WESTFIELD – Dozens of neighbors turned out for the public hearing on Baystate Noble’s proposed Medical Services District at the Planning Board on Tuesday night in City Council Chambers.
Ward 2 Councilor Ralph J. Figy served as petitioner for the Medical Services District at the hearing.
Ward 2 Councilor Ralph J. Figy, as the petitioner for the zone change, said he was acting at the request of the City of Westfield. He said the intent of the Medical Services District is to promote health and general welfare, by facilitating improvement of the Baystate Noble Hospital, which occupies or owns the land of most of the proposed district.
Figy said the hospital is currently located in a Residential A zone as a non-conforming use. He said any time they want to do anything, they have to go to the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA). The new zone would take out that step, and the hospital would go to the Planning Board with proposed changes, which Figy said is a more appropriate body to make the decision. “If we do go forward, the Planning Board would be the voting board, not the ZBA,” Figy said.
He also said that the hospital was zoned Residential A in 1947, and when the city did a zoning overhaul in 1987, somehow it got left out.
Planning Board member Carl Vincent asked Figy to talk about the permitted uses in the proposed district. The proposal lists permitted uses as number one: Hospital; number two: Medical or dental offices, clinics and associated services and laboratories; number 3: Nursing homes, social service and rehabilitation centers, and number four: Parking facilities and accessory uses customarily incidental to a permitted use.
Figy said parking over 25 spaces and construction over 5,000 square feet would require special permits.
“These would be by-right uses as I see it,” Vincent responded.
Chair Philip McEwan opened the hearing up to the public, first for questions of fact. He said later there would be an opportunity to speak for or against the proposal.
“As it stands right now, the ZBA has defacto power to grant variances,” asked Ed Watson of Chestnut Street. Figy said it would have to fall within their purview. McEwan said the hospital is not an allowed use in a residential district, so the ZBA grants variances. He said the hospital currently comes to the Planning Board for site reviews.
Resident Larry Taibbi of Court Street said he was concerned about property values if the zoning change were to go through.
“Now, almost everything they do, they must go to the ZBA for a variance or special permit,” clarified Westfield city planner Jay Vinskey.
“The point is, they were able to get three major expansions under the current law,” Watson said.
“My vision is that this would be a catalyst for downtown,” Figy said. He said the hospital’s priority is for a new emergency department. He said Baystate Noble’s ER is the second busiest in Hampden County, serving 30,000 a year in a facility built for 15,000.
‘Why is it not possible to go through the same process that has always been done,” asked resident Virginia Beattie of Chestnut St.
Figy said that before they invest millions of dollars to develop plans, they want assurances of a process. He said the ZBA is intended to determine driveway expansions and in-law apartments in Residence A zones, not multi-million dollar business development. “(With) what we’re doing, I believe the city can protect the neighbors and help the hospital,” he said.
Ward 3 Councilor Andrew K. Surprise said it appeared that the city would be creating a spot zone. “It seems like we’re creating a zone for the hospital. Other medical facilities wanted to know if they could apply for a medical zone,” Surprise said. He asked why not take the time to create a city-wide zone.
Bridget Matthews-Kane of Court Street said at the neighborhood meeting (held last week), the hospital is thinking 3-5 years down the road for development. “What’s the urgency?” Matthews-Kane asked. Figy said this is going before the City Council now because the hospital is starting to make long term plans.
Resident Kristen Mello asked if the zoning ordinance goes in, during the site plan approval process would residents have an opportunity to weigh in. Figy repeated that certain plans would automatically trigger a special permit.
Planning Board vice chair William Carellas asked if Figy was concerned about zone creepage. Figy said Baystate Noble is not interested in purchasing other property.
“Should the proposal go ahead, has anyone done a study on how that affects property values,” asked Larry Taibbi of Court Street. Figy responded that the hospital doesn’t anticipate a big increase in visits to the ER, just an increase in capacity to handle the volume. Later, Taibbi said his question about a property values study was not specifically answered.
