Tag Archives: Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital

Hospital construction to begin in June

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Construction is expected to begin in June on the rebuilding of Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, the largest and most expensive project in the city’s history. As anticipated, the Santa Barbara City Council unanimously gave the go-ahead on April 26. Officials estimate the hospital won’t be completed until 2013.

Cottage Health System Chief Executive Officer Ron Werft outlined the rigorous review process the project has undergone over the past 26 months, including 31 meetings with the City Council, Planning Commission, Architectural Board of Review and other commissions of the city; 20 meetings with city staff and 19 neighborhood meetings.

“All of us who have worked on this project have a great deal of pride in it,” he said.

While the current cost estimate hovers near $415 million, officials fear the cost could be much higher, with some mentioning — for the time in the life of the project — that public funds may be needed to help pay for the hospital.

Cottage had initially vowed to pay for the project without taxpayer dollars, relying on a plan to sell private bonds, use hospital reserves and foundation money and raise funds in the community.

“We may need your financial assistance,” said Cottage board member Dr. Nicholas Vincent, who suggested the cost of the hospital could rise to $460 or $480 million.

However, Cottage Health System CFO Joan Bricher disagreed, saying, “We are very confident that we are able to provide the city with our own fiscal ability to complete this project and it’s our job to do so and we take that very seriously.”

Commenting on the relatively-quick-for-Santa Barbara 26-month review process, Planning Commission Chairman Jonathan Maguire said, “this is probably the largest and most complicated development that our city will ever see. If this development were anything but Cottage Hospital, I bet we would still be a long way from where we are today.”

The hospital will remain open throughout the eight-year construction effort. Cottage is working to meet a state deadline that requires all hospitals to be earthquake safe that time.

Originally published in South Coast Beacon

Cottage housing plan causes conflicts

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While some neighbors are still leery, city planners last week praised Cottage Health System‘s plan to build workforce housing on the site of the old St. Francis Medical Center, which it purchased for about $18 million last year.

The purpose of the three-hour plus meeting was to outline which environmental impacts should be studied, but comments from the public were much further reaching, with equally passionate opponents and proponents of the project.

Neighbor Frank Hernandez offered praise for both the project itself and the public review process. “This is one of the better experiences I’ve had in Santa Barbara,” he said. “This is an excellent way to use seven acres.”

Cottage plans to build 115 units for its workers, with 81 of them sold at below-market rates. The remaining 34 market rate units are required in order for us to be able to afford construction of the project, said Cottage’s Chief Executive Officer Ron Werft in his presentation of the project.

These market rate units were of some concern to neighbor Jennifer Miller. “If it was 100 percent Cottage, I’d feel a lot more comfortable supporting it,” she said.

Traffic and parking are also big issues in the neighborhood and many urged the environmental report to take the County Bowl into consideration, as well as the unique situation of having at least 81 Cottage employees living in the same place. While a shuttle service is being planned for the development, the city and the hospital have not yet come up with a way to enforce its use by employees.

Throughout the meeting, the six planning commissioners expressed that they thought the project was a good one, but that the environmental report should look at impacts related to construction, noise, traffic, parking and circulation.

“The general concept of a major employer taking advantage of an opportunity like this is just phenomenal,” said commissioner Grant House. “It’s a way to take a bite out of it (the housing crisis) instead of just a nibble.”

Originally published in South Coast Beacon on August 5, 2005.