Park Central development to play key role in development of bioscience hub
Staff Reports | Digital Free Press
In last week’s state-of-the-city address, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego named the Park Central development and sectors of midtown Phoenix designated as the next bioscience hub of the Valley of the Sun.
The area will be reborn with new preferred nomenclature coined, “Phoenix Medical Quarter, Global Advancement of Health and Education,” officials close to the matter say.
The designation recognizes the influx of healthcare, bioscience and education into the midtown region in general and Park Central specifically, and along with the city’s other two bioscience hubs — ‘Phoenix Bioscience Core and Discovery Oasis’ — forming a “healthcare triangle” of research.
“I am proud that our city is home to the Phoenix Medical Quarter. Phoenix is an emerging bioscience market and we are consistently number one in life science job growth. This is good news for people who live in our city, who want the best possible health care,” said Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego.
“Healthcare education, life sciences and research are crucial and the impact and leadership of the Phoenix Medical Quarter will accelerate the work that is already happening in the region.”
In the past few years, several significant bioscience, healthcare and education initiatives have come to fruition in the central city, including:
- The new Virginia G. Piper Creighton University Health Sciences Campus at Park Central, where more than 900 people annually are educated to become doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals. Creighton’s Phoenix campus opened in 2021, offering students almost 200,000 square feet of state-of-the-art learning environments including simulation space. In the school’s nine labs, learners gain hands-on experience with standardized patients, home care environments and more.
- Significant expansion on the Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center campus, by Barrow Neurological Institute. Barrow, one of the top 15 neuroscience hospitals in the world, has officially opened the state-of-the-art Barrow Neuroplex. On the heels of this, they will soon be opening the new global headquarters for the Ivy Brain Tumor Center and are also planning to build an innovative new research laboratory at Park Central.
- An influx of bioscience, healthcare and education entities, including the WearTech Applied Research Center and RadNet imaging clinic at Park Central, Alliant School of Nursing, WCUI Smith Chason, DMG Children’s Rehabilitative Services and several others at Park Central.
Park Central development to play key role in development of bioscience hub
As part of the designation, Phoenix City Hall is working on a reinvention of 3rd Avenue to pull together Park Central, St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center and Barrow Neurological Institute to create a dynamic corridor to promote the advancement of bioscience.
Third Avenue, municipal officials close to the matter say, will feature shaded walkways, integration of art, and a safe environment for students, faculty, researchers, clinicians, and most importantly patients and their families, while assuring vehicular access to Barrow, St. Joseph’s and Park Central.
“The Phoenix Medical Quarter is exactly what our community needs. There has been tremendous growth at Park Central with the variety of healthcare education, technology development and centers for care and the advancements at Barrow Neurological Center and Dignity that it only seems natural for this area to become a Bioscience Hub that is connected and creates an environment that fosters innovation,” said Phoenix City Council District 4 Councilmember Laura Pastor.
Sharon Harper, chairman and CEO of Plaza Companies offered sentiments of gratitude following news coming out of last week’s state-of-the-city address.
“We are very pleased to receive this designation and excited about the impact it will have on healthcare in our community,” She said. “The focus on bioscience will save lives, create jobs and help continue the rapid revitalization we’re seeing at Park Central and in midtown Phoenix.”
Dr. Michael T. Lawton, Barrow president and CEO, has announced the Institute is embarking on another research initiative that will provide renewed hope to patients by exploring the greatest frontier in neuroscience—the mysteries of the mind.
This initiative will include a research-centric building at Park Central as part of the Phoenix Medical Quarter, where clinicians and scientists will focus on “opening minds and saving lives” through regenerative neuroscience, robotics, brain-computer interfaces, and other next-generation technologies.
“The Phoenix Medical Quarter will be known as a place of innovation and advancement of the medical field, and it is the perfect region for Barrow to continue to expand as we look to explore the mysteries of the mind,” he said.
The new Park Central includes 500,000 square feet of Class A creative office and retail space available for lease with the ability to accommodate tenants ranging from 3,500 square feet to more than 100,000 square feet in size.
