CENTER TWP — Construction of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs health care center on North Duffy Road could begin late this fall.

Representatives from Cambridge Healthcare Solutions PA, the developer of the project, met with township officials Wednesday morning to discuss preliminary plans for the new center, which will be about 1.4 miles from the current VA center on New Castle Road in Butler Township.

Mark Hefferin, executive vice president of Cambridge, said grading work at the site will begin this summer and it could be ready for construction before the end of the year.

“If everything goes well, we could begin construction late this fall,” he said.

The Virginia-based real estate firm on Dec. 31 was awarded the contract to build the new two-story, 168,000 square-foot health care facility.

VA Butler Healthcare is to occupy the center for 20 years, according to the lease. Cambridge will be paid $8.4 million in annual rent after an initial rent abatement period.

Under the agreement, Cambridge must complete the project in 31 months, and the center is expected to open in 2018. But Hefferin hopes the project can be done before the July 31, 2017, construction deadline.

“This is something that should have been built two-and-a-half years ago,” Hefferin said, referencing the previously canceled plans for the center.

The VA in August 2013 canceled its $75 million agreement with Westar Development to build the center in Deshon Woods in Butler Township. The VA at that time accused Westar of making false and misleading representations.

Hefferin said Cambridge’s history of development was a key factor to it being selected as the developer.

“Cambridge right now is building the largest leased back health care center in the country in Charlotte, North Carolina,” Hefferin said.

The development firm began construction of that $150 million VA facility last year and it is expected to open in 2016.

The development at 395 N. Duffy Road will bring jobs and revenue to Center Township.

Genevieve Billia, spokesman for the VA, said in an e-mail the facility will bring with it up to 450 employees and about $467,000 in real estate taxes, which would be divided among the township, Butler County and the Butler School District.

“This project brings with it a great tax base and a great employment base,” Hefferin said at the meeting.

He said county firms and workers will be used to build the center. During the peak of construction, the project is expected to have about 300 workers involved.

Stantec in Butler is handling engineering for the project.

Tom Demko, principal architect with Stantec, said one noticeable difference in the design of this building from the Westar plan is the number of stories.

“The two-story solution will make access to care as convenient as possible,” Demko said compared to the three-story building planned by Westar.

Demko said the building’s design is “very efficient” with the first floor for outpatient care and the second story for administration.

The center will expand VA Butler Healthcare’s outpatient services to meet increasing demand and will include primary care, specialty care, dental, lab, pathology, radiology, mental health, and ancillary and diagnostic services.

Billia said the 60-bed Community Living Center, the 56-bed domiciliary, fire station, engineering, police support buildings and services will remain at the VA campus on New Castle Road.

The new center will have its own security personnel at all times, Hefferin said.

The building will be back from North Duffy Road and be surrounded by trees and landscaping.

“This will minimize the impact on the area,” he said.

Hefferin praised the design of the building both inside and out.

“The VA has very high standards, and so do we,” he said. “This is a very attractive facility.”

Hefferin said the surrounding property, which belongs to Dale Herold, includes another 100-acres that the developer has first-right of refusal to buy.

“We can expand or contract as necessary,” he said.

While plans of the building are developing, there is still work to be done on a number of aspects of the project, including improvements along North Duffy Road.

Hefferin did not comment on infrastructure, but township officials in the past assumed North Duffy Road will need to be widened and have improvements made for sight distance.

Hefferin said his firm has plans for utilities at the site.

The Butler Area Sewer Authority said last week it had no contact with the developer, but Jim Tomazich, the authority engineer, said he does not think there would be an issue connecting the facility to its sewer lines.

“There shouldn’t be a problem,” he said. “Theoretically.”

Tomazich said the initial Westar facility, which was canceled, was going to require a capacity of 35,000 gallons per day for sewage.

While Cambridge has not given the authority a capacity estimate, Tomazich said it would probably be about the same.

If it remains at 35,000 gallons per day, the developer would be pay BASA a $440,000 tap-in fee, Tomazich said.