City council gives OK to Seattle Children’s expansion

Seattle City Council voted Monday to approve Seattle Children’s Hospital’s long-contested expansion plans.

The approval came after the hospital and a neighborhood group opposing the plans reached an agreement earlier this year.

The approval will allow the 250-bed hospital to add 350 additional beds and laboratory facilities over the next 20 years.

The plan was dealt a severe setback last August when a Seattle hearing examiner found that the hospital’s planned expansion, which would have add 1.5 million square feet of space on its Lauralhurst campus, was inappropriate for the surrounding residential neighborhood and “inconsistent with the City’s urban village strategy.”

At the time Seattle Children’s CEO, Dr. Thomas Hansen called on the City Council to reject the examiner’s findings and suggested that should the decision stand the hospital might leave Seattle.

“If we are unable to obtain a favorable decision on our Master Plan in a timely manner we will need to consider other options that would be extremely regrettable, including a gradual relocation of our hospital facilities – including our downtown research campus – to a single site outside the city of Seattle,” said Hansen in a statement released by Seattle Children’s in response to the examiners report.

However, in February the hospital announced it had negotiated an agreement with the neighborhood group, the Laurelhurst Community Club.

Seattle Children’s CEO, Dr. Thomas Hansen comments on the City Council’s vote:

Video provided by Seattle Children’s

The provisions of the agreement included:

• Development square footage reduction: Children’s proposal to add 1.5 million square feet of development is reduced by 275,000 square feet.

• No expansion of Children’s campus across Sand Point Way: Children’s Hartmann property, located across Sand Point Way, is removed from the Major Institution Master Plan. It may be re-developed separately under more limited non-institutional zoning.

• Children’s is still committed to implementing community benefits for Hartmann such as retaining the Sequoia grove, providing landscaping screen, and building a pedestrian/bicycle access to the Burke-Gilman trail.

• Fifty-year restriction on campus expansion into residential areas: For a period of 50 years, Children’s agrees not to expand its boundaries into specified residential areas to the south, east, and north.

• Height limits: No more than 20 percent of the campus land area will be over 90 feet in height and no more than 10 percent will be over 125 feet in height in the new major institution boundary area. No structure will be above 140 feet in height.

• Added Setback: The minimum structure setback/garden edge setback along the entire NE 45th Street frontage must be 75 feet, increased from 40 feet for a portion of that area.

• Southwest Parking Garage underground: The Southwest parking garage will be constructed underground.

• 40th Ave. NE mitigation: The traffic signal at this location will be installed before occupancy of Children’s Phase 1 development. Children’s and LCC will work with the City on technology and design features to minimize cut-through traffic and queuing.

• Seattle Children’s and the LCC will establish a permanent committee to maintain a good working relationship and resolve any issues that surface in a timely manner.

In exchange, the Laurelhurst Community Club agreed to withdraw their appeal and to support the master plan as modified by the agreement.

Construction is slated to begin next year and the new beds are expected to be open by 2013, hospital officials said.

To learn more:

• Read the hearing examiner’s full report.
• Visit Seattle Children’s Master Plan Web page.
• Visit the Laurelhurst Community Club’s Web site.

Tags: Laurelhurst, Seattle Children's

Category: Seattle Children's