Item B: Potential Hospital Siting

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Riverfront Research Park Site th Since the March 12 work session, the City and University have been working diligently together on what would be required to make the Riverfront Research Park available as a potential hospital site. The th University sent a letter (Attachment A) on April 7 outlining the University’s needs and requirements for the proposed site. In summary, the University has outlined the following needs: Any relocation of existing uses must be in close proximity to the main part of campus. o Disconnection of the remaining acreage after the potential hospital site is carved out is o problematic – which means 60 acres of land would need to be replaced even if the proposed hospital site is only 27 acres. A replacement site would need to be shovel-ready, zoned for public lands, and require no o Conditional Use Permit. Disruption of the 220,000 square feet of currently occupied research, laboratory, classroom and o office space would need to be managed so as not to disrupt the functions of the tenants. Replacement facilities would need to be constructed and operable before the currently occupied space was vacated. The University estimates a transition timeframe for vacating the proposed site would be o approximately five years. It is clear that financial resources as well as land would be required for this transition to be o acceptable to the University. There may be other unknowns that the University is unaware of at this time, other issues remain. o The University estimates, in addition to the land costs, construction costs the City would need to o allocate for the University to replace the existing facilities would be estimated at $55 to $110 million. There are some specific, unsolved difficulties with particular uses on the subject site, such as the o Zebrafish International Resource Center that would likely require other agencies to be involved, potentially federal agencies. th March 12 Questions th Also during the March 12 council discussion several questions were raised. Staff has provided a response to these issues below. 1. A question was raised on the status of Avenues A and B within the Riverfront Research Park, as well as the status of the northern portion of the research park. The Riverfront Research Park is primarily governed by the Riverfront Research Park Master Plan (Attachment C) that was formally approved by the City of Eugene in 1989. This Master Plan includes the provisions under which future development of the Research Park can occur. The Riverfront Research Park encompasses approximately 67 acres, including property north and south of the existing railroad tracks. The approved Master Site Plan addresses future development of the entire park, including that portion north of the railroad tracks. These provisions include the general location of buildings, parking, utilities, open space, streets, bicycle and pedestrian access. In addition, the Master Plan stipulates environmental protection measures, including setbacks from the Willamette River. All of these provisions remain an active part of the approved Master Plan. A copy of the approved Master Plan is attached. Questions were also raised about the status of Avenues A and B which are the primary east-west streets included in the Riverfront Master Plan. A copy of the Transportation System Map (Attachment D) from F:\CMO\2008 Council Agendas\M080414\S080414B.doc