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participation effort. She said it was the responsibility of the council to encourage that the <br />selected site be for the good of the future of the City, and that she believed the Willamette site <br />would satisfy that goal. <br /> <br />Mr. Rayor stated that, in general, he supported the motion; however, with regard to Item 5, he <br />said that if the City was not successful in reaching an agreement with PeaceHealth regarding a <br />downtown site, it may not be advisable to propose a medical zone for the Willamette site. With <br />regard to Item 6, Mr. Rayor pointed out that not proceeding with the zone change would convey <br />to PeaceHealth that the City wanted to work in concert with that body. He concluded by saying <br />that he was in favor of a downtown site. <br /> <br />Ms. Bettman stated it was the responsibility of the City to create a viable option in the downtown <br />area that would compete with the other options on the table. She said that retaining the hospital <br />in the City's center would be a defining moment for downtown. Ms. Bettman spoke of the <br />Crescent site and pointed out that PeaceHeath had the ability to apply for a permit and it was <br />their choice not to proceed with that process at this time. She concluded that she generally <br />supported the motion with a few changes. <br /> <br />Mr. Meisner stated he was confident of the good faith of PeaceHealth to provide the best <br />possible medical care for the area. He pointed out that PeaceHealth referred to the hospital as a <br />regional medical center and that he hoped the community understood the consequences of a <br />regional medical center versus a community hospital. Mr. Meisner stated he generally supported <br />items 1 through 5, and believed it was imperative to move forward for the sake of the hospital. <br />He hoped PeaceHealth would partner with the City in an active manner so the community would <br />have a better understanding of the issues. Mr. Meisner concluded that with regard to Item 6, he <br />was not prepared to correct a mistake made by City staff and therefore would not vote for that <br />initiative if brought before the council. <br /> <br />Ms. Nathanson stated she had been urged by community members to support the downtown <br />Willamette or Eugene Clinic site; however, she stressed that the case needed to be made to <br />PeaceHealth rather than the council, and that the City could influence where a site may be <br />located but could not force any property owner to build in a specific location. Ms. Nathanson <br />concluded that a council-initiated zone change to prohibit a hospital from building in north <br />Eugene would not bring about a result whereby the hospital would build in the downtown area. <br />Therefore, she stated she would not support Item 6 of the motion. <br /> <br />Mr. Fart stated he believed that if the council adopted the above motion, PeaceHealth would not <br />build in Eugene. He said the Crescent and Springfield sites were viable options for the hospital <br />and if the council continued to oppose their preferred selections, the community would lose the <br />facility. Mr. Fart concluded that the Crescent site offered a less-congested traffic situation. <br /> <br />Mr. Pap~ pointed out that PeaceHealth possessed the expertise to determine the appropriate <br />health care facility and where it should be located. He stated he favored a downtown site; <br />however, he remarked that the City should not exhaust resources for a plan amendment and land <br />use code amendment as it would amount to "changing the rules in midstream" and was not good <br />government. Mr. Pap~ concluded that if items 1 through 5 were approved by council, he hoped <br />this action would not be moot. <br /> <br />Mr. Kelly stated he strongly supported PeaceHealth's need for a new hospital, and at the same <br />time, he supported the City's Growth Management Policies which were in direct opposition to a <br />major employer moving its operations out of the city center. Mr. Kelly thanked staff for its superb <br /> <br />MINUTES- City Council Work Session August 8, 2001 <br /> <br /> <br />