CC Minutes - 08/08/05 WS - Laserfiche WebLink

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planning and did not want to be rushed into a decision without due diligence. The commissioners seemed to believe there was a benefit to moving in phases but they had not come to a final decision. Ms. Bettman shared the frustration of other councilors that the City had to wait while others made a decision and suggested the City should take action to influence Plan B. She believed that if the fair board put the fairgrounds on the table, it would cause a mass exodus from the adjacent neighborhoods and create a ring of urban blight. She said those who she talked to were very concerned about the issue, and that someone other than them would decide the fate of their property values and where they lived. She urged caution with regard to that site. Ms. Bettman wished there was a way for the City to sit down with representatives of the nd hospital and get to “yes” on the 2 Avenue and Chambers Street site as Plan B. nd Mr. Kelly regretted the hospital had not shown interest in the 2 Avenue and Chambers Street site. He did not think it made sense for the City to do design work there or at the fairgrounds until it heard from the hospital. He was not interested in stopping staff work on the EWEB site, although he suspected the amount of effort was low given the activity going on in other arenas. City Manager Taylor agreed. City Manager Taylor said once the real estate transaction was complete, there would be more opportunities for City involvement around the tradeoffs that would be involved with regard to the riparian area as it related to pedestrian and bicycle access, environmental protection, and the hospital design. He said the hospital would be required to produce a master plan, which would be subject to public review. Mr. Kelly agreed there would be opportunities for public input in the future given the many land use processes involved. Mr. Kelly said for several months in 2005, a diverse group of eight people with both development and environmental interests, the “Riparianistas,” met together to discuss riparian development principles. Those principles would be presented at the City Club on September 30. Mayor Piercy called for a second round of council comments and questions. Ms. Ortiz pointed out there was already a hospital in Eugene, Sacred Heart Hospital, and that was not mentioned in the council agenda materials. She had no vision for the EWEB site, although she would be nd excited about a hospital at 2 Avenue and Chambers Street. That made sense to her. Ms. Ortiz noted her employment at Sacred Heart Hospital and acknowledged the challenges people faced daily in attempting to reach the hospital. She would not stand in the way of the council’s previous direction, but the proposal to locate a hospital at the EWEB site ”did not fly” with her. She pointed out that Sacred Heart’s current location was within the 2-1/2 mile radius identified by the council, and it would have more of a presence in the downtown core than it originally planned when it decided to move some operations to the RiverBend campus. Speaking to Ms. Ortiz’ comments, Ms. Bettman said the reason the identified radius included the current Sacred Heart site was in case it decided to retain a full emergency room and diagnostic services at that site. That site was also eligible for the incentives being discussed. Ms. Bettman emphasized that the council was interested in locating a full-service hospital in downtown. PeaceHealth, the operator of Sacred Heart Hospital, had consistently indicated that was going to occur at the RiverBend campus. Ms. Bettman said the council had the ability to consolidate property and she suggested the City begin to nd consider ways to do so at 2 Avenue and Chambers Street as an attractive Plan B. She suggested the City MINUTES—Eugene City Council August 8, 2005 Page 6 Work Session