CCMinutes - 01/26/04 WS - Laserfiche WebLink

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that if the site was outside the preferred area, it was outside the scope of council's resolution offering incentives. Mr. Pap6 asked the council to keep in mind that there was no longer a McKenzie-Willamette Hospital. It was no longer a nonprofit community hospital, but rather a for-profit hospital. Mr. Pap6 asked if the Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) remand of Springfield's PeaceHealth decision affected hospital siting in Eugene, and if so, how. Mr. Klein said he reviewed the decision in question, and did not think it affected the City's ordinance. It might affect how, at a later stage, LUBA could consider an appeal of a specific land use action. Once the hospital decided where it wanted to locate, it must demon- strate consistency with the transportation planning rule. He said that many factors were involved, and noted that Springfield was appealing the decision to the Court of Appeals, who could reverse the ruling before it became an issue for Eugene. Mr. Pap6 asked about the status of the Certificate of Need. City Manager Taylor said the City was working with the State to clarify those rules. No decision had yet been made at the State level. Mayor Torrey indicated that the Cottage Grove hospital had been grandfathered and had no impact on McKenzie- Willamette/Triad. City Manager Taylor said that staff did not know what will be required for McKenzie- Willamette/Triad to locate in Eugene. Mr. Pap6 said that he had also heard anecdotal information that doctors favored the 2nd and Chambers site. He asked if the City had defined the minimum number of acres needed. City Manager Taylor indicated that the hospital wanted 25 to 35 acres. The fairgrounds were too large, too expensive, its acquisition would be too time-consuming, and access was an issue. He said that staff had been unable to find a site in the preferred area to match the criteria established by McKenzie-Willamette/Triad. Mr. Pap6 asked if the acreage could be reduced in size by structured parking, for example. Mr. Coyle said that the issue for the hospital was that the cost of multi-story parking was higher than the underlying cost of the real estate. He said that the hospital had been flexible and he thought it would consider such approaches. He suggested, however, that it was critical that the hospital have room to expand on the site it selected. Mr. Pap6 suggested a hospital overlay zone could be established. City Manager Taylor responded that could occur only in the preferred area, based on the council direction in place. Ms. Bettman agreed with Mr. Pap6. She maintained that the medical community had said it would love the 2nd and Chambers site. She said that the message she received on the tour with Triad representatives was that the City needed to offer the hospital a proposal and the hospital would consider it. In the absence of that proposal, from the beginning the hospital had favored the Delta site for reasons she did not understand. She suggested that the City needed a ;;Plan B" for 2nd and Chambers site to counter McKenzie- Willamette/Triad's ;;Plan A." She said the City should be in direct contact with the directors at McKenzie- Willamette/Triad. Ms. Nathanson said that many had discussed the accommodation of other accessory uses, and there seemed to be considerable potential for that in the 2nd and Chambers area. She asked if Mr. Coyle thought there was enough opportunity in the area for that to happen. Mr. Coyle said with redevelopment, the answer was yes. There were some vacant pieces of property in the area, but challenges as well. The area in question was predominantly industrial and it was close to the railroad. While the City could suggest to the hospital the circulation issues were addressed, that was not yet supported by a traffic impact analysis, which would be MINUTES--Eugene City Council January 26, 2004 Page 6 Work Session