City and Bay Area Hospital study 16–17 acre Coos Bay parcel for mixed housing; consultant recommends “through‑hike” design

Summary

Consultants presented a feasibility study for the Bay Area Hospital ‘‘opportunity site,’’ a roughly 16–17 acre surplus parcel south of the hospital, and recommended a ‘‘through‑hike’’ mixed‑use/mixed‑housing concept as the most promising path to financial feasibility if public infrastructure funding and partner agreements are secured.

Paul Runge, project director for Cascadia Partners, told the City of Coos Bay joint city council and the Bay Area Hospital board during a work session that consultants continued a feasibility study of a roughly 16–17 acre parcel the hospital has identified as surplus.

The study assessed physical constraints, community feedback and market conditions and tested two development concepts: an “out‑and‑back” access pattern and a “through‑hike” design that would secure a secondary access point and better sewer routing by linking into the adjacent North Bend Medical Center parcel. Runge said consultants and grant partners recommend the through‑hike concept as the stronger long‑term option.

The consultant described steep topography and ravines on the parcel and said those natural features both constrain development and create a potential value proposition if a trail network and natural open spaces are integrated into a neighborhood design. Runge said the site is zoned medical park, which allows residential and mixed use, and noted that mixed use can remove some residential density caps but keeps a three‑story height restriction.

Nicole Cross, land use and transportation planner at the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) and the Transportation Growth Management (TGM) program,…

City and Bay Area Hospital study 16–17 acre Coos Bay parcel for mixed housing; consultant recommends “through‑hike” design

Summary

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