NATCHEZ &045; A doctors’ group is one step closer to making a new medical office building a reality, thanks to a Monday vote by Adams County supervisors.

Specifically, the board sold 25,560 square feet of land next to Natchez Regional Medical Center for $136,000 to doctor-developer group MD Properties LLC.

Now that the deal has been signed, it should take MD Properties four to five months to finalize leases with doctors and 10 to 12 months to construct the building, said Dr. Tom Weed, a Natchez surgeon leading the project.

The $5 million, three-story complex should have enough space for 15 to 20 doctors, depending on each physician’s space needs, said Natchez Regional Administrator Jack Houghton.

&uot;We desperately need new office space. All the space we have is old and decrepit,&uot; Weed said. As a result, he said, &uot;it’s hard to recruit new doctors. Š But this will be a state-of-the-art facility like you’d find in places like Baton Rouge, New Orleans or Jackson.&uot;

&uot;Our existing medical arts building is almost full now. A new building is desperately needed to attract new physicians&uot; as well as address the space needs of existing doctors, Houghton said. The existing medical arts building was built in the 1960s.

Having such space available is essential in attracting new doctors to the area, said Walter Brown, attorney for Regional’s Board of Trustees. &uot;It takes away one uncertainty,&uot; he said.

The new facility will have the added perk being just a stone’s throw away from Regional &045; in fact, having a climate-controlled corridor running from the building to the hospital.

&uot;It won’t be part of the hospital, but it will be adjacent to the hospital,&uot; Weed said. &uot;And it will be so much more convenient for patients to have that direct access to the hospital.&uot;

The signing of the land deal with the county was almost two years in the making, Houghton said.

&045; especially since the medical malpractice insurance crisis turned the attention of those in the medical community elsewhere for some time.

But those involved with the deal said they appreciate the supervisors’ cooperation, which should help bring more doctors to the Miss-Lou in the future.

&uot;We appreciate their support and assistance with this project,&uot; Houghton said.