In the heart of Woodbury’s thriving CityPlace development stands a testament to what happens when expertise meets compassion. CityPlace Medical II is a 42,000-square-foot state-of-the-art medical outpatient facility that was developed around the needs of its anchor tenant, Shriners Children’s—a renowned 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to providing specialized pediatric care regardless of families’ ability to pay.
A Mission-Driven Partnership
Shriners wanted to transition from their Minneapolis-owned hospital location to a more accessible outpatient facility, ultimately hiring Davis as its advisor because of their unparallelled real estate expertise within the healthcare industry.
“This project was unique because Shriners was accustomed to owning their real estate,” explains Mark Davis, CEO. “Our team’s deep understanding of the intricacies within the healthcare real estate (HRE) sector allowed us to guide them through the leasing process while honoring their mission-focused approach.”
The Davis team’s expertise and comprehensive understanding of the HRE market enabled Jill Rasmussen, CCIM, SIOR to successfully navigate Shriners’ local and national board approval processes, negotiate a waiver for a major use exclusive, and maintain a timeline that aligned perfectly with the sale of Shriners’ existing hospital—all during a global pandemic.
Creating a Healing Environment with Sustainable Design
To fulfill Shriners’ mission of providing compassionate care in a family-centered environment, Davis partnered with Synergy Architecture Studio and Timco Construction to develop a facility that seamlessly blended healing aesthetics with practical functionality. The building’s thoughtful design features a carefully selected palette of textured brick, honed stone, tinted glass, and warm gray metal, allowing it to complement the other buildings within the CityPlace development while creating a distinctive identity for Shriners.
To ensure a peaceful healing space was created for the children and families the facility was to serve, floor-to-ceiling windows were utilized to maximize natural light and bring the beauty of the world outside within. Chocolate marble stone was selected for its timeless yet grand appeal to guide visitors from the entrance to the lobby, where warm wood textures and a fun, vibrant color-scheme were incorporated to create a soft, safe and welcoming atmosphere for its young visitors.
This masterful design incorporates sustainability throughout, using daylight to reduce electrical needs, offering high-efficiency mechanical systems and incorporating sun shading to decrease energy consumption. The building also connects to Woodbury’s stormwater reuse system, meeting the city’s rigorous environmental standards—another example of Davis’s commitment to creating healthcare spaces that exceed expectations in both patient experience and environmental responsibility.
“Everything from the site’s extensive landscaping to its grand windows and cascading accents has been thoughtfully designed to create a medical destination that is both visually impressive and comfortably functional for Shriners’ young patients,” notes Davis.
A Community Success Story
Despite the ever-evolving complexities related to completing a large-scale development project during a pandemic, CityPlace Medical II opened on time and on budget in June 2020. The building’s exceptional design and functionality quickly attracted additional tenants, including Adefris & Toppin, bringing occupancy to 70% well before opening day and fully leased soon after.
Most importantly, Shriners Children’s now has a brand new facility in a prime location to provide their specialized pediatric care to children throughout Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Here, their team offers treatment for orthopedic conditions, injuries , and other specialized needs in a compassionate, family-centered environment.
The CityPlace Medical II project demonstrates what’s possible when development expertise aligns with a meaningful mission. For Davis, it represents our continued commitment to creating spaces where healthcare providers can deliver exceptional care to those who need it most.
About Shriners Children’s
Shriners Children’s provides orthopedic care for children whose conditions may include: complex conditions such as cerebral palsy, spina bifida, scoliosis, limb difference, arthritis and muscular dystrophy; rare disorders such as osteogenesis imperfect, achondroplasia (dwarfism) and arthrogryposis. Care is available for injuries, whether they are the result of a sporting activity or general play.
Occupational and physical therapy, custom orthotic braces, helmets and prosthetic limbs, and low dose radiation x-ray images in our EOS Imaging System are all available inside the clinic. Providers at Shriners Children’s know how to care for children’s bones, joints and muscles. They understand growing bones and growth plates and work closely to provide customized, family-centered care to all patients. The ultimate goal of the entire staff at Shriners Children’s is to help kids be kids no matter what kinds of health challenges they face.
All care and services are provided regardless of the families’ ability to pay or insurance status. Anyone can refer a patient to Shriners Children’s. To schedule, call 612-596-6105 or visit online at shrinerstwincities.org.