By Cassandra Clark, Project Communications Director
This week, the Alameda County Planning Department presented the final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for Sutter Castro Valley Medical Center and related documents to the Castro Valley Municipal Advisory Council for review and approval. The Council is an advisory board of seven community members who work on behalf of the unincorporated town of Castro Valley and serves as advisor to Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley.
This is one more essential step toward approvals to allow the new hospital project to move forward. The meeting drew a large crowd interested in the future of Eden Medical Center and in health care in the region. Many audience members spoke highly of the project and showed their support for Eden and the new hospital.
There were several members of the audience in attendance who voiced their concerns about the future of San Leandro Hospital, located 4.5 miles from Eden and struggling to survive in these tough economic times. The 93-bed hospital is part of Eden Medical Center and provides services to the San Leandro community.
There has been much discussion about the future of this hospital due to significant financial losses and decreased utilization. While the future of San Leandro Hospital is still unknown, it is clear that it cannot continue as it is today. Sutter Health and the Eden Township Health Care District (the owner of San Leandro Hospital) are working toward a solution for the hospital so that it continues to provide health care services in a way that meets the needs of the community.
While members voiced their concerns about San Leandro Hospital, they moved forward and approved the issue before them: the land use entitlements and EIR for the Castro Valley project. There was no opposition based on the merits of the project, the land use, nor the environmental impact. What the Council did ask was for the Board of Supervisors, in their approval process, to consider if San Leandro Hospital’s future has an impact on this project.
The next step in the approval process is the Alameda County Planning Commission (April 6) and the Board of Supervisors (April 28)—and both of these are opportunities for us to address how this project will serve the region’s health care needs. But without these land use approvals, the Castro Valley project cannot move forward. And, as we have stated so many times before, this essential project must advance on an accelerated timeline in order to meet the state-mandated deadline of January 1, 2013. After that date, the existing hospital can no longer function as an acute care hospital and must close its doors.
Solving health care problems requires intensive and collaborative efforts. It’s a regional issue, not one that can be solved by one organization alone. What is certain is that we have a new hospital project before us that is fully funded, without tax or public funds, and the first to come forward in Alameda County to meet the State’s earthquake safety standards. It is an amazing project, and one that should not be held back while health care providers in the region work toward a viable solution for San Leandro and other hospitals that are struggling to survive.
We’ll have more information on these issues as they evolve, from experts far more experienced than me. So, in the meantime, I encourage you to view the video prepared for the Castro Valley Municipal Advisory Council by our architects, the Devenney Group. The animation is a fly-over and fly-through of the new hospital and campus. Enjoy!
Jesus Armas
By Jesús Armas, Government Affairs Liaison
Last December, the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for the Sutter Medical Center Castro Valley project was released for public review and inspection, and a 45-day public comment period commenced. During this time (the comment period ended January 20, 2009), the Castro Valley Municipal Advisory Council and the Alameda County Planning Commission held public hearings to present their comments and to receive comments from interested individuals and organizations.
Additionally, the County’s Planning Department made the document available for review in its offices and in the Castro Valley library, and we posted the document here on our site. The local media also helped get the word out that the report was available for public review and comment.
As one of our previous blog posts indicated, the DEIR contains relevant information documenting whether and how the project is expected to impact the environment and how the identified impacts will be lessened. Established procedures determine which issues must be addressed in an EIR, but among the most common are traffic, air quality and noise.
The Planning Department is charged with the responsibility to collect public comments, and to prepare responses to all comments submitted by interested parties. The responses to the comments, together with the Draft EIR, constitute what is called the Final EIR. It is this latter document that is presented to and considered by the governmental body with authority to act on a project.
Now that the environmental review process has been completed, it is possible for the Castro Valley MAC, Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors to consider the merits of the project and decide whether to grant approval to move forward with this important and critical project for our community.
The MAC is tentatively scheduled to consider the project on March 23rd, while the Planning Commission is expected to do so on April 6th. A meeting date for the Board of Supervisors has not yet been established.
Once meeting dates, times, and locations are confirmed, we will post that information. We invite you to return to this site to get the most current information about these important meetings.
