PeaceHealth hopes to open the new $350-million facility in early 2007. The public hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m., and city officials expect to continue the meeting tomorrow evening. The council is expected to vote on the project March 31.
PeaceHealth's project, called Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend, would supplement Springfield's McKenzie-Willamette Hospital. Some critics say the new hospital would doom the aging MCKenzie-Willamette facility, located less than three miles away. Other foes say the project would have a negative impact on traffic, housing and other city infrastructure.
The Planning Commission in January voted 4-2 to recommend approval of the project. However, the commission recommended a 60-foot height limit—less than half what PeaceHealth proposed in its initial plans.
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