San Luis council approves conditional use permit for new 62,000-square-foot hospital with helipad

Dr. Robert Trenshaw, president and CEO of Ambita Health, told the San Luis City Council on June 25 that Ambita plans to build a full-service hospital campus in San Luis that would include a 24/7 emergency department, inpatient beds, operating rooms and space for rotating specialty clinics.

“We're building a healthier tomorrow for the communities that we serve,” Dr. Trenshaw said, describing a facility he said would be expandable and supported by Ambita’s regional physician network.

The council voted to approve conditional use permit (CUP) case number 2025-0095 to allow construction of an approximately 62,000-square-foot hospital and attached walk-in clinic on roughly 37 net acres at the southwest corner of Pisano Drive and U.S. 95. Staff told the council the site is zoned community commercial (C-2). The permit passed 6–0 with one abstention.

Under conditions recommended by staff and the planning and zoning commission, the helipad must be designed so approach and departure paths avoid noise-sensitive land uses where feasible; the applicant must provide a Federal Aviation Administration letter of determination before a certificate of occupancy; and the helipad must comply with federal, state and local regulations.

Ross Poppenberger, director of capital projects for Ambita Health, said the helipad design follows the main transportation corridor to limit overflight of residences and that the pad is sized to accommodate military helicopters if needed. “It will not impede other traffic,” Poppenberger said, adding the pad is large enough to accommodate multiple helicopter types.

Council members and members of the public asked about flight paths near the U.S.–Mexico border, agricultural dust along the corridor and traffic flow from the land port of entry. Staff said the CUP conditions give the city enforcement authority if flight paths or operations do not follow the permit or FAA requirements. City staff also said a traffic-impact study was completed for the parcel in question and recommended improvements such as left-turn lanes and cross-hatching at intersections to reduce queueing into the border lane.

Staff and Ambita told the council the project would include room for future medical office buildings adjacent to the hospital. Dr. Trenshaw estimated direct economic impact at about $200,000,000 to the San Luis community and said the project would create more than 115 new jobs with an average nonphysician salary of about $70,000; he noted those figures exclude physicians. He said a psychiatry residency program and other residency rotations are planned to help build a local pipeline of clinicians.

On scheduling, Ambita staff said they expect construction and a phased opening timeline that could put the hospital operational in 2027, with a target of the first quarter of 2027 for initial operations if approvals proceed. Staff and the developer said additional details about site improvements (Pisano Drive, Los Oroz and perimeter utilities) and any development-agreement terms would be handled later in the building-permit and development-agreement process.

The CUP hearing record showed required mailed notices to property owners within 300 feet and no letters of opposition were received. The council adopted the CUP subject to the staff conditions outlined at the hearing.

What happened: the council approved CUP 2025-0095 with conditions requiring FAA sign-off and limiting helipad flight paths; staff and developer described the proposed hospital program and economic impacts; residents asked about flight paths, dust and traffic near the border crossing.

Next steps: the developer must provide the FAA determination and meet the CUP conditions before final permits; street and perimeter improvements were described as subject to later permitting or a development agreement.