Most of the people speaking for the Medical Services District represented the hospital and the city. Peter J. Miller, the city’s director of community development said the new district would be good zoning and land use policy. He said the Baystate Noble board will also look more favorably on projects to modernize. “The default position of the ZBA is no, and it’s up to the petitioner to move to yes. The default of the Planning Board is yes within the ordinance.”
Miller said it wasn’t too long ago that Noble Hospital had serious financial straits before they merged with Baystate. He said the city should do what’s in its power to encourage the board of directors, who recently invested $17 million in an ER in Palmer. “Let’s help make sure they retain a competitive place in the marketplace,” Miller said.
Kate Phelon of the Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce said she is in favor of the medical services district. “As the city chose to recommend the zone change,.” Phelon said, residents shouldn’t penalize a hospital that was built in a residential district.
City advancement officer Joe Mitchell said variances are granted by the ZBA for hardship. “By us not acting, we are creating a substantial hardship. Many community hospitals have done this decades ago,” Mitchell said, calling it the “correct process.”
Baystate Noble President and CEO Ronald Bryant, who lives in Westfield, spoke about the 2.8 million dollars in free care for residents annually, and said the hospital was one of the largest employers in the city. He also said seven years ago, they were almost ready to go out of business until the merger with Baystate Medical.
David A. Rosinski, director of engineering at Baystate Noble said no industry is regulated more than health care, repeating a point made by Figy earlier in the meeting. He said the district would strengthen the hospital’s long term goals.
Speaking against the hospital’s zoning plan were residents who lived in the neighborhood.
Watson, who lives on Court Street “close to the hospital,” said in his opinion every business has a right to grow. However, he said that Baystate is a multi-billion dollar company, compared to the City of Westfield with a budget of $137 million. He said the city was outmatched. “I honestly believe that when dealing with a larger corporation, I just want to make sure that you put whatever you need to” in the ordinance. He asked the city to keep in mind that Westfield “is just a place where they happen to have a building.”
Hospital neighbors Karen Pighetti, Virginia Beattie and Bridget Matthews-Kane signed a petition opposing the zone change that was filed with the city clerk on Tuesday.
Resident Holly Robbins said she was worried about the noise. “The people in the neighborhood have to endure all the noise, dirt and traffic. So many problems you can’t even anticipate,” Robbins said. She said recently she woke up to the hospital cleaning their parking lot Saturday morning at 7 a.m. with a big machine. “I’m for progress. Once it’s there, there will be something else to make the neighborhood miserable,” she added.
Elena Boulanger of Court Street said she had consulted two real estate brokers who she has known for a long time, who both said the abutted property values will decrease. “Think not of just that hospital. You have a lot of people in the neighborhood who don’t want this to happen.”
“I feel the zoning change gives the hospital too much power,” said Matthews-Kane. “I think we need to stick with the current process, which is a couple of extra steps. Think about the neighborhood,” she added. She said parts of the neighborhood are historic, and near South Middle School and Highland Elementary, to which many students walk to school. “The zoning law might not protect us,” she said.
At the end of public comment, Vincent said the hospital is non-profit. “How is that going to prevent other facilities in the city from attempting to apply for this,” he said. Figy said every other medical building in the city is properly zoned.
“I’d like to see this become a hospital zone, not medical services. Maybe if permitted use was more limited, (neighbors) might be more comfortable,” Vincent said.
A motion was made to positively recommend to the City Council to accept the zoning change. Vincent proposed an amendment to eliminate numbers 2 and 3 (medical or dential offices, nursing homes and rehabilitation centers among others) under permitted uses. No second was given for the amendment. The motion to recommend the Medical Services District passed the Planning Board with a 6-1 vote.
Following the public hearing, residents gathered in the halls to voice their opposition to the vote. “They didn’t listen. With the new zone change, the city won’t be able to deny the hospital,” said Matthews-Kane.
“Why do they get a better say than we, when we pay taxes,” added Beattie.
Matthews-Kane said that earlier on Tuesday a petition opposing the medical services district signed by thirty nine residential owners within 300 feet of the hospital was filed with the City Clerk to be certified.
Residents said they also plan to attend the public hearing Thursday at the City Council meeting.
