Kaiser Permanente presented plans to the Lancaster City Planning Commission for a 136,000 square-foot specialty care medical office building, the company announced this week. The new building is slated to be built on 44 acres located on the corner of West Avenue L and 5th Street West, according to a statement. The specialty care medical office building will be able to house more than 60 specialists, including cardiologists, nephrologists, pulmonary care specialists, orthopedists, surgeons, urologists and more, the company said. “Our patients will have access to a wide range of highly-qualified specialty care professionals right here in the Antelope Valley,” said Dr. David Kohl, Kaiser Permanente’s Antelope Valley Medical Director. “Additionally, our patients are linked to Kaiser Permanente’s nationwide cutting edge medical records system.” Kaiser Permanente is working with architectural/engineering teams to design a net-zero building with the goal of producing as much energy as it consumes. Taking advantage of the high desert climate, the building will be powered by the sun and wind and utilize recycled water for landscape irrigation. An announcement on final approval and funding by Kaiser Permanente’s Board of Directors is expected in December, with a groundbreaking scheduled sometime in 2013. – Leah Gillis