The Arizona Board of Regents has given final project approval for construction of The University of Arizona Cancer Center-Phoenix outpatient clinic at the Phoenix Biomedical Campus.

Hensel Phelps Construction is the general contractor and ZGF Architects is the architectural firm.

The regents also approved a ground lease for 1.56 acres from the City of Phoenix at the Biomedical Campus, and a 20-year facility lease with St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center/ Dignity Health, which upon finalization of the lease will operate inpatient clinical cancer services at its main hospital campus and outpatient services at the new facility and at its hospital campus. Construction on the new facility will begin later this month.

The 6-story, $100M, 230,000 SF cancer clinic will be located at the NWC of Fillmore and Seventh streets and will offer comprehensive cancer services, including infusion, radiation oncology, diagnostic imaging, endoscopic/interventional radiology, a breast center, specialized cancer clinics, patient wellness and support services, a prevention/executive health clinic, clinical lab space and other related support spaces. The new clinic should be open to patients by early 2015.

Plans call for four floors to be built out for immediate use; the fifth floor will be constructed as “shell space” for future development, and the sixth floor will consist of enclosed space for mechanical equipment.

The UA Cancer Center is one of just 41 comprehensive cancer centers designated by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health. It is the only NCI comprehensive cancer center headquartered in Arizona.

“We are very pleased with this progress,” said UA President Ann Weaver Hart. “Effective partnerships are one example of ways in which we can make our boundaries more permeable and our innovations more effective. The University of Arizona is proud to work with St. Joseph’s Hospital and the City of Phoenix to further cancer research, prevention and treatment.”

“We also give a special thank you to Mayor Greg Stanton and members of the Phoenix City Council. The center will create several hundred permanent jobs and have an economic impact of $250 million per year,” Hart added.

“As our affiliation with the UA is established and evolves, our cancer services will continue to expand and develop an extraordinary level of specialization,” said Linda Hunt, president and CEO of Dignity Health Arizona. “Through this effort, we are collaborating with talented UA and community physicians, as well as other providers throughout the valley. Patients will now have access to care that is truly exceptional.”

Of the total $100M project budget, the Cancer Center will raise $20M from philanthropic giving. The City of Phoenix is supporting the UACC-Phoenix project with $14M in funding. The UA will issue $66 million in revenue bonds. The University will use UACC-Phoenix lease revenues and operating revenues to fund the project’s debt service.

“The City of Phoenix is thrilled to be the newest home of The University of Arizona Cancer Center. We look forward to the wonderful advances in cancer care and treatment that will arise from this collaboration between the UA and St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center,” Stanton said. “Not only will patients in the Greater Phoenix area benefit from the advanced cancer care, but also the city’s and state’s economy will benefit from the economic impact and the jobs that will be created. The Arizona Cancer Center is a tremendous next step on the Phoenix Biomedical Campus, and we look forward to continued growth.”

“The establishment of this Cancer Center is a momentous event for the landscape of health care in Arizona and represents a new beacon of hope for cancer patients in our state,” said Anne Mariucci, chair of the Arizona Board of Regents Business and Finance Committee. “Not only will this Cancer Center provide access to the leading-edge cancer treatments for patients, but this prestigious facility will attract top researchers to our state, generate new jobs and result in important research expenditures as well, all important markers for our economy.”

“The University of Arizona Cancer Center-Phoenix will focus on delivering the highest standard of cancer care with an evidence-based, research-driven, disease-oriented multidisciplinary model, along with the most modern technologies and a compassionate, patient-centered approach,” said UACC Director Dr. David S. Alberts.

The new UA Cancer Center-Phoenix will be home to approximately 100 providers and hundreds of healthcare professionals and administrative staff members. The innovative Cancer Center will add a clinical health-care component to the Phoenix Biomedical Campus and is projected to treat approximately 60,000 patients a year within 10 years of opening.

In keeping with the UA’s commitment to responsible and sustainable design, the Cancer Center building will be designed to conform to the standard United States Green Building Council LEED Silver Certification.