PALM COAST — A brand-new physical rehabilitation clinic, expected to bring more than 100 jobs to the city, is coming to State Road 100.
The City Council July 21 unanimously approved the sale of 8.5 acres in the Whispering Pines area, adjacent to the A.K. Tires shop, for $1.7 million, around $250,000 less than the appraised value, according to staff.
The buyer, Sanders Trust LLC, plans to “to develop a physical rehabilitative medical facility to be operated as the ClearSky Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Palm Coast,” according to a city staff memo.
The $31 million project would bring a 36-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital to the area, with a staff of more than 100 people, between physicians, nurses, therapists, administrative staff, support personnel and facilities maintenance.
“We all know, either through ourselves or through friends, of someone who has had to travel outside of Palm Coast for specialized medical services,” said Craig McKinney, the city’s economic development manager. “(The facility) will reduce the need for residents to travel.”
Additionally, the land is located within the city’s State Road 100 Community Redevelopment Area (or CRA), which will benefit from the facility’s projected property tax revenue — approximately $182,000 between county and city taxes.
What kind of physical rehab facility is coming to State Road 100 in Palm Coast?
According to ClearSky Health’s website, the company’s facilities “offer specialized care to patients living with disabling injuries or illnesses caused by strokes, brain injuries, hip fractures, spinal injuries, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, or medically-complex conditions.”
The more than 100 estimated at the facility will have an average annual salary of $75,000, according to staff. ClearSky Health has 16 locations nationwide, with two in Florida (Lecanto and Lake City).
The Sanders Trust will lease the building to ClearSky Health for the next 20 years, according to McKinney.
Council sees long-term benefits of land sale to CRA
Part of the deal also includes the private sale of a home located within the 8.5-acre parcel.
“The remaining parcel within this area is owned by the Estate of Marguerite K. Bushnell,” and the city’s sale is contingent upon the separate sale of the home, according to staff.
According to Land Management Administrator Virginia Smith, the buyer has agreed to “provide moving expenses to the tenant that is in that home.”
Mayor Mike Norris said he is “not comfortable with us taking a loss like that on that property, but the only saving grace to me is the fulltime employees, bringing jobs to the community.”
Councilman Ty Miller praised the effort, saying it in part accomplishes the CRA’s goal of removing blighted areas along State Road 100.
“But also, too, it’s going to generate not just city taxes, but county taxes that go into the CRA and can be reused for more things like this,” Miller said.
— Brenno Carillo is a local government reporter covering Flagler County, including Palm Coast and Flagler Beach, for The Daytona Beach News-Journal.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: 36-bed physical rehab facility should bring 100 jobs to Palm Coast
Reporting by Brenno Carillo, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Brenno Carillo, Daytona Beach News-Journal | USA TODAY Network
