Buck Creek Medical Plaza

Project Summary

Set in the heart of Colorado’s Vail Valley, Buck Creek Medical Plaza was developed to meet the growing need for accessible, affordable, and comprehensive outpatient care in a resort market traditionally dominated by high-cost, specialty hospitals.

Colorado Mountain Medical (CMM)—the region’s primary care leader—partnered with NexCore Group to centralize and expand services that had previously been scattered across hospital-centric facilities. The result: a 48,300 SF, three-story, high-performance medical plaza that offers urgent care, primary care, and specialty services in one convenient, efficient location—supporting CMM’s mission to serve the full-time and seasonal populations of the Valley.

NexCore led the development, financing, leasing, and delivery of the project, overcoming a highly constrained site and an aggressive 20-month timeline to bring the vision to life by June 2016.

The Challenge

CMM’s lease at a fragmented, hospital-based site was rapidly approaching expiration—forcing a development deadline that left no room for delays. But location and land availability in Avon presented formidable obstacles:

• Market Constraints: With 82% of the region’s land federally owned and leased to ski resorts, only 18% was available for commercial development.
  
• Site Complexity: The most viable parcel was owned by the Eagle River Fire Protection District, requiring creative negotiation and coordination with the Town of Avon.
  
• Entitlement Pressure: Rezoning and plan amendments needed to be approved in record time to meet construction targets.
  
• High-Cost Environment: With local real estate at a premium, CMM needed a cost-effective solution that supported growth and affordability for patients.
  

NexCore had to secure the site, drive approvals, and design a highly functional building—all while maintaining speed-to-market and staying within budget in one of the most competitive resort towns in the West.

NexCore’s Solution

NexCore deployed a multi-pronged strategy focused on speed, precision, and value:

1. Strategic Site Acquisition & Entitlements

• Partnered with Avon Town Manager Virginia Egger to engineer a parcel swap, securing Lot 1A from the Eagle River Fire Protection District in exchange for adjacent land—achieving ideal visibility from I-70.
  
• Led a fast-track rezoning and Comprehensive Plan amendment process, aligning municipal goals with healthcare needs and breaking ground within seven months of site identification.
  

2. Design for Performance & Affordability

• Designed a 3-story facility with a partially subterranean parking structure and adjacent parking deck to accommodate site constraints and patient flow.
  
• Applied NexCore’s proprietary Site & Facility Planning Process to optimize space and reduce costs:
  
  • Benchmarked against high-efficiency clinics in Seattle
    
  • Implemented universal exam rooms to support all specialties
    
  • Designed collaborative care team areas to enable block scheduling and shared staffing
    
  • Reduced circulation space by 10%, enhancing usable square footage
    

3. Financial Innovation & Stakeholder Engagement

• Delivered a development that surpassed real estate performance benchmarks while keeping occupancy costs manageable for providers.
  
• Structured priority returns for physician investors—allowing clinical stakeholders to build equity in a community asset.
  

Results

The Buck Creek Medical Plaza opened in Summer 2016 and immediately elevated healthcare delivery in the Vail Valley:

• Outpatient Volume: Increased 7% in the first year post-opening (2016–2017), expanding patient access and provider capacity.
  
• Efficiency Metrics:
  
  • Revenue-generating space reached 62%, surpassing industry benchmarks by 15%
    
  • Ranked in the top 10% nationally for exam room-to-total space ratio
    
  • Circulation space reduced by 10%, optimizing operations and lowering cost per visit
    
• Provider Engagement: $1M in physician investment, underscoring long-term confidence in the facility.
  
• Industry Recognition:
  
  • 2016 HREI Award Winner for “Best Medical Office Building (25,000–49,000 SF)”
    
  • Recognized for innovation in design, delivery, and community impact
    

A Community-Focused Solution Built to Perform

Buck Creek Medical Plaza reflects what NexCore does best: turning real estate constraints into clinical opportunities, and aligning provider needs with operational, financial, and civic goals. This project not only secured a long-term home for CMM—it redefined what community-based care could look like in one of Colorado’s most high-cost, high-growth regions.