Item 3A: Approval of City Council Minutes

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Mr. Poling stated he supported the council goal of locating a hospital within the preferred area; however, he said that if there was a willing seller of a property and a hospital willing to locate outside that preferred area, the application process should be allowed to move forward. He said that until additional information was provided, he could not provide a statement of support for the proposed site under discussion. Mr. Poling requested that staff provide an estimate of what the number of trips/vehicles would be if the property were to be fully developed out to its allowed density. Mr. Poling, seconded by Ms. Solomon, moved to direct the City Manager to begin work with McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center on a Memorandum of Understand (MOU) for the proposed site of Delta Highway, north of Aires Road; further, that City Manager Taylor shall return to the City Council with significant policy or fis- cal issues that arise during this work; and further, that City Manager Taylor shall return to the City Council a review of the draft MOU. Ms. Ortiz asked if the property would revert back to its previous zoning if McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center decided, following approval of the Metro Plan amendment and zone changes, not to build on the proposed site. Ms. Muir responded that typically, the changes stay with the property but not necessarily with the use. Mr. Kelly stressed that a rapid response from staff with regard to policy and fiscal issues was critical. He then spoke to the 2003 City Council resolution which included language around incentives within the 2-½ mile radius of the central city and that the council welcomes the siting of a major hospital anywhere in the city of Eugene. Ms. Bettman suggested that the initial phase of the MOU ascertain who would fund the resources to undertake the advance preliminary work and the second phase implemented when there was an actual application. She pointed out that the council was already providing preferential treatment by dedicating staff resources and council time to the issue. Ms. Bettman spoke of the staff resources which would be taken away from other council priorities and opined that taxpayers should not subsidize this particular choice. Ms. Bettman spoke to the letter sent to City Manager Taylor from Chief Executive Officer Roy Orr of McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center, and pointed out that it stated that the hospital wanted to assure itself the property can be rezoned, the utilities would be available, that transportation would be improved, and what fees and other costs the City was willing to absorb. Mr. Bettman opined that the City should not absorb any fees or provide incentives, and that the City could not assure any of the above requests. She asked that the point be clarified in the MOU that there was a public process which must be adhered to and that there were no assurances of what the outcome would be. In terms of timelines and costs, Ms. Bettman pointed out that other sites have been rejected in the past because it had been determined there were too many obstacles or the process would be too timely Mayor Piercy observed that she would not need to cast a vote on this motion; however, she stated for the record that she voiced support to gather the information necessary to make an informed decision. Ms. Bettman pointed out there was no way to anticipate at the beginning of the process what obstacles may arise such as the resistance in the community and the costs, and therefore stated it would be prudent to incorporate a “Plan B”in the area preferred by the council. Mr. Papé questioned if McKenzie-Willamette could transfer its Certificate of Need from one site to another if a site were to be identified in the preferred area. City Manager Taylor responded that staff would research MINUTES—Eugene City Council November 28, 2005 Page 9 Work Session