The Oregon Department of Human Services on Saturday upheld its prior decision to allow Springfield-based McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center to open a new hospital in north Eugene, granting the company a certificate of need.
The decision came after a Sept. 25 hearing requested by opponents of the new hospital in hopes of having the department reconsider its decision. Applicants or affected parties have 60 days to request another hearing to reconsider the decision.
McKenzie-Willamette’s proposed $234 million hospital is set for a site known as Delta Ridge, consisting of 42 acres of land that are now part of the RiverRidge Golf Complex. The Delta Ridge campus would consist of a 148-bed, full-service hospital, medical office building and parking.
The department on Aug. 31 granted a certificate of need for McKenzie-Willamette to open the new hospital, but the North Delta Neighbors, a group opposed to McKenzie-Willamette’s relocation to the area, requested an informal hearing for the department to reconsider its original decision.
Opponents to the hospital have contended that the Delta Ridge site is a poor location for the hospital because of its location across the Willamette River and because it is located near the Delta Highway, Green Acres Road and Beltline Highway, which are known for heavy traffic.
The site is zoned as low-density residential and would have to be re-zoned as commercial use in order to allow the hospital to build at the site.
McKenzie-Willamette has submitted plans to secure land use approval from the City of Eugene.
Ann Simas, co-founder of the North Delta Neighbors, said the department’s decision was a “small defeat” for them but that she was not surprised by it. She said the department should not have approved the certificate until it looked at all land-use and traffic issues.
Simas said the group will probably file for a formal reconsideration hearing.
Representatives from McKenzie-Willamette and the Department of Human Services were unavailable for comment Sunday.
Residents will be able to hear from representatives from McKenzie-Willamette and the North Delta Neighbors at the Cal Young Neighborhood Association meeting on Oct. 26.
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