Saint Mary's helps the health of Waterbury market.

Saint Mary's Hospital, one of Waterbury's oldest teaching hospitals, is expanding its offices by an additional 20,010 s/f at Croft Commons, a premiere office building at 95 Scovill St. in the heart of the Connecticut city.

The hospital's leased space at the property will grow from 16,800 s/f to 36,810 s/f on the third and fourth floors of Pavillion A and the third floor of Pavillion B. The hospital's IT department, pediatrics division and OB/GYN clinic will now all be housed at Croft Commons, according to Michael Belfonti, president and CEO of Belfonti Associates. A Belfonti-related entity is a partner in the ownership of Croft Commons.

Croft Commons is a completely renovated. 95,000 s/f office building owned by Scovill Commons Partners, LLC, whose other partner is an entity controlled by Tom Gessler, of Gessler Development.

"We continue to see the economic vitality of the region largely supported by dynamic healthcare organizations like Saint Mary's, which employs more than 1,700 workers," said Belfonti. "As property owners and managers, as well as invested members of the greater Waterbury community, we look forward to assisting them with their expanding network of services in and around the region. We will continue to provide the finest office properties to serve these institutions and other businesses that make up the newly invigorated local economy."

Founded in 1907 by the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Chambery, Saint Mary's Hospital is a 347-bed Catholic teaching hospital located directly across the street from Croft Commons. Just last year, it received approvals to allow both elective and emergency angioplasty, as well as open-heart surgery.

Most recently, in response to a dramatic surge in demand from its emergency room, Saint Mary's launched a $2.75 million project to renovate and reconfigure its 13,000 s/f emergency department.

According to Tom Gessler, demand for these and other types of critical medical services will further sustain economic investment in the downtown area.

"Waterbury's location makes it a superior hub for healthcare as patients from throughout the Central Naugatuck Valley have access to the high quality care that an institution like Saint Mary's provides," he said.