Altoona City Council paves way for Grace facility
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Leader-Telegram staff
ALTOONA - By a unanimous vote Thursday night, the Altoona City Council approved a certified survey map and vacated an old plat, which paves the way for the Grace Lutheran Foundation to build an $18.5 million health care campus.
Construction is scheduled to begin in May 2015, with completion and grand opening scheduled for June 2016.
City Administrator Mike Golat said Grace Lutheran will still have to get some permits approved for the site, including a storm water plan, but Thursday's vote pretty much assures the construction will go forward.
"They already have a presence in Altoona, and they've been good partners. We welcome another facility here," he said.
The architecture of the new buildings will fit well with the neighborhood, which has multifamily homes, he said.
Grace Lutheran is tax-exempt but has negotiated an agreement with the city in which it will provide about $100,000 yearly in payments in lieu of taxes, he said.
The campus will be built on 9.2 acres along U.S. 53, just south of the new OakLeaf Surgical Hospital. The site is bordered by Spooner Avenue to the south and North Willson Drive to the east.
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