The Department of Veterans Affairs is gearing up for a major expansion of veteran health care in the capital region, locking in a build-to-suit lease for a new outpatient clinic on Pecue Lane just north of Interstate 10. The project will consolidate two older leased clinics into a single, larger site and bring expanded primary care, mental health and specialty services together under one roof, with officials saying it will markedly boost access to VA care across the Baton Rouge area, as reported by the Sam.gov.
Federal contracting records show the VA has awarded a lease to Guardian Development Group LLC for a site listed as 8300-8400 Pecue Lane in the 70809 ZIP code. According to the Sam.gov, the award documents describe a long-term, firm lease that calls for roughly 105,076 assignable square feet of clinical space and lays out a multi-year payment schedule for the lessor.
What the VA’s review says
As outlined by the Department of Veterans Affairs, the agency’s Final Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact, completed in December 2025, describes a proposed outpatient clinic of about 122,000 square feet on roughly 14.79 acres. The filing says the site plan calls for pedestrian plazas, an ambulance pick up and drop off area, landscaped grounds and paved parking for up to 600 vehicles, along with stormwater controls designed to manage runoff.
Price tag and schedule
Federal award information indicates the lease is structured as a build-to-suit arrangement that requires the lessor to deliver a turnkey clinical facility and carries long-term payment obligations. The clinic is expected to open in 2029, according to reporting by NOLA.com, a timetable that builds in time for design, permitting, construction and the medical fit out that turns a shell into a functioning clinic.
Lawmakers and the PACT Act
Sen. Bill Cassidy has praised the project, saying the new clinic will “help veterans in the capital region heal from the wounds of war,” according to NOLA.com. Cassidy also linked the lease and expanded clinic capacity to the PACT Act, arguing that the law’s expansion of VA care and benefits for veterans exposed to toxic substances helped drive the decision to pursue a larger outpatient site.
Local access and traffic
The Pecue Lane and I-10 interchange opened in January 2026, a change local traffic officials say will improve access to the corridor, per WAFB. The VA’s environmental filing also notes that the recently constructed Reiger Road will serve as the main access route from Pecue Lane to the clinic site, and that intersection and drainage improvements are built into the overall plan, as outlined by the Department of Veterans Affairs…