The 340,000-square-foot UCHealth hospital being built in Highlands Ranch's Central Park development, will include 77-beds, a Level III trauma center, primary care, operating rooms, advanced cardiac services, a 24-hour outpatient pharmacy, along with specialized focus on oncology, orthopedic and women's services.
In addition to the main building there will be a healing garden for patients, a medical office building, parking decks and space for expansion.
This new hospital broke ground in January and according to UCHealth officials, is expected to be completed in January 2019. The building will cover the southeast portion of the 100-acre Central Park development, owned by Shea Properties. The development is bordered by Lucent Blvd. on the west, Plaza Dr. to the north, Barrons Blvd. to the east and Town Center to the south.
The remaining area of the Central Park development will include 200 single-family homes, a park, retail, recreation and commercial buildings, along with a communication tower for the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.
The president of the UCHealth Highlands Ranch Hospital, Diane Cookson, says that it was determined Highlands Ranch was an optimal location based on demographics and population growth in the area. According to the U.S. Census Bureau the Douglas County population grew from 285,465 in 2010 to 322,387 in 2015. With continued new construction in Douglas County, including the large community of Sterling Ranch which is expected to bring 30,000+ additional residents in the near future, the hospital will be well utilized.
During the construction process the hospital will provide 500-600 construction jobs. Once completed an estimated 400 new, permanent jobs will be offered.
