Local News

<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   Related Stories • Everett hospital revises Colby expansion 7/7/08 • Neighbors say no to Providence Everett Medical Center's expansion 6/4/08 • Providence hospital expansion looms large over neighbors 5/30/08 • High hopes for Colby hospital expansion 4/21/08   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Tuesday, July 8, 2008 Planning commission approves Everett hospital expansion By David Chircop Herald Writer EVERETT -- The Everett Planning Commission late Monday said Providence Everett Medical Center should be allowed to move forward with a controversial expansion of its Colby Avenue campus. The panel voted 4-0 to rezone more than 9.4-acres that the hospital plans to acquire from Everett Community College through a land swap. The decision came at about 10 p.m., after more than three hours of often heated testimony. The property eventually could be home to several buildings with 1 million square feet of cumulative floor space. Proposed structures include a 175-foot hospital tower, an 85-foot-tall utility building and a parking garage. In their decision, planning commissioners recommended the hospital be required to reduce the height of buildings on the perimeter of the property closest to houses. It also said the hospital should terrace buildings above four stories in order to reduce their bulk and impact on the surrounding neighborhood. More than 150 people packed the planning commission meeting, several speaking in opposition to the expansion. They questioned the need to expand and offered alternatives that would be less intrusive to the neighborhood. Opponents also said last minute changes to the hospital’s plans gave them just a week to respond. They also criticized the timing, arguing it was wrong to conduct a hearing a Monday after a holiday weekend when people were away on vacation. Supporters, including hospital staff and family members of patients, said the expansion is needed to care for the region’s growing and aging population. Commissioners said the hospital’s changes, which included moving the utility plant away from homes, were responsive to neighborhood concerns. The commission’s recommendation will now go before the Everett City Council for final approval. Commissioners Jamie Hunter and Si Newland were absent Monday.

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