Saginaw medial diamond breaking ground

Covenant first to deliver on promise

By Latoya Williams

Saginaw City Council members met at the castle meeting to discuss the latest progress of the Medical Diamond Development. 

The massive billion-dollar project has multiple partners and moving parts, which is the reason why a lot of the current progress has been halted on the city’s development. 

Inflation has affected the cost and slowed production of the facility. Despite this, the council members believe labor and material costs have begun to balance, allowing development to resume.

Each facility is planning to demolish dilapidated buildings to create the brand new diamond near M13 and E. Genesee, triangulating both sides of the Saginaw River, including Central Michigan University, Saginaw Valley State University, Great Lakes Bay Heath, Covenant Healthcare, and the Michigan Department of Transportation.

Covenant is the only partner that has begun phase one of their project, acquiring the former Rite Aid pharmacy on the corner of W. Genesee and Michigan Avenue. 

As that site was in the process of demolition, residents in the community wondered who owns the property and what will replace the structure.

The location is planned to be a Covenant owned urgent care facility. 

Great Lakes Bay Health acquired a property originally intended for CMU that falls inside of a property tax break location. This makes the location ideal for Great Lakes Bay as they are a nonprofit of sorts and don’t have the finances to back a build of the city’s magnitude.

Their three-story facility will include an outpatient treatment facility and behavioral health center according to Dr. Corcland. The community has determined the greatest needs in the region as treatment for drug abuse and eating disorders.

CMU plans to relocate their current building in Mt. Pleasant to Saginaw, the new school will be closer to the My Michigan Heath campus which will increase the number of internships available and be within walking distance from the teaching hospital

MDOT will be making improvements along the M13 corridor from Hayden to Holland for this project. Upgrades include access to trails, bike lanes, and more narrow roadways to keep traffic issues down. 

The road construction project gave a 20-year outlook as their construction and renovations will continue even after all of the new facilities are up and running.