Dear CHOICES members and subscribers,

As you know, PeaceHealth's plan to build a regional hospital complex in the Gateway area of Springfield was found lacking by the courts. Thus PeaceHealth and Springfield have now proposed revised plans that, essentially, change all the rules they couldn't comply with. These new proposals are now back before the City of Springfield, but they will affect everybody in the entire Eugene-Springfield area.

Whether you're a Springfield resident or not, please plan to offer testimony on this issue.

What will likely be the ONLY public hearing on this issue is scheduled for this coming Tuesday:

    What: Joint Springfield City Council and Springfield Planning Commission work session and public hearing
    Date: Tuesday, November 16
    Time: 7 p.m. (tentative -- please confirm)
    Location: Springfield City Hall
    Agenda: http://www.ci.springfield.or.us/CMO/2004Council/Nov04.htm

If you have thoughts or concerns about this proposal, NOW is the time to voice them.

Although we don't yet know the "ground rules" of the meeting, you should plan to speak for no more than 3 minutes. (If we learn otherwise, we will let you know.)

Whether or not you are able to testify in person, Springfield will accept written comments through Tuesday, November 23. Send these c/o Colin Stephens:

    Colin Stephens
    Urban Planning Division
    City of Springfield
    225 Fifth Street
    Springfield, OR   97477
    Voice: (541) 726-3649
    Fax: (541) 726-3689
    Email: cstephens@ci.springfield.or.us

Technically, the public hearing is on four related actions:

    2002-08-243 Metro Plan Diagram Amendment (Remand)
    2002-08-244 Gateway Refinement Plan (GRP) Amendments (Remand)
    LRP2004-00020 Springfield Development Code (SDC) Amendment
    LRP2004-00021 Springfield Commercial Lands Study (SCLS) Amendment

But feel free to tell the city council and the planning commission what is important to you, what you want them to know, what you want them to do.

Most of the documents for the meeting are available online (in Microsoft Word format, except for the proposed plan diagram, which is in PDF format):

    http://www.ci.springfield.or.us/dsd/Planning/

If you have any questions regarding the public hearing or the PeaceHealth applications in general, contact Colin Stephens, (541) 726-3649.

Lastly, the following recent news stories might inspire you:

    PeaceHealth's plan falls victim to politics
   SPRINGFIELD - An unexpected glitch resulting from election-year politics could further delay PeaceHealth's efforts to build a new $350 million hospital on rural land next to the McKenzie River north of town. The glitch could cost PeaceHealth as much as $15 million to fix...
    http://www.registerguard.com/news/2004/11/10/d1.cr.peacehealth.1110.html

    Glenwood Option: Hospital proposal offers win-win for PeaceHealth and community.
    In the past three years of pushing its controversial plan to move PeaceHealth hospital from downtown Eugene to the pristine banks of the McKenzie River in far north Springfield, hospital officials have argued that RiverBend is their only option for a new hospital. But now, a citizen group has presented a detailed plan for an alternative to the sprawl-inducing RiverBend site -- build the hospital at a different river bend just down the street from Eugene's downtown, in Glenwood...
    http://www.eugeneweekly.com/2004/11/11/coverstory.html

For CHOICES,
Jan Wilson