ITHACA, N.Y. – In a multi-million dollar deal last week, regional medical provider Guthrie Medical Group embarked on plans to broaden its offerings in Tompkins County.

According to a county filing on June 2nd, Guthrie is paying $2.85 million for the properties at 750 and 770 Cascadilla Street, over the asking price of $2.7 million. For those millions they get 3.12 acres, with a 37,422 SF warehouse built in 1980, and a 30,000 SF storage facility built in 1988. Cornell University had previously used the facilities as part of its printing press operations, and had been seeking to sell the properties since last July.

Guthrie is a regional healthcare provider based out of Sayre, Pennsylvania – their premier facility is the 254-bed Robert Packer Memorial Hospital in Sayre, which serves as a Level II Trauma Center for the Ithaca area and handles some of the region’s most serious injuries. Along with Robert Packer, they maintain three additional hospitals and a total of 32 medical facilities (clinics, specialty offices, medical supply warehouses) spanning the Twin Tiers.

Guthrie Medical Group’s presence in Tompkins County includes some specialty offices, a medical supply depot in Ithaca’s Northside, and an existing 25,000 SF clinic at 1780 Hanshaw Road in Dryden. That building first opened in 1995, with an addition in 2000. Guthrie has been a building spree as of late, with a 25-bed hospital in Troy, PA that opened in 2013, and a 65-bed hospital in Corning that opened in 2014.

Asked about what the plans might entail, Guthrie Vice President of Operations Tom Collins released the following statement:

“The ability to purchase this property presented an interesting opportunity for Guthrie as we are planning to expand our presence in the Ithaca community. We are pleased to have worked with Cornell University to close this deal. Currently Guthrie is evaluating the options for this property in light of what type of facilities will best permit us to expand health care service offerings to the Ithaca community. However, we have no specific plans to share at this time.”

The Voice will keep watch should formal plans materialize.

Brian Crandall reports on housing and development for the Ithaca Voice. He can be reached at bcrandall@ithacavoice.org.