A Tale of Two Hospitals, Two Neighborhoods, and Compromise

This story should look and sound very familiar to Boise residents.

Hearing examiner calls Seattle Children’s hospital expansion ‘too aggressive’

Plans for a controversial major expansion at Seattle Children's hospital hit a stumbling block this week after a hearing examiner deemed the project too "aggressive" to the surrounding community.

Here are some excerpts that seem particularly relevant in light of the past year:

• "Tanner cited potentially severe traffic impacts among her reasons for denial."
• While stressing that Children’s [Hospital] serves a vital public benefit, she said the hospital “is not necessarily entitled to this intensity of development, in this place, at this time.”
• “The hospital painted itself in a corner,” he said “They would not compromise. They wanted all or nothing.”

Ultimately, the result was a compromise:

Seattle Children’s, Laurelhurst neighbors agree on hospital expansion plan

Seattle Children's and the Laurelhurst Community Club have reached a deal to reduce the hospital's proposed 1.5-million-square-foot expansion.