Respecting The Integrity of the August Compromise
A letter to the Escondido Mayor and City Council Members:
The ERTC Specific Plan Amendment and the EIR Addendum presented by Palomar Pomerado Health fail to respect the integrity of the compromise reached by the parties last August. The compromise was for the City of Escondido to allow hospital uses on all of the acreage PPH was purchasing in the ERTC, and for PPH to partner with the City to make long-term improvement to infrastructure, including Citracado Parkway, and to enter into a development agreement for the downtown facility.
In addition to building a hospital in the ERTC, PPH now has ambitions to be a landlord for medical office buildings in the ERTC. PPH does not have title to most of the property on which it proposes building the hospital in the ERTC. The title resides in the hands of JRM-ERTC. To obtain title to the property, PPH must enter into a development agreement with JRM-ERTC to allow JRM-ERTC to develop up to 300,000 square feet of medical office building space and accompanying parking on the land to be acquired by PPH. These proposed private developer medical office buildings are an attack on the integrity of the August compromise.
In his letter dated August 18, 2005, the PPH Board Chairman wrote “[t]he new campus will feature an acute care hospital, trauma and emergency services in addition to oncology, cardiology and women’s centers of excellence. As the North County’s population continues to age, their health needs will become more acute and require highly specialized care as well. It is for these reasons that we cannot repeat mistakes made by other health systems. We must have the acreage needed to allow for necessary expansion.”
The Chairman’s letter had no hint of the need of acreage for private developer medical office buildings. And the attached “Master Plan” with a map of building and parking locations that was provided to the ad hoc Hospital Site Subcommittee failed to provide any hint of private developer medical office buildings on the ERTC site. The attached Tables 7-1 and 7-2 from the ERTC EIR Addendum indicates that all of the increased traffic for proposed Planning Area 4 will be generated by the private developer medical office buildings.
http://civics.robroy.cc/LtrEsco020206a.pdf
Further, all square footage limits have been removed for proposed Planning Area 4, as shown in attached pages 10 and 11 from the SPA. At the time of the compromise, the PPH’s Facility Master Plan showed 811,200 square feet of building space for the new facility, including support services, as shown on attached page 2-3. The unlimited building space proposal for Planning Area 4 is another attack on the integrity of the August compromise.
Regarding, Citracado Parkway, PPH proposes extension only to Valley Parkway. Valley Parkway at a location between Citracado and I-15 is only 2 lanes! Failure to complete Citracado Parkway to I-15 is another attack on the August compromise.
Finally, PPH promised the City of Escondido that it would undertake a redevelopment effort for the existing downtown site. The redevelopment effort included the construction of a large hospital expansion to the east of the current hospital buildings at PMC as shown in the attached Master Plan. Without completion of the redevelopment effort by PPH, it is likely that the move of the hospital, and associated medical offices and support businesses, will result in urban decay and blight in the downtown areas surrounding the existing hospital. The potential for urban decay is not address in the ERTC EIR addendum as required by the California Environmental Quality Act. (Citizens Assn. For Sensible Development of Bishop Area, and Bakersfield Citizens for Local Control)
PPH has indicated that it wants to sign a Memorandum of Understanding rather than a Development Agreement for the existing site redevelopment effort. Failure to enter into a binding Development Agreement for the redevelopment effort for the downtown site, or alternatively, failure to address the potential for urban decay and blight in the downtown areas surrounding the existing hospital, are additional attacks on the integrity of the August compromise.
In summary, PPH and the Escondido City Council should respect the integrity of the August compromise. If a hospital is allowed in the ERTC, only a hospital and hospital support buildings, on the order of 800,000 square feet, should be allowed in proposed Planning Area 4 of the ERTC. Citracado Parkway should be completed to I-15. And PPH should enter into a binding agreement requiring a redevelopment effort for the existing downtown site, or PPH should prepare an EIR, with ample public input, that addresses the potential for urban decay and blight in the downtown area resulting from the hospital move.
