Ground Breaks on New Jacksonville-area Health Campus
By HCO Staff
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.—Stellar and its partner, Batson-Cook Construction, have officially broken ground on the new UF Health Durbin Park campus in Northeast Florida. The recent ceremony marked a significant milestone in healthcare and development, with the 42.5-acre health and wellness campus expected to set new standards for healthcare in the region.
From site selection to detailed design, Stellar has been involved in the transformative multi-phase construction project with Gresham Smith, Matthews Design, and Prosser. The 150-bed hospital will offer specialized orthopedics, neurosurgery, cardiovascular medicine, and women’s health services. The campus will also include a medical office building and an ambulatory surgery center. All the facilities are designed to provide top-quality healthcare services and improve patient outcomes.
The healthcare initiatives will be implemented in multiple stages, initially generating approximately 2,000 new jobs in St. Johns and Jacksonville and, ultimately, 12,000 jobs overall. The $1 billion initiative from the University of Florida aims to meet the evolving healthcare needs of Northeast Florida, one of the state’s fastest-growing regions. The UF Health Durbin Park campus results from a collaborative effort among partners Batson-Cook and Gresham Smith.
“Our primary aim is to promote healthcare in the northeast region of Florida, and we are dedicated to delivering exceptional quality to the new Durbin Campus,” said Richard Lovelace, Executive Vice President of Stellar’s Commercial Group. “Our involvement since 2019 has led us to this moment, where our collective efforts will produce a healthier future for the community.”
The project continues the partnership between Stellar and UF Health, which includes the newly upgraded Leon L. Haley Jr., MD, Trauma Center and various electrical infrastructure upgrades throughout the region. UF Health anticipates welcoming its first patients to the new campus by late 2025.