Planning officials to consider plans for new IHA building at Domino's Farms

By Ben Freed Business Reporter

Posted on Mon, Jul 9, 2012 : 2:59 p.m.

If the preliminary plans are approved, IHA will be able to start engineering a final site plan for a new building at Domino's Farm Office Park.

AnnArbor.com files

Integrated Health Associates, a physicians network based in Ann Arbor, has submitted a preliminary site plan for a new building at Domino’s Farms Office Park to the Ann Arbor Township Planning Commission for approval at their meeting on Monday night.

IHA is headquartered at the Domino’s Farms Park and wants to build a 42,000-square-foot office building that would serve as an out-patient clinic. Some of IHA’s existing clinics may be consolidated into the new building.

The preliminary plans included drawings showing a three-story building with a basement for storage and file space. Amy Middleton, a public relations specialist for IHA, said that the current plan is for the building to house a number of different specialties.

“We plan to offer pediatrics, internal medicine, an after hours care program, and neurology services,” she said.

“We plan for this location to also house our clinical research program, ClinSite, and a St. Joseph Mercy lab.”

The submitted plans showed a total of 53 examination rooms, 16 neurological examination rooms, an x-ray room, three labs, and a room for surgical procedures. There was also significant space dedicated to offices, conference rooms, and storage.

On May 21, the Township Board of Trustees cleared the way for the site plan to be submitted by approving an amendment to the Domino’s Farms Office Park Area Plan that raised the allowable building height from 35 feet to 40 feet.

Township Supervisor Mike Moran said IHA has been in touch with the township throughout the process.

“They’ve been a good group to work with,” Moran said. “We have ordinances that specify what we need to see. As often as not, we don’t get it. IHA has been very good at getting us what we need for them to move forward.”

Middleton said that IHA is waiting to set a completion date as they go through the steps of the township permitting process. Once the preliminary plan is approved, the next step is to start drawing in the detail.

“This being approved would give them the go-ahead to start spending the money to engineer them into final site plans,” Moran said.

IHA is a physician’s group with more than 220 doctors and 32 practices in Southeast Michigan. The network sees more than 270,000 patients a year. Novi-based Catholic health care group Trinity Health’s St. Joseph Mercy Health System acquired IHA in 2010.