2005/12/05 Council Agenda Packet

to their more suburban homes. Eliminating the homes that attract the residents Everett reaches out for seems counter-productive. Contradictory to the City's Comprehensive Plan The requested hospital amendment will result in a large change to the Land Use Map, rather than the minimal change put forth by PEMC. The change will result in the demolition of 21 single family homes which comprise the core of the Donovan District, resulting in a loss of 25% of this historically recognized district. Policy 1.5 of the Comprehensive Plan supports "continued development, expansion and operation of hospital and clinics within those residentially zoned areas currently designated for hospitals, clinics and medical related uses on the Land Use Map." The tone of this section expresses the impacts these hospitals and clinics have on residential areas in which they have located, "including increased traffic and parking congestion, escalating land costs, and elimination of housing stock." This section allows for expansion in areas already designated for hospitals but the policies "protect from further encroachment the residential neighborhoods adjoining the areas where these medical related land uses are located." Section 1.5.1 was clearly written to protect residential neighborhoods from further encroachment and limit such uses to commercially zoned areas as the loss of housing stock increased over the years. Section 1.5.2 confines hospitals and clinics located in residential areas to more "compact configurations developed intensively rather than allowing them to sprawl into neighborhoods and eliminate housing stock." Nowhere in this section is there the express permission for hospitals and clinics to conduct wholesale elimination of neighborhoods. This section was clearly written as a response to the past loss of housing stock to hospitals and clinics even though they provide benefits to the community. Under Residential Land Use Policies the Residential Land Use Policy states there should be housing opportunities for all economic segments of the community "while preserving and creating distinct residential neighborhoods." (1.1.1) The Comprehensive Plan also addresses the issue of protecting residential neighborhoods under Chapter 2 Section II "Background Information under Housing." It states that "Everett residents have expressed strong desire and need to protect neighborhoods from wholesale land use changes that negatively affect the livability of the community." A hospital has existed in north Everett for 100 years. The Donovan District has existed for 80 years. The hospital facility has changed numerous times over the years while the Donovan District has remained the same with surprisingly few alterations to the homes over the past 80 years and are built well enough to easily remain for another 80 years. The planned expansion would create a negative impact on the neighborhood over the next 20 years far exceeding that of the last 80 years, one that is irreversible. The houses, if the hospital moves forward with its plans, will be demolished and gone forever. The medical care delivery system has changed substantially over the past decade with more emphasis on out-patient care. Out-patient care necessitates more trips in and out of the hospital campus. Out-patient care could certainly be located in a commercially zoned area. PEMC locating the cancer center medical office building within the neighborhood puts a further strain on the adjacent properties.