A new VA outpatient clinic is headed to Lakewood Ranch Boulevard, replacing the existing Sarasota VA Clinic with a larger facility offering mental health care, dental services and other specialties.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced Oct. 30 that it awarded a major lease for the replacement clinic at 2390 Lakewood Ranch Boulevard in Sarasota. The two-story building will sit less than 12 miles from the current Sarasota clinic, according to a VA news release.

The VA said the clinic is projected to serve more than 120,000 veterans annually.

Services will include mental health, audiology, optometry, dental, telehealth and expanded primary care capacity, according to the VA. Your Observer reported the facility will also house prosthetics, laboratory testing, pharmacy, physical and occupational therapy, and diagnostic services. Bay Pines VA Healthcare System will operate the clinic.

The VA press release listed the building at 109,688 square feet. Your Observer and Tampa Bay Business & Wealth reported the project at 135,000 square feet. The reason for the difference is unclear.

Timeline and developer

The project entered its design phase in October 2026, according to the VA. The VA press release projected construction starting in late 2027. Your Observer and Tampa Bay Business & Wealth, citing the developer's Oct. 28 announcement, reported a summer 2027 construction start with the first patients expected in fall 2029.

CMI Cullinan JV LLC, a joint venture between Illinois-based Cullinan Properties, Ltd. and North Carolina firm Construction Managers Inc., will develop and own the property before leasing it to the VA. Construction Managers is a service-disabled veteran-owned small business. The Sarasota clinic marks the firm's 19th VA clinic project, according to Construction Managers Inc. President Robert Crenshaw, as reported by Tampa Bay Business & Wealth.

The project team also includes architecture firm Leo A Daly, general contractor Hoar Construction and civil engineering firm Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc., according to Your Observer.

What it means for veterans

The new space will allow Bay Pines VA to fully implement the Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) model, which the VA described as emphasizing coordinated, patient-centered care.

Rick Koenig, a retired VA employee who served 30 years in the military, said the new facility will offer more services than are available at existing clinics in Sarasota and Bradenton. "It's going to be similar to the facility in Cape Coral, which makes it a small hospital," Koenig said, according to WWSB.

Mary and Greg Kirby of Venice often travel to VA clinics across the region, sometimes as far as St. Petersburg. Mary Kirby told WWSB her husband visits about eight times a year. "Hopefully we wouldn't have to make that long drive up to St. Pete, and he goes to the cancer support group every Friday here," she said.

David VanMeter, director of Bay Pines VA Medical Center, said in the VA's statement that the clinic reflects the agency's commitment to meeting veterans' evolving needs.

Construction cost, lease duration and rental payments have not been disclosed, Your Observer and Tampa Bay Business & Wealth reported.