Prior to the formal meetings, we will be hosting a community and neighborhood meeting to review the project and respond to your questions in a more informal setting. The meeting will be held at Eden Medical Center’s Conference Center, 20103 Lake Chabot Road in Castro Valley, on March 18th, at 7 p.m. We’ll have some exciting updates for you and a chance to meet and ask questions of the members of the project team.
As always, we welcome your comments at these meetings or on this blog.
As a reminder, the second public hearing on the DEIR is scheduled for tonight, Monday, January 5, 2009, at 6:00 p.m., in the Public Hearing Room of the Alameda County Planning Commission, 224 West Winton Avenue, in Hayward.
Of course, this isn’t the only opportunity to comment. The County can provide you with copies of the DEIR, or you can view them here, and you can send correspondence to the County directly in response to the DEIR. All of these links are provided here for your convenience.
In the meantime, we continue to grow our online network to keep our communities informed about our progress. We are still in the early stages, and we expect to continue to develop our online communities over the next several years through the construction period. Look for us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, FriendFeed and other popular sites, linked from the icons in the right sidebar.
You can also connect to us through your own social media networks. Contact our Social Media Team to let us know the URL (Web address) for your business, neighborhood or other social network where it might be appropriate for us to comment and discuss the new hospital with your online community.
Here’s to a healthy New Year!
Cassandra Phelps Clark
Project Communications Director
Jesus Armas
This week, the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) was made available by Alameda County for public review and comment. This is a major milestone for this project, putting us one step closer to a new hospital for residents for central Alameda County. The document is about 300 pages of detail, and is available through the Alameda County Planning Commission. We are also planning to make it available on our site as downloadable PDF documents. Please keep checking our Resources page for updates.
The public is able to comment on the DEIR through January 20, 2009 (the end of the 45-day comment period). We’ve posted the County’s announcement that contains information about how to provide comment. We’ve also provided you with a link to their e-mail. Keep in mind that all comments directly related to content of the DEIR must go to the Alameda County Planning Department—we do not receive or review these comments first. Of course, as always, if you just have a general comment about the project or any of the blog posts, you are welcome to comment directly to us in the comment section below each post.
For those of you who are interested in attending a public meeting, the County is holding two hearings during the comment period:
Monday, December 15 at 6 p.m.
Castro Valley Unified School District Office
4400 Alma Avenue, Castro Valley
Tuesday, January 5, 2009 at 6 p.m.
Alameda County Planning Commission
Public Hearing Room
224 West Winton Avenue, Hayward
I encourage you to take the time to review all or a portion of the document, ask us questions if you have them, and let us know what you think.
Jesus Armas
By Jesús Armas, Government Affairs Liaison
In 1970, the State of California adopted landmark legislation known as the California Environmental Quality Act. The Act, often referred to by its four-letter acronym (CEQA), establishes a requirement that the potential environmental impacts associated with a proposed project be analyzed before a decision is made to approve or deny a project. If, as a result of this analysis, it is determined that a project will have significant environmental impacts, CEQA also requires that measures be identified to address the impacts. These are called mitigation measures. CEQA also acknowledges that not all impacts can be fully mitigated, and sets up a mechanism whereby a project can still be approved, provided the final decision makers make certain findings indicating why the benefits of the project outweigh the impacts which cannot be mitigated.
Central to CEQA is the principle that individuals, agencies and other interested parties have the right to review and comment on what is learned through the environmental evaluation process. An obvious question emerges: What is the best way to obtain, assemble and make available the information resulting from this process?
The answer lies in a document called an Environmental Impact Report—or EIR for short. Basically, this document contains relevant information documenting whether a project is expected to impact the environment and how the identified impacts will be lessened. Established procedures determine which issues must be addressed in an EIR, but among the most common are traffic, air quality and noise. Once completed, the document—known as a Draft EIR (DEIR)—is released for public review and comment. Under CEQA, interested parties have 45 days in which to submit written and oral comments.
After the comment period is concluded, responses to these comments must be prepared. The responses to the comments, together with the Draft EIR, constitute what is called the Final EIR. It is this latter document that is presented to and considered by the governmental body with authority to act on a project.
