Construction is underway on the new 23-acre CHI St. Luke's medical campus in Springwoods Village as dozens of stakeholders and community leaders gathered to break ground on the campus June 11.

"There's nothing more exciting than creating a master planned community from inception and nothing more important to a community than access to the best in health care," said Michael Richmond, member of the CHI St. Luke's Health board of directors. "We're excited to be part of this environment where people can live, work and play. Being a partner in the development of this special community is an integral part of our CHI strategy of building the next era of healthy communities."

With expected completion by the end of 2015, the medical campus will feature outpatient ambulatory services, diagnostic imaging, emergency services and lab and pharmacy services, as well as four operating rooms and two endoscopy suites, according to CHI St. Luke's.

"[The] Springwoods Village [campus] is about building much more than a hospital or medical center," said Debra Sukin, president of CHI St. Luke's Health The Woodlands Hospital. "It is about building upon the vision of Coventry Development and developing relationships within this community to inspire health and wellness. Our new outpatient ambulatory facility will serve as a model for efficient patient center health care close to home."

Howard Tellepsen, chairman and CEO of Tellepsen Hunt, the contractor for the project, said the first phase of the campus will be about 185,000 square feet. The medical building will feature six floors with diagnostic imaging and emergency services on the first floor and outpatient services on the second.

The campus will also house 100,000-square-feet of office space capable of accommodating more than 30 physicians.

Tellepsen said the company—an alliance between Tellepsen and the Hunt Construction Group—has experience working in the Greater Houston area. He said his company has more than six decades of history with St. Luke's, having constructed the first St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital in 1954.

Although CHI St. Luke's Health will initially invest $110 million for the first phase of construction, it plans to invest more than $70 million in the next five years for future developments, including a future hospital and campus expansion.

The campus could accommodate an estimated 300,000 individuals moving to the area, according to CHI St. Luke's Health.

Planned for completion by the end of next year, the first phase of the medical complex will be one of several amenities completed within or near Springwoods Village. ExxonMobil's nearby 386-acre campus will be completed by then as well as Segments F-1, F-2 and G of the Grand Parkway, multiple residential developments and Town Center's 15-acre plaza.

"We know that your project will add a tremendous resource and amenity for this entire region," said Keith Simon, executive vice president of Coventry Development Corporation, the Springwoods Village developer. "And it also makes Springwoods Village a much more complete live, work and play community."

For more information, visit www.stlukestexas.com.