Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (May 1, 2003)
BY ALAN PITTMAN More Hospital Sprawl? Eugene action hurts chances for new hospital downtown. T he Eugene City Council took a step last week toward locating a new McKenzie-Willamette Hosp- ital on the edge of the city rather than near downtown. The council voted 5-3 to move to allow McKenzie/Triad to build the new hospital as a permitted use virtually anywhere in the city. A public hearing and final vote on the proposed land use change will be scheduled later. “What we want is a hospital in the cen- tral city and what this says is you can put a hospital anywhere,” Councilor Bonny Allowing a hospital anywhere “takes any of that leverage away” to locate the hospital in the central city, Bettman said. By allowing the hospital anywhere, “the city has no way to encourage good sites and discourage bad sites,” Wilson said. Wilson faulted city Planning Director Tom Coyle for recommending against using the city’s zoning regulations to steer the hospital to the most beneficial site for the citizens of Eugene. “The point of plan- ning is to have a vision,” said Wilson. “Tom Coyle was going back to the 1960s.” ‘What we want is a hospital in the central city and what this says is you can put a hospital anywhere,’ Councilor Bonny Bettman said. Bettman said. Bettman voted with Councilors David Kelly and Betty Taylor to oppose the regulatory change to allow a hospital in any residential, office, commer- cial or industrial zoned area of the city. “It’s an incredible shift in direction,” said Jan Wilson of CHOICES, a group lob- bying for locating a hospital in the central core of Eugene. “We’ve just thrown the central core part right out the window,” she said. “They could put it way out by the air- port if they wanted.” Kelly said a big hospital could have a bad impact on small-scale residential neighborhoods. “I can just hear the up- roar.” “We’re talking about at least a 750,000 square foot facility,” said Bettman. “It re- ally isn’t appropriate in every single resi- dential zone in the city.” Councilor Gary Papé agreed a hospital would have a major impact. “We’re talking about, maybe not a 20 ton elephant, but a RUBY CHASM 152 W. 5th Travel Globally . . . Immunize Locally T HE T RAVEL C LINIC 1200 Hilyard St., Suite S-560 343-6028 Mon. - Sat 10-6 344-4074 Start preparing for your trip today at www.TravelClinicOregon.com Locating the new hospital on the edge of town would produce costly, traffic- snarling urban sprawl, Wilson said. Such edge development will increase pressure to expand the growth boundary and produce big taxpayer costs in new sewers, roads and other infrastructure, she said. “West 11th would be a mess, 7th would be a mess, the Beltline would be bumper to bumper.” A central location for the hospital would be much better, Wilson said. Redeveloping vacant and underused indus- trial sites near 2nd and Chambers and 7th and Garfield is one possibility, she said. Another option would be using part of the county fairgrounds site for a hospital, Wilson said. That could require the once a year county fair to move to a more rural lo- cation and the conversion of the fair- grounds buildings into more of a conven- tion/recreation center with parking garages. ‘We’re talking about, maybe not a 20 ton elephant, but a 15 ton elephant moving around.’ – Gary Pape 15 ton elephant moving around.” But Papé still voted for allowing hospitals in any neighborhood. Supporters of a centrally located hospi- tal had hoped the city would entice McKenzie’s planned new hospital to a cen- tral Eugene site by offering a zoning over- lay that would make hospital siting easy. But the council voted against such an ap- proach. Councilor Scott Meisner said an over- lay zone approach would be too restrictive. “I do not want to make it more difficult for a new hospital to locate here.” Mayor Jim Torrey agreed the council shouldn’t restrict the hospital. “There is a real fear among folks on the east side of the freeway that we will try to micromanage the process.” Downtown hospital supporters said an overlay would actually simplify locating the hospital in the central city. • Prayer Flags • Candles • Silver Jewelry • Meditation Cushions •Garden Statues Wilson said there’s little doubt the new McKenzie/Triad hospital will locate some- where in Eugene. Glenwood lacks ade- quate sewers and is too close to PeaceHealth, she said. A Glenwood hospi- tal may also have trouble because it would be too close to Cottage Grove’s hospital to get a state-required certificate of need. Eugene has more than twice the number of potential hospital customers as Springfield and makes economic sense for a new hospital location, according to Wilson. “No one is going to walk away from our market.” “I think they [McKenzie/Triad] realize they need to be more centrally located than PeaceHealth and they’ll collect up all the doctors and all the patients,” Wilson said. “I’m trusting that McKenzie-Willamette still has a good enough heart to choose the right site despite what the council does.” ew M U S E U M O F N AT U R A L H I S T O RY Past and Presents Museum Store First Anniversary Celebration! Celebrate our banner year! • Discover treasures by local artists • Enjoy 20 percent off everything! (Except consigned and sale items.) • Daily drawing, free gifts, and refreshments May 1–2, 2003 Extended hours: 11:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. May 3–4, 2003 Noon–5:00 p.m. 1680 E. 15th Avenue, Eugene (541) 346-1809 www.natural-history.edu MAY 1, 2003 11