With the foregoing as background, how does this relate to Sutter Medical Center Castro Valley? A number of months ago, with the concurrence and approval of Alameda County, the environmental consulting firm of ESA was retained to conduct an environmental assessment of the project. This assessment has been completed, allowing the County to release the DEIR for public review and comment. Electronic copies will be available on our Resources page within the next few days, with paper copies available as noted at the location listed here. A summary of the document, including a list of project impacts and how they are to be addressed can be obtained by clicking here.
The comment period opened December 4, 2008 and concludes at 5:00 PM on January 20, 2009. Comments on the Draft EIR should not be submitted to Sutter Health or Eden Medical Center. They should be submitted to Alameda County.
In addition to receiving written comments, the County scheduled at least two public hearings to enable interested parties to comment orally, as I mentioned in my previous post on this topic, on October 30th. The first hearing is sponsored by the Castro Valley Municipal Advisory Council and will be held on December 15th. The Alameda County Planning Commission will be the site of the second public hearing, which will occur on January 5, 2009. Click here for times and locations.
While Sutter Health welcomes your comments on this post, please be aware this will not constitute an official comment on the Draft EIR. If you wish to comment on the Draft EIR, please avail yourself of the opportunities listed above, and keep checking back to download .pdf copies of the Draft EIR on the Resources page.
Neighbors and Community Members at October 22, 2008 Launch Event
By Cassandra Clark, Project Communications Director
On October 22, 2008, we invited the community—and particularly the neighbors—around Eden Medical Center to come to the hospital to learn about the new Sutter Medical Center Castro Valley project. We had representatives from the hospital, Devenney Group (the architectural team), Sutter Health, the social media team, and others available to meet our neighbors, hear their feedback and answer their questions. We’ll be posting video clips from the event in the next few days, so keep an eye on our Video Gallery and the featured video box in the right sidebar.
The good news was that the project was well-received, with high praise for the design and sensitivity to the community. We had great questions asked of us, and excellent comments for us to consider as we move ahead (regarding traffic patterns, noise abatement and other important concerns). While we had a very active and interested audience, we hope even more people in the community will join us at future events we plan to host in the coming year. Keep reading this blog, because we’ll announce upcoming community events here.
We realize that people are very busy, and going to the hospital isn’t something most people like to do even when they are healthy! So, we plan to take our presentation on the road, attending events and meetings to hear what folks have to say. We’ll post any future meeting dates and times in our News Room. And, of course, we will use this new blog site to reach a much wider audience, particularly those who live in our community who may not otherwise get involved.
There is a misperception that the people in Castro Valley, San Leandro, Hayward and beyond are not too familiar with social networks, blogs and all the new ways to communicate with each other over the Internet. I hope to change that perception by grabbing new readers and subscribers in our area and far beyond.
So, think of this site as our community meeting. Stay informed. Subscribe to this blog to get regular updates by email or RSS feed. Tell us what you think by commenting on individual posts. Together, we have a great opportunity to shape the future of our medical center.
By Andrew Flanigan, Senior Planner/Designer with Devenney Group
Hello, my name is Andrew Flanigan, Senior Planner/Designer with Devenney Group. We are the architectural firm commissioned to design the new Sutter Medical Center in Castro Valley. My role with the project is lead project designer, and right now I’m working with the team to help get the plans ready for approval by all authorities, from state to county to municipal regulatory boards, so we can begin construction. I wanted to first give you a glimpse of what the new medical center is going to look like.
The new replacement hospital will be an iconic building that reflects modern technology and the latest standards in healthcare. Because it will be built on the same hill as Eden Medical Center, the new hospital will be the focal point of the surrounding area. Through the design on which the project team had input, we reduced the scale of the building by integrating it with the hillside, and by creating a horizontal feel to the architecture.
The hospital bed tower, which will be seven stories high, will be the most prominent element of the campus. Through extensive shadow and massing studies, the current design reflects the most efficient form and orientation to minimize impacts on our surrounding neighbors.
