CC Minutes - 09/22/03 Mtg - Laserfiche WebLink

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Councilor Nathanson supported the concept behind the resolution. She called it a step in the direction that she thought aligned with the wishes of the council majority. She asked if the resolution would be in addition to the adoption of a staff or Planning Commission recommendation or if it would stand alone. She questioned the ability of the City Council to reduce SDCs and wondered what the intended parameters of the reduction were. Councilor Nathanson stated her main concern, that although having one or two hospitals in the City of Eugene would be optimal, the City needed to ensure that it would not end up with no hospital at all. Councilor Taylor expressed her support for the motion, adding that she perceived it to be in addition to the recommendation of the Planning Commission and not as a substitute for it. She questioned the role of the facilitator and requested more information on it. Councilor Poling asked, in regard to the reduction of SDCs, that staff provide an idea of the level of reductions. He related that Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel had provided information that indicated it was not entirely necessary to have the hospital locate on the south side of the river. Mayor Torrey reiterated that the council was not taking action and that a vote for the motion on the floor was not a vote to take action. Mayor Torrey questioned the verbiage regarding assistance with land assembly. He recommended that, should the intent of the council be that it would obtain land through the condemnation process, the council should be very clear about it. He asked if anyone had asked for this assistance and whether the resolution applied to all hospitals that could potentially want to locate in this area. He also felt that the cost of the facilitator should be known prior to voting upon it. In response to a question from Mayor Torrey, Mr. Klein stated that there was nothing in the resolution that conflicted with the ordinance in the packet or that precluded the council from directing staff to bring back the recommendation from the Planning Commission. Councilor Kelly opined that the facilitator could incur a "five-figure cost," but that it would further the objectives of the council to site a hospital in an expeditious fashion. As a one-time expense, he thought it could be funded with contingency money. He felt concerns regarding land assembly and SDC reductions would be addressed, though not in this resolution. He likened the resolution to a "message in a bottle" to the providers, adding that he would hate to constrain it at this point. Councilor Kelly reiterated that he did not want to vote on a land use code amendment at this time. Councilor Bettman clarified that land assembly, as applied, meant condemnation. Regarding the facilitator, Councilor Bettman envisioned an ex-city manager or planner working in this capacity. She stressed that she had purposely left out details from the resolution to accommodate input from the council. Councilor Nathanson felt the language of the resolution sounded to a certain extent as though it was directed at one specific hospital. She said she hoped staff would work with Councilor Bettman on MINUTES--Eugene City Council September 22, 2003 Page 8 Regular Meeting