CEO of Crestwood Medical Center presented city coin for her part in making Shoppes of Madison a reality
MADISON – Madison Mayor Paul Finley recognized a special contribution by Pam Hudson, MD, the CEO of Crestwood Medical Center, in helping to bring about one of Madison’s key retail developments.
Finley presented Hudson with a city coin Monday night at the regular city council meeting. Since November 2018, the mayor and city council members have taken turns awarding a city coin each month to honor citizens who have made outstanding contributions to the city.
“This is a look at how two projects, Madison Hospital and the Target Center in Madison, came together and had a significant impact on the quality of life in the city of Madison,” Finley said.
Finley recalled how in 2008, both Crestwood Medical Center and Huntsville Hospital fought over who was going to put a new hospital in Madison. Huntsville Hospital ended up winning that battle. “We knew that the mayor’s office would not make that choice, but what we could do once one was chosen was to help get it accomplished as quickly as possible,” Finley said. “I am very proud of the fact that we did, and Madison Hospital opened in 2012.”
One group who didn’t win was Crestwood. “In meeting with Pam Hudson many times before and after, she understood one of the primary things we were looking to do in Madison was to generate more sales tax revenue,” Finley explained. “Crestwood Hospital was slated to build along Hwy 72 on 18 acres (if they had won the right to build Madison Hospital). It would have been easy for them to sell that land quickly. Instead, she gave us time to go and find the perfect person for that property.”
Finley said it took the city a couple of years, but they found GBT Realty, who connected the city to Target. “In the end, the city invested $6.5 million dollars to buy that property,” Finley said. The move enabled GBT to develop that area into the 278,000 sq. ft. Shoppes of Madison with a 134,000 sq. ft. Target as the anchor.
“Pam Hudson held onto that piece of property for us to be able to do that,” Finley added. He also said that over the course of the last seven years since Shoppes of Madison was built, it has generated close to $1.8 million for Madison City Schools.
“And, once we pay back the loan each year, it generates almost $4 million that we are able to use for our residents. In 2022, when we pay that off you can add another $900,000 a year to that total,” Finley said. “It’s because somebody, Pam Hudson and her team, understood the significance of what that would mean to Madison.”
Finley expressed his appreciation to Hudson for being so willing to work with the city in utilizing that significant piece of land.
He also pointed out that Crestwood did not retreat from Madison, but created a strong presence on the south side of the city with the Crestwood-Madison Medical Group.
“Crestwood has always appreciated our relationship with the citizens of Madison,” Hudson said after being presented the coin. “It has been a privilege and pleasure to work with everyone in Madison.”
