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Mr. Kelly suggested the process constituted a choice between two very bad things. He thought that paying the <br />cost of keeping the hospital downtown was not as bad as seeing it move out of the city center. Mr. Kelly said <br />that cities are not vibrant, successful, or distinctive if they did not have healthy central cores, and that required <br />major institutions to be located there. He noted that the current hospital location was one half-mile from City <br />Hall; the new hospital site would be more than three miles from City Hall. Mr. Kelly said that a vibrant <br />downtown was also an economically healthy downtown; if the heart of the city was not working or did not <br />contain major institutions, it was not likely to be in a healthy city. He believed that the concentrated <br />development contemplated by PeaceHealth, which was the largest private employer in the county, should be in <br />the city center. <br /> <br />Mr. Kelly concurred with Ms. Bettman about the impact on hospital-related businesses and the loss of <br />employment in the core, which would occur as the council was spending tax money to try to revitalize <br />downtown. <br /> <br />Mr. Kelly said the hospital's proposed move was at odds with the council's adopted Growth Management <br />Study policies, and both the Department of Land Conservation and Development and ODOT had expressed <br />concern about the move. He believed that the move to the north would increase vehicle miles traveled in the <br />aggregate. <br /> <br />Mr. Kelly believed that the hospital was more compatible with its neighbors in the core than it would be with <br />the neighbors in the north. He shared Ms. Bettman's concern about pressure on the urban growth boundary <br />and development along Coburg Road. <br /> <br />Mr. Johnson reported that there were approximately 390 trees in the ten-block area PeaceHealth would require <br />for expansion downtown. There were approximately 365 dwelling units, six of which were owner-occupied, <br />40 small- and mid-size businesses and five large businesses in the area. He estimated the property acquisition, <br />demolition, utility relocation, and legal costs at a range of $40 million to $60 million. <br /> <br />Mayor Torrey called for questions from the council. <br /> <br />Ms. Taylor asked if the City could reject an application for a plan amendment at the Crescent site. Mr. <br />Johnson referred Ms. Taylor to a map of the Crescent site and said PeaceHealth owned 38 acres. He clarified <br />that development on the site would require a conditional use permit. PeaceHealth would probably prefer to do <br />a land exchange in the immediate area with School District 4J, which would move it away from the residential <br />neighborhood and closer to Coburg Road. However, moving to that property would require the need for a plan <br />amendment and zone change. Ms. Taylor asked if there was anyway the City could legally prevent the hospital <br />from building on the site. Mr. Klein responded that the council could prevent the hospital from locating on the <br />4J parcel because it required a plan amendment, but it could not prevent the hospital from locating on the <br />property it already owned because it had the proper designation and zoning. <br /> <br />Ms. Taylor asked if it was possible to condemn the 38 acres owned by PeaceHealth in north Eugene for the <br />good of the community. Mr. Klein said that depended on the reason for condemnation; for example, if there <br />was a public purpose for the parcel as a park, the City could justify condemnation. However, if the City tried <br />to acquire it to prevent PeaceHealth from using it, with the stated public purpose to keep PeaceHealth <br />downtown, he did not think that was legally acceptable. <br /> <br /> MINUTES--Eugene City Council June 18, 2001 Page 3 <br /> Work Session <br /> <br /> <br />