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EGR planners vote to recommend Blodgett parking-ramp site plan

Posted at 10:32 PM, Apr 24, 2018
and last updated 2018-04-24 22:36:28-04

EAST GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The East Grand Rapids Planning Commission has voted to recommend Spectrum Health Blodgett Hospital’s site plan for improving parking. Only one commissioner voted against it. The City Commission will take up the matter at its next meeting.

The site plan also calls for an improvement in wayfinding – the method for helping people most efficiently get in and out of the hospital.

Some residents have spoken out against construction of the parking ramps, due to concerns about traffic congestion, and other concerns. At least, as the plan was proposed by project managers in February. That’s when the concept for a $40 million, multi-phase  project was unveiled. The proposal includes phasing out use of the existing parking garage on the south end of the hospital campus, while constructing long-term parking ramps on the south and north ends of the campus.

At least one neighbor living in one of the homes in the “perimeter area” surrounding the hospital says she’d like to see more of a setback for the proposed garages from Plymouth Avenue. Lynne Chadfield tells FOX 17 “the south garage has a minimal setback.

“So, we felt a lot of the representations (at the meeting) about whether variances were required or not was inaccurate.”

Chadfield says there seemed to be some confusion at the Planning Commission meeting about what city ordinance variances would be required. And several proposed changes. “So, our neighborhood has also prepared accounts of the variances needed for this project. And we’re quite certain that many more are needed.”

Spectrum Health spokesman Bruce Rossman tells FOX 17 it’ll be up to the City Commission to determine the appropriate variances. “We continue to listen to our neighbors and discuss this project with them. We’ve met with them multiple times. When we present our site plan to the City Commission, we will be discussing with them whatever variances are required. And we hope to be able to move forward with this project in a manner that everyone can agree on, and be satisified with.”

The East Grand Rapids City Commission next meets at 6 p.m. on May 7, at City Hall.