Scott Williams, swilliams@wolfrivermedia.com
A hotly competitive marketplace of health care services in Shawano could be about to heat up even more.
Green Bay-based Prevea Health has unveiled plans for a new clinic on Shawano’s east side, near an Aurora Health Care facility that opened six years ago.
Prevea hopes to redevelop the former location of Anello’s Torch Lite restaurant, 1276 E. Green Bay St., which was destroyed by fire in 2014 and then was rebuilt on an adjacent site.
Plans submitted to state environmental regulators show that Prevea’s clinic would be 18,000 square feet — comparable to the Aurora facility — and would have parking for about 80 vehicles. The site would extend south from Green Bay Street and cover about 5 acres.
Prevea President and CEO Ashok Rai said customers now commute to Green Bay, and many have urged the health care provider to consider opening a facility in the Shawano area.
“Everybody would love to see care closer to home,” Rai said.
Prevea, which operates more than 40 locations in Wisconsin, is working with environmental regulators to overcome issues associated with possible wetlands on the proposed site.
Plans have been submitted or discussed with the state Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Todd Vesperman, a regional section chief with the Corps of Engineers, said federal officials believe the presence of wetlands is relatively minor on the former restaurant site.
“It looks pretty good,” he said.
State DNR zoning specialist Dale Rezabek said state officials could give the green light, too, if Prevea demonstrates that no other suitable site exists for the clinic, and if the development plans show efforts to minimize the impact on wetlands.
Rezabek said Prevea representatives have met with state regulators but have not yet submitted detailed plans.
DNR records show that Prevea thus far has dismissed potential alternative locations for the Shawano clinic because they did not offer the same high visibility and easy access for customers as the former Anello’s site.
The would-be clinic developer, Rodac Development and Construction of Green Bay, is the same firm that built the new Anello’s Torch Lite directly west of where the previous restaurant burned down. The new restaurant officially opened its doors this week.
DNR records indicate that the new restaurant and the health care clinic were planned simultaneously to maximize the “highest and best use” of the land.
“This land meets all of our needs,” Rai said. “It would be an ideal site.”
Shawano City Administrator Brian Knapp said city officials have participated in preliminary discussions about the wetlands issue associated with the former restaurant property. Knapp said he also was aware that Prevea Health was interested in the location for a new clinic.
“They’ve shown an interest in Shawano,” Knapp said. “They’re trying to find the right site.”
Rai said no decisions have been made about exactly what sort of clinic would be established in Shawano or what services would be offered.
Prevea’s interest comes eight month after ThedaCare opened its new $50 million hospital in Shawano. The opening of the 128,000-square-foot ThedaCare Medical Center-Shawano coincided with the closing of Shawano Medical Center, located near downtown Shawano.
Aurora Health also made a significant investment not long ago in its clinic at 1364 E. Green Bay St. The building was expanded in 2012 from 10,000 to 20,000 square feet, and the addition of new services resulting in the facility’s upgrading from clinic to health center.
Officials at ThedaCare and Aurora both declined to comment about Prevea’s plan.