The VA announced its location choice for the new Eugene Springfield area clinic, which is a major step.  The  100,000 square foot clinic is expected to some 90,000 annual patient visits and employ 235 full time workers.  This seems like a major benefit to Lane County and veterans.  Many vets I know have to go to Roseburg for some treatments, and it can be a hardship.  In a year or so, they can stay in Eugene.

Spending perhaps 75 Million dollars for construction will help our local economy.  I think the bigger projects are less locally based than smaller ones, though.  Still, any construction will help because construction was particularly hard hit during the Great Recession, and has yet to fully recover in Eugene Springfield.

Some vets choose a spot to retire based on the adequacy of VA facilities.  My hunch is that more retirees will now choose Eugene Springfield because of our excellent hospitals and clinics.  And, many of those 175 new workers will be house buyers which will help our real estate market.

Eugene will soon get a nice VA hospital. Springfield has River Bend Hospital.