Montage Health buys Carmel Rancho Shopping Center with plans to build a medical campus.

Montage Health is expanding again. The nonprofit parent company of the Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula purchased the Carmel Rancho Shopping Center through Montage Health Properties for $37.5 million on April 16, with future plans of constructing a medical complex.

The shopping center is located at 26135 Carmel Rancho Blvd., at the corner of Carmel Rancho and Carmel Valley Road, current home to a Montage urgent care clinic, MoGo Urgent Care, as well as Cornucopia Market, a Subway sandwich shop and a Wells Fargo Advisors office, among others, including the former Prim’s building and a small office complex in the back of the center.

“The vision is to create a unified medical campus that will eventually include Montage Medical Group, laboratory services, outpatient imaging, rehabilitation and urgent care at the mouth of the Carmel Valley,” said spokesperson Monica Sciuto, in a written statement.

The idea is to provide a convenient location for patients in Carmel, Carmel Valley and Big Sur, who would normally have to go to a Monterey location, including Ryan Ranch off of Highway 68.

“Consolidating these services will make care easier to access, reduce costs and create a more seamless experience for patients, which is central to Montage Health’s mission,” she said.

The 295,335-square-foot parcel of land includes 77,000 square feet of retail space. There are no plans to tear down any buildings, Sciuto said. They plan on upgrading and retrofitting existing structures to meet clinical needs.

Design and planning work is already underway, she said. No timeline was provided.

The initial plan is to use the existing empty and underutilized space to bring in more services. A property management company will service existing tenants within the complex.

There was no announcement as to the future of a Montage medical clinic and lab located in nearby at the rear of Crossroads Carmel, on the corner of Rio Road and Highway 1. It’s possible that office would be consolidated into the new medical center at some point.

Last year Montage Health acquired Monterey Spine and Joint, becoming Montage Orthopedics and Sports Medicine. In addition, the company has expanded its Ryan Ranch complex with new buildings in recent years.