Photo Courtesy Of HOK

McCarthy Building Cos. Inc. and architect HOK joined California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) in a public ceremony last week to start work on a “Health and Wellness City” at the former March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County. Named March LifeCare Campus, the 10-year, $3.3-billion construction project will encompass 246 acres, housing some 6 million sq ft of health-related structures, including a hospital, medical office buildings, retail, a hotel, a continuing-care retirement community, wellness centers and healing gardens. The project also includes facilities for veterans. “This is going to become known as the ‘Mayo Clinic of the West,’” said Gov. Schwarzenegger. “During construction, 12,700 construction workers will be employed. After completion, 7,200 permanent health-care-related jobs will be created.” At the ceremony, U.S. Demolition Co. began to take down the first of more than 16 existing structures to make way for the 1.4-million-sq-ft first phase of the three-phase project. McCarthy is the general contractor for the current demolition work, valued at $4.5 million. The firm is also the master builder for the overall development.