Vegas doctors invest in Carson medical offices

1200 Mountain St., in west Carson City on April 25, the former offices of Carson Medical Group.
Photo by Scott Neuffer.

Anyone who has used Carson Medical Group is probably familiar with the old offices at 1200 Mountain St., in west Carson City. CMG recently moved to a new facility off Old Hot Springs Road and, April 25, the Mountain Street property was vacant and quiet.

But improvements were visible. More are planned as two Las Vegas doctors continue to invest in the Carson community.

“We want to see how we can revitalize this,” said Dhaval Shah, an infectious disease and wound care doctor who purchased the property for just over $1 million in December.

Shah toured the site with his leasing brokers and property managers April 25. He told the Appeal his partner is fellow Las Vegas-based doctor Dhiraj Narula, a cardiac electrophysiologist. Specialized medicine is something the partners would like to increase in Carson.

“This would be a great opportunity for specialized services from Las Vegas to come over here,” Shah said.

He envisioned a comprehensive medical hub mixing primary care with specialists like rheumatologists or sports medicine doctors. A radiology office and pharmacy would make such a hub complete.

“Because the key is to provide medical services at one location that helps patients significantly to cut their time,” he said. “All the ancillary services in one place will create a big impact in the community.”

At the same time, Shah was open to other ideas for the site, giving the example of a school use. Having lived in Las Vegas the last 25 years, the doctor branched out into real estate development circa 2010. He said he has worked on more than 40 projects nationwide in a variety of commercial uses.

“I personally believe that life is not meant to do one thing all the time,” he said. “This is my hobby. Medicine is my passion, and this my hobby. The good news is my hobby makes me money.”

Shah seemed to savor challenging revitalization projects and mentioned a recently purchased medical office building in Houston that’s only 26 percent occupied. It has good medical practices in a strategic location, he said, but like the Carson property needs new tenants.

“I started doing it in 2010 when the market was down,” he said of his real estate experience. “Again, what I have learned, which is very important, is that apart from making it successful, it’s very important to give a vision to the project: what do you actually want to do and what do you want to bring to the community — how it’s going to serve the community’s needs, how it’s going to make it better for the people living around. And for that reason, we are very open to ideas.”

On the Mountain Street makeover, Shah has been working with Sam Ryan of Storm Development Services along with Niki Wilcox and Christy Locke of Nevada Commercial Services. Improvements have included exterior and interior paint and LED lighting, Shah said, and will include slurry and restriping in the parking lot.

Asked how much he’s invested, Shah said, “Overall we will be spending around half a million.”

Mallory LaBranch with LOGIC Commercial Real Estate and partner Blaise LaBranch are the leasing brokers for the space.

“We’re really proud of the work done so far that now we feel we can be attracting tenants,” Mallory LaBranch said, adding the site could accommodate one to seven tenants depending on need.

The property is around 1.5 acres with more than 20,000 square feet split between two buildings. The larger one, LaBranch said, is customizable, while the smaller facility is “turnkey.”

Across from the property lies the old Carson Tahoe Hospital campus. Further south down Mountain Street stands the Governor’s Mansion.

Shah explained he wants the CMG site to be part of the community again. He reiterated it’s important to bring vision to a property and “buy into your own vision.”

For information, call Mallory LaBranch at 775-220-6600.