Calamar, Niagara County's largest developer and general contractor announced plans to develop a medical campus within The Woodlands Corporate Center East, a 120-acre mixed used development located in Wheatfield, just over the Amherst border.  The first project slated for the medical campus is a renal center that would be owned and operated by Apollo Healthcare.  Apollo Healthcare is an integrated healthcare company dedicated to improving the lives of people who live with kidney disorders.  Apollo is developing an interdependent network of scientists, physicians, caregivers, and treatment centers that will diagnose and treat the multiple conditions associated with end-stage renal disease.

Calamar was the largest owner/developer of medical office space in Western New York prior to selling its portfolio in 2007 and was instrumental in the development of the Williams Road medical pocket in Wheatfield that encompasses over 300,000 square feet of medical space, including the Summit Medical Mall, and over 300 senior housing apartments.

The Woodlands Corporate Center is one of Western New York's largest mixed-used developments and includes the largest commercial and industrial development in four decades in Niagara County.  Phase I (The Woodlands Corporate Center West) is a 30-acre park that is completely built-out with over 400,000 s.f. of space and produced 400 jobs.  Phase II (The Woodlands Corporate Center East) was created from the demand and success of Phase I.  This 120-acre mixed use park is comprised of office, flex, medical, industrial, and residential and has achieved several milestones thus far including developing and constructing the first office building in Niagara County in over 10 years; attracting global organizations such as Viatran Corporation and just completed a $30 million capital investment developing and constructing 350 senior apartments and patio homes.

"Calamar is pleased to unveil our plans for a medical campus and welcome such a dedicated organization as Apollo Healthcare" said Calamar C.EO. Kenneth Franasiak.  "Drawing on the synergies of our current medical providers in The Woodlands Corporate Center West, the addition of Apollo Healthcare will create The Woodlands Medical Campus and provide excellence in health care for Niagara county residents. Our ideal location on the Niagara & Erie County border will allow providers and health care systems better collaboration in their efforts to serve our community.  Our goal is to attract and grow the medical field in our campus and to attract secondary users such as medical manufacturing allowing for research and development opportunities".

The benefits of the medical campus can be outlined as follows:

• Multi-phase project continuing to create jobs
• A $50-75 Million capital investment over five years
• Will add approximately 250-400,000 square feet of medical space
• Grow and develop a level of care for medical services as well as provide hospital referral basis
• Creating and retaining approximately 200 jobs with an annual payroll of $7 million
• Provide desperately needed medical services to the underserved areas of Wheatfield, Pendleton, Tonawanda, North Tonawanda & Amherst
• Become a catalyst for research and development as well as physician recruitment to Western New York

We are very excited about the "hub & spoke" affect this project can support", Franasiak said. "The necessity for a dialysis facility in this area is very prominent and will fulfill a critical need for this underserved community.  We have an aging population that is living longer and our campus sits right off Shawnee Road, one of the fastest growing residential corridors as well as a bedroom community to Amherst."

Apollo Healthcare is a trusted provider of life saving dialysis treatment with locations in Western & Central New York as well as Long Island, NY.  The construction of a new facility in The Woodlands Medical Campus will result in a state-of-the-art renal care center to service this immediate area as well as all of Western New York and attract other medical providers.