercial area. It’s high traffic, and that building is a high prize in an area of high visibility.”

Overall, Deravi’s study indicates total municipal, county and school tax collection over a 15-year period could reach more than $227 million. Trinity projects that when development is complete, an estimated 5,500 people could be employed at Grandview, creating approximately $405 million in annual earnings for the region.

“That hospital, from the time it was built, was an amazing building,” Deravi said. “It was a purpose-built facility. It could not have been converted to a bank, a construction company’s headquarters or a mall. It was always a hospital, and that the best – if not the only – use for that building.”

Deravi said when he performed the study, which was included in Trinity’s application to the State Health Planning and Development Agency for a Certificate of Need, he used figures that indicated the economy had rebounded from the 2008 economic crisis. In the study, Deravi anticipated work would begin in 2013-2014, and Granger said because of this Trinity was not adjusting the projections.

“Any retail in and around that area will be benefitted because of our decision,” Granger said. “It becomes a domino effect. When one business sees success in an area, it attracts more customers and other businesses grow with it.”

Stephen Preston, vice president of external affairs at Brookwood Medical Center, said his hospital respects the court’s decision but remains committed to its proposed freestanding emergency department to be built near the intersection of U.S. 280 and Alabama Highway 119.

“We call on Trinity Medical Center to walk its talk by dropping their long-standing opposition to this life-saving emergency care solution on Highway 280,” Preston said.