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ordinance, no site for a new hospital in Eugene had yet been identified, and the council's focus was on creating the broadest possible opportunity to locate a hospital. Now McKenzie-Willamette/Triad was interested in the EWEB site. She said the City's interest in the site was only as a site for a hospital. If McKenzie-Willamette/Triad had not chosen the site, the City would not be involved in the relocation question at all. Ms. Bettman wanted the council to focus on how to facilitate a hospital at the EWEB site. She did not think the City should change the EWEB property's zoning for anything else at this time. Mr. Pap6 arrived. Ms. Bettman suggested the council could create a site-specific zoning overlay for the EWEB site to facilitate a hospital at that location. Mr. Klein said that the council could create a special overlay zone. He believed it would be necessary to change the Eugene-Springfield Metropolitan Area General Plan (Metro Plan) designation for the industrially zoned portion of the site as well to facilitate a hospital. Steve Nystrom of the Planning Division concurred. He said that the council could adopt special districts for a variety of uses, but that required plan support for implementation. He noted the industrial part of the EWEB site was designated for heavy industrial use. That was a stumbling block. Ms. Bettman asked what parameters existed for properties zoned commercial to accommodate a hospital. Mr. Nystrom said that hospitals were conditionally permitted in the Community Commercial (C-2) and Major Commercial (C-3) zones. They were not an allowed use in the Neighborhood Commercial (C-l) or Commercial/Industrial (C-4) zones or in the General Office (GO) zone. Ms. Bettman said the council would need to proceed carefully. She favored repealing the ordinance and pursuing a specific code change. Mr. Kelly also favored repealing the ordinance as he agreed it was overly broad. He had argued at the time of its passage for a more specific approach, working cooperatively with the two hospital providers. He said the commercial part of the ordinance, which was not overturned by the courts, was also very broad. Hospitals of the scale envisioned were unusual uses and the best way to accommodate those uses was to work with the providers and design what met their goals and the City's goals. He agreed a site-specific overlay zone was the better way to go. He looked to both hospital providers to assist with the City in that effort, noting that a representative of PeaceHealth was present. Mr. Kelly noted that another option listed in the agenda packet was to initiate a Metro Plan amendment on the EWEB site now; that seemed premature to him. He wanted to see a simultaneous process where a development agreement was signed on the property transfer and work on the Metro Plan amendment commenced. Mr. Poling acknowledged the concerns voiced by councilors, but pointed out the council had passed a goal to facilitate a hospital being located south of the river. The council needed to have something in place to allow for that if another hospital provider entered the picture. He questioned how the City would address a situation where a new hospital wanted to locate at 29th Avenue and Willamette Street, for example. He asked if the City would take a site-specific approach to that or attempt to modify the current ordinance. He thought the City needed to be flexible, and he questioned if a site-specific plan would provide that. Ms. Bettman did not object to flexibility but pointed out the ordinance did not limit the hospital to a location MINUTES--Eugene City Council February 9, 2005 Page 2 Work Session