Less than half the facility is currently leased
Finding tenants for Destrehan’s Plantation View Medical Offices has proven challenging with less than half of the facility leased since its completion in February of last year, but the problem may lie with national uncertainty in the medical industry.
“I think the current health care environment, not only in Louisiana but nationally, has caused a great amount of uncertainty among health care providers, which has affected the progress in leasing the building,” said Tim Vial, member of the St. Charles Parish Hospital Board that oversees the hospital and medical offices facility. “It is a beautiful facility, which was designed to accommodate future growth and the hospital will continue to pursue it to its full potential.”
Located at 13100 River Road, the $15 million Plantation View building with its French Quarter style façade was built to provide access to medical and emergency care to the area.Vial confirmed Plantation View’s current tenants: St. Charles Urgent Care, Ochsner Retail Pharmacy; Dr. Brian Brogle, urology; Dr. Monica Williams, Family Medicine; Dr. Beau Raymound, internal medicine; Dr. Sheena Pullman, OB/GYN, Ochsner Health Center for Children – Destrehan (pediatric group), and Ann Colwart, nurse practitioner.
Of these tenants, he said they lease less than half of the facility’s usable or leasable 50,000 square feet.
Vial added Ochsner Health System, which is a managing partner hired by the Hospital Board to operate the hospital and Plantation View, is pursuing additional health care tenants.
In January, Alden Bishop, the hospital’s associate administrator with Ochsner, said they will increase access to primary care services “as we expand the current primary care offices to a new 7,000 square-foot office space.”
Bishop added they anticipate a locally owned coffee shop to open there in coming months.
“As we move into the New Year, we look forward to adding more specialties to Plantation View, in addition to the possibility of retail tenants,” he said.
Vial said discussions are underway with a local coffee shop and café to come to the facility.
Mary Clulee, parish councilwoman for District II and hospital board member, agreed with Vial on the challenging market. But she also noted “It’s gaining momentum” of efforts to lease the medical offices.
“Overall, it’s not what they thought it was going to be,” Clulee said of Plantation View leasing. “Of course, it didn’t progress as quickly as they wanted it to. There were problems with the economy and construction, as well as problems with getting doctors to come and then the orthopedic group coming pulled out.”
Clulee said the group was coming and then withdrew from the move, leaving “a major opening in the building.” Although she did not know why it happened, she maintained the location isn’t the problem, particularly with it being next to the Hale Boggs Memorial Bridge.
She added, “Sometimes, things take time, but I think it will be a success when it’s all finished.”
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