CC Minutes - 06/27/01 Work Session

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Mr. Kelly spoke to land use issues, reporting on a suggestion from Jim Hale to consider a site including the old Eugene Clinic location, roughly Willamette to Lincoln streets, 11th to one-half block south of 13th avenues. He said that the code language in code to allow any hospital uses in any R3 and R4 zones, subject to conditional use permits, was much broader than intended. Mr. Kelly said that the language was included because of previous PeaceHealth suggestions about residential drug treatment at the Crescent site or sports medicine clinic, which could have some in-patient activity. He said that the City Council did not know that this concept would be broadened into a full-service hospital. Mr. Kelly distributed copies of materials prepared by Mr. Hale, which proposed an option to displace approximately 100 housing units, would be cheaper to acquire, would displace fewer trees, and would involve fewer historic structures. In terms of Council action, Mr. Kelly suggested that there needed to be direction to the City Manager to begin the process to change both the refinement plan and the Land Use Code. Mr. Kelly, Ms. Taylor seconded, moved to direct the City Manager to being all necessary steps to begin a timely change to the Willakenzie Refinement Plan and Land Use Code, to remove hospitals as a permitted use in R3 and R4 zones. Ms. Bettman asked that the motion be amended to exclude the current hospital site. Mr. Kelly and Ms. Taylor concurred and accepted the friendly amendment. Ms. Bettman said that it was important to have both "carrots and sticks" and that this proposal was a way to put the City in a planning position. When the code was discussed in November, the proposal from PeaceHealth was to keep the hospital at its current site. She said that she supported this motion because it also involved a long public process, which will give the neighbors on the north end of town the opportunity to weigh in on the issue. Mr. Meisner asked for further clarification: Was the amendment meant to address the current hospital site or the hospital-owned land in the area? Mr. Kelly said that the amendment was intended to mean the current hospital buildings on the Hilyard campus. He said that part of the campus was zoned R3 and that he did not want to make it non-conforming. As to the Willakenzie Plan, there were two places which address hospital uses in R3 and R4 zones. The motion was intended to change the land use code, the Willakenzie Plan, and to preserve the present two blocks. Mr. Meisner said that he would likely vote in support of the motion, although he was not happy with the proposal for another six-block empire. He said the motion allowed staff to prepare for a subsequent meeting and work session. At the request of Mr. Farr, Mr. Kelly repeated the motion, which now read: Mr. Kelly, seconded by Ms. Taylor, moved to direct the City Manager to initiate necessary steps, which would involve public notice, public hearing, work session and Planning Commission involvement, to change the Willakenzie Refinement Plan and the Land Use Code Update to remove hospitals as permitted use from R3 and R4 zoning but to exempt the current PeaceHealth hospital site. Mr. Farr asked how much time would be required for this proposition. Mr. Johnson reported that the amendments needed to the Willakenzie Refinement Plan were fairly easy. He said that it was also not difficult to remove things from the Zoning Code. It would take approximately 60 days to MINUTES--Eugene City Council June 27, 2001 Page 9 Work Session