Fair Haven Health Eyes Grand Expansion

Fair Haven Community Health Care plans to build a new medical building focused on treating behavioral health issues and addressing ​“social determinants of health” at the corner of Grand Avenue and James Street, next door to the community health center’s current headquarters and main clinic. 

If suggestions of Fair Haven neighbors come to fruition, the new building will be brightly colored, filled with plants, and adorned with local art reflecting Latino cultures.

That’s the latest development with Fair Haven Community Health Care’s pending expansion, which is still in the early stages of planning, according to FHCHC President Suzanne Lagarde.

The health center broached the topic of its expansion last week during a Zoom-assisted public meeting at which architects solicited input on the future building’s ideal design and atmosphere from Fair Haven community members. (See more on that below.)

In a follow-up phone interview with the Independent, Lagarde confirmed that her organization is looking to build a new three-story medical building down the block from its main building at 374 Grand Ave. 

The new building would be located at 382 – 394 Grand Ave. That property is currently home to a three-and-a-half-story, mixed-use building. Lagarde declined to elaborate on how the clinic’s plans fit into the block’s current landscape, saying only that the building is slated for the ​“corner of James and Grand.”

If all goes according to plan, the health center will break ground on the new building in late 2023, Lagarde said. The clinic has already taken steps to expand parking behind its main clinic.

“We really need more room,” Lagarde said when asked about the reason for the planned expansion. She noted the demand for the clinic’s services has grown in recent years, particularly for mental health care. Lagarde envisions a building that will allow the clinic to integrate behavioral health into primary care, and that will allow the clinic to address ​“social determinants of health” like access to food and economic security.

In addition to incorporating medical offices, the clinic is planning to create a multi-purpose public space on the third floor of the new building that would include a kitchen and a roof garden. 

“Healthcare is one piece of it, but there’s so much else involved in being well and being healthy,” said Lagarde. She suggested that the multipurpose room could host job training sessions, English as a second language courses, community gatherings, and after-school programs.

Rosalba Montoya, a community organizer with Unidad Latina en Acción (ULA), contributed suggestions for the multipurpose space via Zoom on Wednesday alongside other immigrant activists; an interpreter translated her words from Spanish to English. Montoya suggested a library of books for both kids and adults; a space for zumba, dance, and other physical education classes; and free showers accessible to homeless residents.

Lee Cruz, a Fair Haven resident and activist, praised the idea of a ​“flexible” space suited for multiple uses.

William Wolpert, an architect for Environments for Health Architecture, the firm contracted to design the building, noted that on the top floor, residents could grow healthy food in the community garden and run cooking demonstrations in the kitchen.

The architects displayed a series of sample interior designs — not to visualize actual plans for the new clinic, but to provide examples of various styles and room configurations that they could incorporate into their plans — and asked attendees for feedback.

Both Fair Haven residents and FHCHC board members expressed a preference for vibrant colors and art, as well as elements of nature and sunlight, over the sleek designs characteristic of many healthcare centers.

“I think it’s a really good idea to have a place like a house,” said Antonio Armas, a community health volunteer with ULA and FHCHC, in Spanish.

“Comfortable,” he added. ​“Somewhere where we can feel like we can relax.”

Interior designer Lisa Bonnet said she hopes to incorporate ecological symbols and designs into the health care center, focusing on rounded shapes, natural light, and plants.

Community members responded warmly to the idea of a plant-filled health center. 

“Seria bueno tener plantas! mas oxigeno,” wrote Montoya in the chat, noting that more plants would fill the room with oxygen.

Michael Walker noted that some proposed ceiling designs with pop-out stripes of wood could gather dust, making it more difficult for people with allergies to breathe.

The Zoom room gravitated toward a series of designs featuring wall-to-wall murals, abstract pops of color, and outlines of joyful figures with prominent hearts. 

“Love the idea of mosaics and lots of colors,” wrote Maribel Martinez, the clinic’s board president. 

FHCHC board member Nitza Diaz suggested bringing in works from a Latino artist, which other attendees echoed in support.

Cruz noted that in addition to being home to many Spanish speakers, Fair Haven has a growing Arabic-speaking population. He suggested incorporating visual, rather than verbal, guides throughout the building to help visitors find their way. The center could use ​“photography of places that people would recognize from walking in the neighborhood to help with wayfinding,” he proposed, with landmarks like the Grand Avenue Bridge to point patients eastward, for instance.

The building’s exterior design proved to be more controversial.

Armas praised a modern-looking design, while FHCHC board member Carla Weil advised that the center avoid designs that feel ​“clinical.”

Weil and Montoya said they prefer exterior designs with a pop of color, while FHCHC spokesperson Karen Nemiah noted that ​“the two color images seem more disconnected to the neighborhood.”

Cruz offered an alternative idea to the colorful and modern-looking images: a design similar to FHCHC’s current house-like building. ​“I would make a pitch with doing something that appears more homey, more residential, less commercial, less clinical,” he said.

By the meeting’s end, the group had reached a consensus about an interior aesthetic, but not an exterior one. Any plans so far, FHCHC leaders stressed, are early and malleable.

“This is about designing and creating a building that is yours, that is about the community and that represents the community,” said FHCHC’s Martinez.