"Evergreen Redmond Medical Center Plaza" in Bella Botega Shopping Center is under construction with completion expected in about a year.
As described in the Redmond Development Guide, the project is sited in an area known as the "Valley View downtown gateway." The structure was recently approved by the City to increase in height from three stories to four stories. A neighborhood meeting wasn't held by the city, which surprised the Ombudsman. But, the City's Design Review Board said in their 2/4/2010 Review: "The elevation of the existing building has not really changed with the addition of the new floor." How could that be?
A city planner, Gary Lee, described the building height:
"At the intersection, the building will be extending approximately 32 feet above the short concrete wall, where the wall and the street are at their highest point." (For scale: the Sign is 4 feet x 8 feet.)The new Evergreen Redmond plaza will open with 16 emergency care exam rooms, and will have the capacity to provide care for 35,000 patients per year. Its 75-member emergency department staff will include physicians, nurses, social workers and support staff. Comprehensive Laboratory, Diagnostic and Specialty services are planned. According to a Redmond Reporter article, the new clinic will also combine two Evergreen family practice facilities and the Evergreen Urgent Care center. Primary care staff is 50. Total staff is 125.
Regarding emergency services, the Evergreen Administrative Director wrote:
Evergreen has no plans, at this time, to install a ramp onto NE 90th Street. Based on our current Redmond Basic Life Support volume and the competitive effects from Swedish, we estimate approximately five Basic Life Support (BLS) Ambulances per day. Also, because BLS ambulance usually are non-life threatening transports, more often than not, ambulances will not be using their sirens.Ambulance parking will be in the back of the building so patients can be discreetly picked up and taken to the hospital. (DRB, 2/4). Patient parking (36) is on the first level. Staff parking will be behind QFC, between the theatre and clinic, and in the construction staging area between the clinic and Coho.
"We want to see steady, smart development in and around our downtown core" said Mayor John Marchione in a December press release. "I am pleased that Evergreen Healthcare is continuing to make investments in our community to provide necessary services for our community.
How do you feel? Are four levels smart here? I will update the progress of construction with new photos.
Thanks for the excellent and informative photos and article. This will certainly impact the area very near where I live.
ReplyDeleteI hear proposed apt complex on 170th Ave. NE near Anderson Park would be two buildings - FIVE STORIES - more than 100 units.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't be surprised. Evergreen Redmond Medical Clinic can go up to 5 stories some day, according to the city Development Guide. It's too bad our Mayor and Council representatives don't keep us informed about "their" Development Plan Guidlines. I'm beginning to lose trust in our city government. They need to educate us that more than 23,000 will move here in 12 years and share their plan with how "we" are going to accomodate the growth. We shouldn't have to learn about our Development Plan piece-meal. If you know the name of the landowner or apartment please comment and I'll try to dig out the information on it - that "we" should already know. Thanks for commenting.
ReplyDeleteSo typical. People who live nearby and their quality of life or sleep, or property values come last in city priorities. If those people live downtown, they aren't asked or even informed? Public forums are just for show, when the outcome is predetermined, why bother with even that?
ReplyDeleteWell now sleep deprived neighbors will at least have somewhere to be treated. :(. And, um, ambulances "more often than not" without sirens?!?!! Please, at least don't be patronizing. We may have no voice as voters or taxpayers but we we weren't born yesterday.
Not impressed with the new building at all. Eyesore.
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