After years in the making and a constant wonder surrounding the proposed new development on Paris’ southeast Loop, citizens are now seeing some movement, as the project is beginning the initial phases of construction, and it appears that the years of work to get to to this point have paid off.
On Friday, the Paris Lakes development team and a crowd of citizens, media and city officials celebrated a ground breaking ceremony, officially (and publicly) marking the beginning of the estimated $300 million project.
Developer and principal, Ron Parker, told the crowd about the beginnings of the project, when it was merely an idea, thanking former PEDC director, Steve Gilbert, for putting the idea in his head about 3 1/2 years ago. Since then, Parker said, Tom Dunning has played a major role in the development of this project. Dunning, who was formerly chief operating officer of PRMC, is the director of medical operations for the Paris Lakes development.
Clearly showing the time and hard effort that has been put into Paris Lake thus far, Parker emotionally told everyone, “…it’s been a long time coming.”
Initially, the development will include an ambulatory surgery center, that is soon expected to be followed by a hospital, office space, retail buildings, a accompanying hotel and residential development, however Parker told the crowd that all the facets are expected to be worked on at the same time, so the project’s construction could be faster than originally anticipated.
This initial phase is also expected to include senior and assisted living facilities. Later phases of the project will include a lighted 9-hole golf course, a retirement community, senior living center and memory center.
While some some buildings are expected to be ready within 9 months to a year, overall this will be a multi-year development project, bringing hundreds of jobs to the area and employing contractors and construction workers for several years.