Other design features were incorporated to enhance the site as well as screen back of house functions from the neighborhood, such as where trucks unload supplies. These outdoor features consist of a living wall, a fully landscaped visual and noise buffer, as well as outdoor gathering spaces.
The outdoor gardens will be available for patients, visitors, doctors, hospital staff and also the community. The latest sustainable landscaping techniques will be used throughout the campus. The main outdoor gathering space will be located on the lower level just outside the cafeteria, and allows for outdoor dining, rest and contemplation. The design also incorporates several more intimate outdoor spaces throughout the site.
The exterior of the building provides a light and airy feel with the use of natural and long lasting earth toned materials as well as different color glass to add vibrancy to the tower element. The high efficiency tinted glazing enables us to maximize windows in all patient rooms to enhance the healing environment.
The new medical office building, which will be four stories high, is designed to complement the new hospital in form and function. The hospital and medical office building are connected on four stories using open walkways so patients, physicians and staff can easily move between the two buildings.
Whether it is a routine clinic visit or a scheduled major surgery, the campus becomes a one-stop-shop for all medical needs; a healthcare destination for the community. Please see our Photo Gallery for more illustrations of the new medical center, plus we’ll be adding new ones, so keep visiting here. You may want to subscribe to this blog for regular updates.
I am very excited to be sharing this first glimpse of the building with you. Please don’t hesitate to contact me by leaving a comment here, with your questions or feedback, in our effort to make the design better!
Jesus Armas
By Jesús Armas, Government Affairs Liaison
Hello, my name is Jesus Armas. My role with this project is to work with numerous governmental agencies to get the green light to enable Sutter Medical Center Castro Valley to be constructed.
This is an exciting and new experience for me. For three decades, I worked for a number of California cities and was involved in reviewing various projects as they were presented to those cities for approval. In this case, though, my role is reversed, and I’m on the side trying to get a project approved. Definitely a new experience… and quite an eye-opener.
As you learn more about the project, I’m sure you will agree that not only is this project critically important to the community, but is also beautiful. In a nutshell, the project consists of a new hospital and medical office building, and related aesthetic and landscape improvements on the campus. Clearly, it represents a substantial commitment by the Sutter Health organization to Castro Valley, Hayward, San Leandro and adjoining communities that comprise the Eden Campus area.
A project of this scope and complexity only gets approved after it is thoroughly evaluated by various agencies. Typically, approvals are granted by local government bodies, such as a City Council or County Board of Supervisors. In this instance, however, because a hospital is involved, approvals must also be obtained from the State of California. Each level of government has jurisdiction over different aspects of the project—the State for the hospital, the County for the medical office building.
As part of the evaluation process, it is necessary to identify any potential impacts, such as traffic, noise, etc., associated with the project and to indicate how those impacts will be addressed…or “mitigated.” This assessment is documented through the preparation of a Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR). Once the DEIR is prepared, it is available for public review and comment for a period of 45 days. After the comment periods ends, a second or Final EIR is prepared that responds to all the comments submitted by interested individuals, organizations or agencies. The information contained in the FEIR is intended to help the decision makers, ultimately your elected officials (Board of Supervisors), decide whether or not to approve the project.
Before it even gets to the Board, however, Sutter will be presenting the project to both the Castro Valley Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) and the County Planning Commission to gain their input and comments. In fact, Sutter has already attended two meetings of the MAC to obtain feedback and guidance on the project. Sutter is committed to working cooperatively with affected agencies to ensure that the project in its final form is one that we can all take pride in, and reflects positively on the community.
Here are some important dates for you to keep in mind:
- The Draft EIR is expected to be released and available for public review around mid-November, with the comment period lasting until approximately the end of the year.
- The Final EIR will be prepared thereafter.
- It is our goal to have the MAC and County Planning Commission formally consider the project during the first quarter of 2009.
- Assuming we meet this timeframe, the project, including the FEIR, will be considered by the Board of Supervisors next Spring.
I certainly want to hear from you about this project. I invite you to keep returning to this site to get the most current information about the project, and dates for various public meetings. But most of all, I invite you to send me your thoughts, comments and questions about this important community asset.
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