A new mixed-use development underway in the heart of Summerville will be home to a new two-story medical office building by Roper St. Francis Healthcare.

The Sawmill development in Summerville will be a live, work, shop and play concept with a walkable community designed to connect residents with entertainment and services while being anchored by the major health care system, according to a news release. This is the first tenant to be announced in the development with an estimated project cost of more than $200 million, according to Guy Martino, Lee & Associates Charleston director of marketing.

The project has already taken off, with 57 acres of land cleared at the corner of Berlin Myers Parkway and U.S. Highway 78. Roper St. Francis Healthcare plans to construct the two-story medical office building at the prominent corner location and will offer a variety of outpatient services by 2025, according to the news release.

Construction will begin on the 40,000-square-foot office building in 2023. Contractor for the Roper Medical Office Building is Trident Construction, Live Oak Contracting for the Sawmill multifamily development, and Landmark Construction is the general sitework contractor. Stubbs Muldrow Herin will be the architect for the medical office building, and Poole & Poole Architecture will design Sawmill. The full Sawmill project buildout is anticipated to be completed after 2030, the release said.

“Roper St. Francis Healthcare is determined to provide residents in and around Summerville with a wide variety of services to keep them healthy and thriving while being convenient to their homes and workplaces,” Dr. Jeffrey DiLisi, president and CEO of Roper St. Francis Healthcare, said in the release. “Three years ago, we opened a new hospital down the road and have steadily added health care services because the residents of Summerville want our high quality, compassionate care that’s easy to access.”

Providing medical services to residents in Dorchester and Berkeley counties is a crucial part of Roper St. Francis Healthcare’s strategic plan focused on better serving its patients, the release said. The Sawmill medical office building with outpatient services will be one mile from Roper St. Francis Express Care on Main Street in Summerville and about six miles from Roper St. Francis Berkeley Hospital in the Carnes Crossroads community, the release said.

The development will offer 474 multi-family units with ample green space in close proximity to the Sawmill Branch Trail and downtown Summerville. In addition, the development will feature offices, retail, restaurants, banks, service amenities and transit solutions.

“Sawmill will help the local government better respond to the growing demand for walkable, vibrant communities with convenient transit linkages, proximity to jobs and access to nearby public services,” said Milton Thomas, managing principal at Lee & Associates Charleston, and the lead developer for the project. “We want this property to provide a connected, community-oriented environment where people can live, convene and enjoy.”

Summerville Mayor Riky Waring expressed enthusiasm for the possibilities in the new development.

“The Sawmill development responds to the growing demand for walkable, vibrant communities with proximity to jobs, and access to nearby public services and destinations,” Waring said in the release. “I’m proud of the work that’s been done to preserve what we can while adding to our town.”