Arizona College of Nursing to establish campus in Melbourne at Rialto Place Office Tower
Arizona College of Nursing plans to open its third Florida campus inside a high-profile office building near Melbourne Orlando International Airport, JM Real Estate announced Friday.
The for-profit nursing college has leased the seventh floor — and most of the ground floor — of the Rialto Place Office Tower. This 10-story building facing Babcock Street is connected by a courtyard to the Hilton Melbourne Rialto Place hotel.
"We are in the early stages of building out the campus. We plan to launch in the spring of 2024," said Melany Stroupe, director of communications and public relations.
Arizona College of Nursing entered a 10-year lease for a total of 23,327 square feet, JM Real Estate announced in a news release.
“The total value of this lease transaction was $7.4 million — one of the largest lease transactions I have handled in my 30-plus year career in commercial leasing," Jewel McDonald, a JM Real Estate broker, said in the release.
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Founded in 1991 as the Arizona School of Pharmacy Technology, the college now operates 11 nursing campuses in eight states: Arizona, California, Michigan, Nevada, Texas, Florida, Virginia and Utah.
The Florida campuses are located in Fort Lauderdale and Tampa. Regarding the latter, Tampa Bay Business Journal reported in April 2020 that the college had leased 22,448 square feet to open a campus at Westshore City Center, an office complex just south of Tampa International Airport.
The college offers a three-year Bachelor of Science in nursing. In Melbourne, Stroupe said the school will build out the new facility, including learning tools like a simulation laboratory; undergo inspection by nursing board officials; and hire faculty and staff. Projected opening: March 2024.
"The country is facing a decades-long nursing shortage, and there aren’t enough schools and teachers to fill the gap. Our program is a three-year BSN program that we hope will help to fill the gap," Stroupe said.
She said the college will open a third Florida campus in Sarasota in late summer or fall.
"Arizona College of Nursing chose this location for several reasons," the JM Real Estate news release said of Melbourne. "The most important being its prestige in the community and having the ability to provide their needed square footage in a professional environment for their students.
"In addition, location played a major role in their decision with its central location in Melbourne, proximity to Holmes Regional (Medical Center), as well as access to a strong local demographic pool to lure nursing students," the release said.
Elsewhere inside the Rialto Place Office Tower, Terran Orbital has entered a lease to occupy the second floor, said Nicole Reed, JM Real Estate marketing director.
Terran Orbital proposes to build the world's largest satellite manufacturing facility at Kennedy Space Center. Officials project the $300 million project will create 2,100 jobs with average salaries of $84,000 by the end of 2025.
Rick Neale is the South Brevard Watchdog Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY (for more of his stories, click here.) Contact Neale at 321-242-3638 or rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @RickNeale1
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Arizona College of Nursing to establish campus Melbourne Rialto Place
