Council pledges to back project.Byline: Edward Russo The Register-Guard CORRECTION (ran 2/24/04): The Eugene City Council last fall agreed to reduce the fees that a hospital developer would have to pay if the project altered city streets. The incentive only would apply within 2 1/4 miles of the city center. A story on Page A1 Saturday had an incorrect geographic area. Everyone seems to like this deal - so far, at least. If McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center and the Eugene Water & Electric Board reach a tentative agreement to put a new hospital at EWEB's headquarters site, the city will stand ready to solve problems and try to help deliver the new medical facility on the south bank of the Willamette River Willamette River River, northwestern Oregon, U.S. It flows north for 300 mi (485 km) into the Columbia River near Portland. Oregon's most populous cities are in its valley. The Fremont Bridge, a steel arch with a main span of 1,225 ft (373 m), crosses the river at Portland. , Eugene city councilors said Friday. All eight city councilors and Mayor Jim Torrey want to attract a hospital south of the river and near the city center. The EWEB EWEB Eugene Water and Electric Board (Oregon) acreage fits the bill. A day after McKenzie-Willamette confirmed that it is looking at the EWEB site, elected Eugene officials said they don't foresee insurmountable problems. A hospital on EWEB's property near the planned federal courthouse would be a major boost to downtown redevelopment and help the city achieve its goal of linking downtown with the Willamette River. "It would benefit downtown in many ways," said Councilor coun·cil·or also coun·cil·lor n. A member of a council, as one convened to advise a governor. See Usage Note at council. coun Scott Meisner. City officials said they can help address concerns about traffic flow to the new hospital, plus help EWEB find a new headquarters site elsewhere. If EWEB and McKenzie-Willamette "want to try and make this happen, then the city should be involved in helping them to create solutions" said Councilor Nancy Nathanson. City government has a few ways that it can help grease the skids Skids can refer to:
Last fall, councilors agreed to reduce fees a hospital developer would have to pay if the project - wherever it was located - required altering streets. Also, councilors passed an ordinance A law, statute, or regulation enacted by a Municipal Corporation. An ordinance is a law passed by a municipal government. A municipality, such as a city, town, village, or borough, is a political subdivision of a state within which a municipal corporation has been that opened the way for hospitals to be built in 12 of Eugene's 13 land-use zones. In addition, they have reserved $500,000 that could be used, for example, to help acquire land. Finally, part of EWEB's property is in the Riverfront riv·er·front n. The land or property along a river. urban renewal district, which uses property taxes to finance public projects within the area - which amounts to another possible helping hand. A hospital on the EWEB site would generate more traffic than EWEB does, some councilors said, but they didn't think it would jam area streets. The city already is planning $10 million in street improvements for the federal courthouse. Sixth Avenue, for example, is to be extended east around the courthouse and south of the railroad tracks so it can eventually link up with Franklin Boulevard near Hilyard Street. If the hospital needs an access road across the railroad tracks linking the EWEB site with the courthouse area, councilor Gary Pape said, perhaps an underpass or overpass could be a solution. "Traffic? I don't see it as a deal breaker Deal Breaker is a thriller by Harlan Coben. It is the first novel featuring Myron Bolitar. It was published in 1995. ," he said. "I see it is a challenge." Similarly, EWEB's search for a new home might be complex, but not impossible, councilors said. Meisner said EWEB should take a look at industrial-zoned land near Second Avenue and Chambers Street Chambers Street is a street in Edinburgh, Scotland, at south of the Old Town. The street is named after William Chambers of Glenormiston, the Lord Provost of Edinburgh who was the main proponent of the 1867 Edinburgh Improvement Act, which gave permission for the street's , an area that city officials had previously pitched to McKenzie-Willamette as a possible hospital site. Meisner noted that the city's Public Works Department Many governments worldwide have had departments or ministries referred to as the Public Works Department either formally or informally. In Australia: - New South Wales -
Councilor George Poling said putting the hospital on EWEB property would avoid conflicts that could arise if McKenzie-Willamette chose to build in a residential area. The riverfront site also would tap into major arteries, such as Highway 99, Franklin Boulevard, the Ferry Street Ferry Street (Chinese: 渡船街) is a street between Ferry Point and Mong Kok Tsui in Kowloon, Hong Kong. The street was on the shore of old reclamation before the new West Kowloon reclamation in 1990s. Bridge and Interstate 105, he said. "What a beautiful entry to the city," Poling added. "From the north and the east you would see a new hospital and a new courthouse." But they also cautioned that it's ultimately up to the hospital and EWEB whether they want to pursue the idea. |
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