Senior/Medical Neighborhood Planning Public Meeting Press Releas

PRESS RELEASE:  

The public is cordially invited to participate in the City of Gillette kick off meeting for the Senior/Medical Neighborhood Planning Project. The kick off meeting will be held at the Campbell County Senior Center Dining Room from 4:30 pm to 7:00 pm on August 30, 2012.

City staff as well as consultants will explain the purpose of the project and answer questions that people may have.

The Senior/Medical Neighborhood Planning Project is being carried out to further community development and economic stability. It is the first neighborhood planning effort by the City of Gillette. The City of Gillette has partnered with the Campbell County Memorial Hospital for the $37,500.00 project. The Wyoming Business Council and Campbell County Memorial Hospital provided project funding.

Neighborhood planning focuses on an area larger than a single or group of land uses within close proximity, which are part of an urban community. The purpose of neighborhood planning is to understand and implement what the neighborhood wants to become, what economic role it can play within a city, how it develops as a smaller part of a larger community and what tools are available to further community development and economic stability.

This neighborhood, bounded by Interstate 90, 4-J Road on the east, Highway 14-16 to the north and Highway 50 to the west has had approximately 100 million dollars in public and private investment for development purposes since 2004. The largest single investment has been made by the hospital. Over the past seven years, Campbell County Memorial Hospital has implemented a construction program for a new parking garage, emergency room expansion, a daycare and the addition of two medical treatment towers at the hospital.

During the same time period, other medical and health related development has taken place in the neighborhood. The Wyoming Orthopedic Center, Coal Mine Clinic, Women’s Health Center, two dental offices, a general surgery center, a physical therapy office, a vision center, a chiropractic office, and a new medical lab office have all been constructed and are currently in place.

The City of Gillette recognized the transportation needs of the area by partnering with the Wyoming Department of Transportation to reconstruct and extend Burma Avenue which serves the western part of the neighborhood. The construction also included a new overpass across Interstate 90 which connects to Lakeway Road, an arterial road to the south. The Burma Avenue construction project better distributes traffic along arterials in the western side of Gillette and provides more direct access to the hospital and related medical uses in the neighborhood.

Significant monies have been invested by the private sector to build two senior housing apartment structures. The 100 new senior housing units are adjacent to the Campbell County Senior Center. The Senior Center recently underwent a renovation and also added space for its growing clientele. In the same vicinity there is a senior assisted living facility and other apartments for low to moderate income seniors.

As the neighborhood has continued to develop over the past seven years, two significant land uses have emerged in the mixed use area to become part of a predominant development pattern; health care and senior housing. These land uses join with the single family residential and office uses to create economic development opportunity as well as livability potential which assist community development. Together, both enable a vibrant and sustainable neighborhood for residents and business.