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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Thursday, August 21, 2008 Council approves rezone for Everett hospital By David Chircop Herald Writer EVERETT -- The Everett City Council gave its final approval late Wednesday for a contentious plan to expand Providence Everett Medical Center's Colby campus. After hearing nearly five hours of testimony, the council voted 6-1 in favor of a rezoning that will allow the hospital to move ahead with a 9.3-acre expansion project onto Everett Community College's athletic field complex. "This is and has been for years and appropriate use for the college's athletic field," Council President Drew Nielsen said before the vote. Councilman Ron Gipson was the lone dissenter. Approval came with a requirement that the hospital not be allowed to proceed with construction of a 175-foot-tall medical tower until it can prove a need for extra beds. The Planning Commission last month voted to recommend that the council approve the growth plan, which would nearly double the hospital's footprint in the neighborhood and pave the way for a 13-story building that would be the tallest in the city. Hospital officials say the expansion is needed to keep pace with the medical needs of a growing and aging population. Snohomish County's population, now about 700,000, is expected to grow to about 1 million people by 2035. "Providence is not just a company, we're not just a business, we're not just a hospital," said Providence Chief Executive David Brooks. "Providence is a vital resource for this community and the entire region." Brooks said the plan, which Providence scaled back in response to neighborhood protests, is a fair compromise that strikes a balance between the needs of future patients and those of the hospital's neighbors. At the meeting, doctors and hospital consultants urged the council to allow Providence to proceed despite neighborhood protests. Opponents said the expansion is out of scale for a residential neighborhood and that it breaks previous assurances by the hospital to limit its growth. They also questioned the urgency for a sweeping rezone that deals with buildings that the hospital acknowledges won't be needed for decades. "I know I'm supposed to keep this down to three bullets for people to remember, but there's a lot of information here," said Gary Seagrave who lives on Rockefeller Avenue, just a stone's through from where the hospital hopes to build 75-foot-tall clinical buildings. Along several blocks near the hospital, dozens of yellow lawn signs dot the landscape, saying "No New Re-Zone. A Deal is a Deal!" The signs were in response to previous statements from hospital planners saying that once Providence grew to 500 beds, it would look at other areas to expand, including communities near Highway 9. A Seattle attorney, Peter Eglick, speaking on behalf of some of the opponents asked the council to table the item until it could be examined more thoroughly. "There's a lot to digest, and there's a lot you don't know," Eglick said. "The council shouldn't try to swallow this whole hog." Councilman Paul Roberts said he had trouble understanding how some people were surprised by the hospital's plan to expand onto the community college's athletic field. The city in 2005 encouraged the hospital to work with the college to confine future growth to the site, rather than tearing down more homes. The site had been eyed for hospital expansion even before that. "Clearly there is some communication work that needs to be done between Providence and the community," he said. Janice Halliday, a Providence Everett Medical Center Board member, said the hospital's plan to expand onto the college property was done at the behest of the City Council. While he ultimately supported the expansion, City Councilman Mark Olson said he had reservations with the scope of the rezone request. "I appreciate the need for long-term vision, but in terms of specific approval for building heights, for buildings that may not be necessary for 40 or 50 years, it might be premature." The hospital is currently licensed by the state to supply up to 468 beds, which it can accommodate on its existing campus. The hospital is already building a 175-foot U-shaped building with 368 patient rooms, just south of the new proposed tower. Some of its rooms will not be immediately used for hospital beds because the hospital was not able to demonstrate an immediate need to the Washington state Department of Health. The expansion plan is part of a land exchange agreement with Everett Community College, which is acquiring a shopping center that the hospital owns across North Broadway from the college campus. At Wednesday's meeting the council also rezoned the shopping center, as well as other land on the periphery of the college campus. The college hopes to replace the retail shows with parking and new buildings. The hospital's growth spurt during the past two years has already incensed neighbors who have lost views of the Cascade Range, put up with construction and watched nearly two dozen historic homes removed to make way for a parking garage and hospital tower. Reporter David Chircop: 425-339-3429 or dchircop@heraldnet.com.

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