Thank you for consideration of my comments.
The ERTC Specific Plan Amendment and the EIR Addendum presented by Palomar Pomerado Health fail to respect the integrity of the compromise reached by the parties last August. The compromise was for the City of Escondido to allow hospital uses on all of the acreage PPH was purchasing in the ERTC, and for PPH to partner with the City to make long-term improvement to infrastructure, including Citracado Parkway, and to enter into a development agreement for the downtown facility.
In addition to building a hospital in the ERTC, PPH now has ambitions to be a landlord for medical office buildings in the ERTC. PPH does not have title to most of the property on which it proposes building the hospital in the ERTC. The title resides in the hands of JRM-ERTC. To obtain title to the property, PPH must enter into a development agreement with JRM-ERTC to allow JRM-ERTC to develop up to 300,000 square feet of medical office building space and accompanying parking on the land to be acquired by PPH. These proposed private developer medical office buildings are an attack on the integrity of the August compromise.
In his letter dated August 18, 2005, the PPH Board Chairman wrote “[t]he new campus will feature an acute care hospital, trauma and emergency services in addition to oncology, cardiology and women’s centers of excellence. As the North County’s population continues to age, their health needs will become more acute and require highly specialized care as well. It is for these reasons that we cannot repeat mistakes made by other health systems. We must have the acreage needed to allow for necessary expansion.”
The Chairman’s letter had no hint of the need of acreage for private developer medical office buildings. And the attached “Master Plan” with a map of building and parking locations that was provided to the ad hoc Hospital Site Subcommittee failed to provide any hint of private developer medical office buildings on the ERTC site. The attached Tables 7-1 and 7-2 from the ERTC EIR Addendum indicates that all of the increased traffic for proposed Planning Area 4 will be generated by the private developer medical office buildings.
http://civics.robroy.cc/LtrEsco020206a.pdf
Further, all square footage limits have been removed for proposed Planning Area 4, as shown in attached pages 10 and 11 from the SPA. At the time of the compromise, the PPH’s Facility Master Plan showed 811,200 square feet of building space for the new facility, including support services, as shown on attached page 2-3. The unlimited building space proposal for Planning Area 4 is another attack on the integrity of the August compromise.
Regarding, Citracado Parkway, PPH proposes extension only to Valley Parkway. Valley Parkway at a location between Citracado and I-15 is only 2 lanes! Failure to complete Citracado Parkway to I-15 is another attack on the August compromise.
Finally, PPH promised the City of Escondido that it would undertake a redevelopment effort for the existing downtown site. The redevelopment effort included the construction of a large hospital expansion to the east of the current hospital buildings at PMC as shown in the attached Master Plan. Without completion of the redevelopment effort by PPH, it is likely that the move of the hospital, and associated medical offices and support businesses, will result in urban decay and blight in the downtown areas surrounding the existing hospital. The potential for urban decay is not address in the ERTC EIR addendum as required by the California Environmental Quality Act. (Citizens Assn. For Sensible Development of Bishop Area, and Bakersfield Citizens for Local Control)
PPH has indicated that it wants to sign a Memorandum of Understanding rather than a Development Agreement for the existing site redevelopment effort. Failure to enter into a binding Development Agreement for the redevelopment effort for the downtown site, or alternatively, failure to address the potential for urban decay and blight in the downtown areas surrounding the existing hospital, are additional attacks on the integrity of the August compromise.
In summary, PPH and the Escondido City Council should respect the integrity of the August compromise. If a hospital is allowed in the ERTC, only a hospital and hospital support buildings, on the order of 800,000 square feet, should be allowed in proposed Planning Area 4 of the ERTC. Citracado Parkway should be completed to I-15. And PPH should enter into a binding agreement requiring a redevelopment effort for the existing downtown site, or PPH should prepare an EIR, with ample public input, that addresses the potential for urban decay and blight in the downtown area resulting from the hospital move.
Thank you for consideration of my comments.
posted by Robroy at 8:55 AM
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