CENTER TWP — Early-stage land development for the proposed VA Butler Healthcare center could begin next month.

Tom Demko of Stantec told the township supervisors Wednesday night that Cambridge Healthcare Solutions, the developer of the project, hopes to begin moving dirt as early as June.

The supervisors granted final approval for the project’s land development proposal, contingent on a number of approvals from outside agencies, and certain other conditions being met.

Stantec is working with Cambridge on the engineering for the project.

“We need to get excavating to prepare for the building’s foundation,” Demko told the supervisors.

While land development is set to begin, township officials said they are not sure what the status is for the proposed tenant of the building.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on Dec. 31 awarded a lease contract for a 168,000-square-foot health care center to Cambridge.

The center is expected to be built on 45 acres along North Duffy Road.

However, the project was put on hold earlier this year after Oxford Development, an unsuccessful bidder for the lease, filed a bid protest with the U.S. Government Accountability Office.

Oxford also requested the office find the lease void due to intentional misrepresentations made in Cambridge’s offer.

The GAO dismissed the protest April 29. In its ruling, the GAO said that an awarded contract should not be treated as void, even if improperly awarded, unless the illegality of the award is “plain or palpable.”

The office said the VA’s contract with Cambridge did not violate any statutory or regulatory requirements. While the GAO did dismiss the protest, it ruled the VA should reimburse for Oxford’s cost for the preparation of this offer and fees associated with filing the protest.

The VA has not returned messages from the Butler Eagle requesting an update on the status of the project. The supervisors said they have only been working with Cambridge and are not aware of any changes with the proposed tenant of the property.

Cambridge will own the completed structure and will lease it to the VA for 20 years. Cambridge will be paid $8.4 million in fully-serviced annual rent after an initial rent abatement period.

Among handling the construction cost of the two-story building, Demko estimated that the developer also will pay for more than $416,000 worth of improvements to North Duffy Road, including adding a third turning lane at the entrance of the facility and adequate street lighting for the road.

The newly formed intersection of the entrance and North Duffy Road will not require traffic signals, according to a traffic study done on the project.

“The project does not change what North Duffy Road was already designed to handle,” Demko said, adding that study includes a five-year growth projection of the area.

Demko said traffic using Duffy Road north of the facility would not increase due to the VA because most of the vehicles that would come to the center are the same as what are currently going to the existing center on New Castle Road.

He said the part of North Duffy Road to the south of the proposed center would see an increase in traffic from Route 356, but added that section has already had improvements made because of the Butler Commons development.

Township officials added a condition into the agreement with Cambridge that the developer will pay for any traffic signal devices at the intersection of the entrance to the center within five-years of the center opening, should the traffic study be proven wrong.

Demko said the development is also awaiting approvals with the Butler Area Sewer Authority and Pennsylvania American Water Co. for utility services.

Township engineer Ron Olsen said he doesn’t expect there to be a problem with those approvals.

Demko said the facility will help with water runoff to properties south of the center.

“Our retention ponds essentially will eliminate all water runoff,” he said.

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.

The original awarded lease called for Cambridge to build the facility within 31 months.