City News
Mayo Clinic Purchases a 228-acre Land Parcel in North Phoenix to Develop a Biotechnology Corridor By Jim McVeigh, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs Photos Courtesy of Mayo Clinic MAYO CLINIC HAS ACQUIRED 228 ACRES OF LAND ADJACENT TO ITS CAMPUS IN NORTH PHOENIX, SECURING THE ABILITY TO EXPAND ITS PATIENT-CENTERED MODEL OF CARE AND PAVING THE WAY TO DEVELOP A TRANSFORMATIVE BIOTECHNOLOGY CORRIDOR. The L-shaped parcel wraps around the existing Mayo Clinic Hospital campus and the Arizona State University Health Futures Center. The parcel extends from 56th Street to 64th Street, south of State Route 101. It was purchased from the Arizona State Land Department at a public auction in December 2021. Developing this area of North Phoenix to support Mayo
Clinic’s strategic vision and the “Discovery Oasis” biotechnology corridor has been a long-standing goal of Mayo Clinic, the City of Phoenix, the State of Arizona, and Arizona State University. The concept furthers Mayo’s mission of addressing humanity’s most serious and complex medical challenges while fueling local and state economic growth. Biotechnology collaborators will be invited to colocate in what is expected to become a dynamic corridor for advancing novel medical and health care solutions. “Leading in the transformation of health care on behalf of patients everywhere is central to Mayo Clinic’s strategy. We believe the acquisition of this land is one of these opportunities, giving us a new canvas to co-create with innovators in science and biotechnology,” says Gianrico Farrugia, M.D., CEO for Mayo Clinic. “Mayo Clinic will use a portion of the land for continued expansion of our Phoenix campus and our patient-centered model of care,” explains Richard Gray, M.D., CEO for Mayo Clinic in Arizona. “But we also have a new opportunity to vision a biotech corridor, anchored by Mayo Clinic, where we invite collaborators to join us in pushing past the existing boundaries in medicine and health care. Discovery Oasis will be fertile ground in the desert, where new ideas can move rapidly from science to patient care solutions to biomanufacturing and broad application.” Mayo Clinic’s purchase of the site for $139 million will benefit Arizona State Land Department beneficiaries,
including state K-12 education. This commitment to education will be extended by land use that enriches the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine, The Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, and the Mayo Clinic and Arizona State University Alliance for Health Care. Mayo Clinic in Arizona is in the process of adding 1.6 million square feet to the Phoenix hospital campus as part of the “Arizona. Bold. Forward.” project — one of the largest capital expansions in the history of Mayo Clinic. By the close of 2023, through the generous support of benefactor funding, nearly 100 new patient beds will be added, as well as outpatient, education, and research spaces. Plans call for adding 100 more patient beds by 2030.
Crews Complete All Major Work on Loop 101 Widening Project New lanes, improvements finished along 13 miles of Pima Freeway Photo Courtesy of Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) THE FINAL MAJOR COMPONENTS OF THE LOOP 101 IMPROVEMENT PROJECT IN THE NORTH VALLEY HAVE BEEN COMPLETED FOLLOWING THE LAST SCHEDULED FULL WEEKEND CLOSURE FOR LANE-MARKING WORK, ACCORDING TO THE ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (ADOT). ADOT’s $185 million project, which started in January 2019, has added a fourth regular (general purpose) lane in each direction along 13 miles of Loop 101. Drivers have already been experiencing improved traffic flow along the wider freeway for several months while crews focused attention on other necessary work such as
interchange enhancements, the addition of permanent, easier-to-see lane stripes, and the sealing of concrete deck joints. Other improvements added during the Loop 101 project include: • Wider bridges above cross streets, the Central Arizona Project canal and area washes. • A new Loop 101 overpass above the city of Scottsdale’s planned Miller Road extension. • New freeway lighting and signs. • Noise barriers in areas where they are warranted. • New landscaping in several areas. • On- and off-ramps at interchanges reconstructed to fit the profile of the wider freeway.
4 • February 2022 • THE SCOTTSDALE STANDARD
As with other freeway construction projects, crews will oversee a required landscape establishment period and take care of any other minor work. Drivers are asked to continue to stay alert for workers or equipment in the area.
The Loop 101 Improvement Project has been funded as part of the Regional Transportation Plan for the Maricopa County region. Projects in the plan are funded in part by Proposition 400, a dedicated half-cent sales tax approved by Maricopa County voters in 2004. myhyperlocalnews.com
