Construction is under way on a multimillion dollar retirement community at the closed Fort Howard Veterans Affairs Medical Center in eastern Maryland. The retirement community, geared toward veterans, will feature 10 new buildings, including independent living and assisted living and skilled nursing care. A VA out-patient clinic, veterans museum, and wellness center are also scheduled to be built at the 94 acre site. The first phase of the project, which some consider a model for redevelopment of VA facilities across the country, is scheduled to be completed in about 5 years. The $180 million facility, which will be called Bayside at Fort Howard, is a collaboration between the VA and a private entity, the Fort Howard Senior Housing Associates. "This can be a prototype for the rest of the United States for public-private partnership for the reuse of VA facilities to better serve veterans," said then Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Jim Nicholson after the announcement. About 1,300 beds are expected to be available at the new retirement community, and 500 people have asked to be placed on its waiting list.