$100M medical and retail campus proposed in Poconos

Parkside Medical Campus would be anchored by a 15,000-square-foot outpatient micro-hospital that would be built with other medical offices, retail and restaurants on 22 acres in the New Ventures Commercial Park in Blakeslee.

The mixed-use office park at Parkside Avenue and Commercial Boulevard is visible from Route 115 and Interstate 80 at exit 284.

The buildings would total 140,000 square feet on four subdivided lots, but the campus could accommodate additional office buildings, flex space and a multi-tenant retail service plaza, said Shawn Langen, president Langen Development Economics, based in Easton.

The project is being developed as a partnership between Langen, Side Corp., of Blakeslee, and Tobyhanna Township.

While the micro-hospital does not yet have a tenant, Langen said he has spoken to three regional health care networks, plus two others in Pennsylvania that are not yet in the northern Pocono region.

Langen has held discussions with two national developers of micro-hospitals, including one that owns and operates them and another that partners with health care networks.

Langen said the micro-hospital and medical providers that would have offices on the campus would fill a need for residents in the area who need health care services that are closer and more convenient. Residents would not need to drive to either Lehigh Valley Hospital-Pocono in East Stroudsburg or Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in Wilkes-Barre for health care services that don’t require hospitalization.

The outpatient center would be an easy drive, Langen said.

About 347,000 people live within a 25-mile radius of the medical campus. The population skews older, with 66 percent 45 or older.

“From a demographics standpoint, it’s pretty much ideal,” Langen said.

John J. Jablowski Jr., manager of Tobyhanna Township, said having a micro-hospital on an innovative campus that’s a blend of health care with a retail and dining experience provides a regional benefit to northeast Pennsylvania and the Pocono region.

“It’s one-stop shopping for all your health care needs in a very relaxed atmosphere,” he said.

Jablowski said the township’s involvement in the project gives the municipality a voice in “thoughtful development” from “concept to groundbreaking.”

“We want to grow, not just grow, but to grow in a thoughtful manner,” he said.

By being involved from the outset, the township gets “the look and feel we want” in the plan, Jablowski said.

Side Corp. developed the New Ventures Commercial Park, which includes American Tire Distributors, a 1-million-square-foot logistics warehouse that was recently built, the Liberty Travel Center and a restaurant.

The proposed medical and retail campus would be the final phase of development in the commercial park.

The plan still requires approval, but has been presented to the Tobyhanna planning commission and board of supervisors.