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Committee approves alternative parking plan for HSHS Saint Elizabeth Medical Campus
Summary
City staff recommended and the committee approved an alternative parking plan for the HSHS Saint Elizabeth Medical Campus using ITE peak-demand data; proposed campus parking would be 1,596 spaces vs. 2,003 required by code, representing about a 20% reduction and exceeding the ITE-derived demand of 1,580 spaces.
The Community Development Committee approved an alternative parking plan submitted by HSHS Saint Elizabeth Medical Campus that relies on Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) peak‑parking demand figures instead of the city code's standard ratios.
Staff outlined the campus background: an original planned-use approval (ordinance 38 42, Oct. 20, 2014) authorized a prior 25.6% overall parking reduction with a condition that the city could require additional parking if a problem occurred. HSHS submitted civil plans for additions including a 70,000-square-foot acute surgery treatment center, a 15,500-square-foot emergency-department expansion, renovations to create 32 additional inpatient rooms and other internal changes.
Using ITE data, staff said hospitals show peak demand at 0.74 parking spaces per employee (weekday mid-day), medical office demand at 3.58 spaces per 1,000 square feet and operating-room demand at 8.5 spaces per operating room. Under city code ratios, staff said the full campus would require 2,003 parking spaces; using the ITE-based alternative plan, campus demand would be 1,580 spaces and HSHS proposed 1,596 spaces on their site plan—exceeding the ITE-derived demand and representing roughly a 20% reduction versus code.
Staff recommended approval of the alternative parking plan because the ITE-based demand is met and the campus provides the indicated spaces; the campus would also retain the "ghost" or design-ready additional parking called for in the 2014 approval if future need arises. The committee voted in favor in a roll-call vote and forwarded the recommendation to council for final action.
Council members asked about updating municipal parking standards during a future code revision and staff said the issue would be considered in the comprehensive code update process. The committee vote was recorded and staff will continue to review building permits and construction plans consistent with the alternative plan.
