Sentinel staff report– Summer officially arrived on Friday, but the long-anticipated spring opening of Dignity Health’s three-story medical office building in Citrus Heights is still yet to occur.
In an update to The Sentinel last month, Dignity Health spokeswoman Brooke Burgess said an opening date for the entire building is now expected to happen later this fall. Although an earlier date of spring 2019 was originally anticipated, Burgess said “we’re taking the time to ensure it’s done right and to ensure it’s optimized to feature the latest technology and patient care equipment.”
She said a major milestone in construction progress was accomplished last month with the installation of a massive 26,000-pound air conditioning unit that was placed on the roof using a crane. Drone footage of the install is available on the Dignity Health Medical Foundation’s Vimeo page.
Burgess said construction is being prioritized from the top floor down, meaning the third and second floors are further along in construction than the first floor.
As of last month, she said drywall on the top two floors had been installed and work was beginning on ceiling tiles, lights, doors and hardware, flooring, plumbing fixtures and casework. Crews were still finishing the first floor wall framing and overhead work, Burgess said.
When complete, the massive 68,000-square-foot building will offer primary and specialty care services, and is expected to bring 170 professional jobs to the city.
The medical office building project was approved unanimously by the City Council in March 2015, but construction stalled until mid-2017. The site was once home to the old City Hall, which was demolished at the corner of Greenback Lane and Fountain Square Drive to allow for the new medical building to be constructed in its place.
According to Dignity Health, the new medical building will be home to 50 physicians and additional staff, with services offered including dermatology and endocrinology, family medicine, optometry, pain management, and pediatrics.
Burgess said additional details about a grand opening ceremony will be released later this year.
The future site of a medical office building in Citrus Heights has remained dormant nearly two years after the project was approved in March, 2015. // CH Sentinel
Nearly two years ago, city leaders approved a controversial plan to relocate the old Citrus Heights city hall and construct a new three-story medical office building in its place, at the corner of Greenback Lane and Fountain Square Drive.
Despite being approved at the same time as the now-completed new city hall project, the old city hall lot has remained dormant — with no construction activity, apart from demolition of the old hall last September.
The lack of visible progress at the site caused one city council candidate, Tim Schaefer, to question during his campaign whether the medical building would ever be built. He cited a September report by Dignity Health which showed a $238 million loss for fiscal year 2016, with $12.6 billion in revenue.
Last January, the city manager’s office estimated Panattoni Development Company would begin work on the medical building by spring 2016. However, by August, the lot still remained dormant and Panattoni Development Manager Brent Collins said at the time that his company was “frantically working with all the parties involved to start in late September.”
Several city leaders had also previously told The Sentinel that construction on the medical building was delayed due to financing arrangements. A lawsuit against the project that was settled in March 2016 may have also contributed to delays.
So where does the project stand now?
According to Mayor Jeff Slowey and a Dignity Health spokeswoman, the project is continuing to move forward and the health care organization recently approved a plan to self-finance the project.
Slowey said he met with Dignity Health officials last month and said the organization had initially been working with another lender, but approved a plan to self-finance the project in November. He said “they’ll be breaking ground January or February, if there isn’t an issue.”
“We just want to see it move forward,” Slowey told The Sentinel in a December interview. “Quite frankly we’re getting tired of looking at an empty parking lot with weeds.”
Dignity Health Spokeswoman Brooke Burgess also confirmed the plan to self-fund the project and said the organization looks forward to constructing the medical building “as soon as possible.”
When completed, the Dignity Health building at the corner of Greenback Lane and Fountain Square Drive will be a 68,727-square-feet structure, with three stories and over 300 parking spaces. The new facility is expected to bring 170 professional jobs to Citrus Heights, according to the city.
Background
The medical office building is part of a $53.2 million project approved by city council members on March 26, 2015, which also included the now-completed $22 million new city hall. As a key part of the deal, the medical building will generate $6.9 million in lease payments to the city over the next 15 years, according to the city manager’s office.
The initial proposal to demolish and move the existing city hall drew significant opposition from residents in 2014, with the formation of a “Save City Hall” campaign and threat of litigation. Opponents expressed concern about cost, location, traffic impacts, and the medical building “monstrosity.”
The initial location for the new hall was proposed on a residential-zoned lot on Antelope Road near Mariposa Avenue, but the site was opposed by vocal residents who wanted to keep the existing city hall building and also keep city hall near the police department and community center.
Opposition to the proposal noticeably dwindled after developer Rod Johnson made an offer to build the new hall where it now sits on Fountain Square Drive, just a block away from the old city hall. The new location received largely positive feedback from community members and the project was unanimously approved by the city council several months later — although an environmental lawsuit was filed and some resident criticism remained about the medical building.
This initial computer rendering of the new three-story medical office building on Greenback Lane shows the building with a 20-foot setback, which will increase to a 30-foot setback, according to terms of a settlement agreement reached. // Image courtesy, City of Citrus Heights.
A settlement agreement has been reached in a lawsuit between a resident group and the City of Citrus Heights, nearly a year after council members unanimously approved a controversial plan to move city hall and construct a three-story medical office building (MOB) in its place on Greenback Lane.
The lawsuit, filed last April by a resident group known as Preserve Our Civic Center (POCC), alleged the project did not comply with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and sought to put a halt on both the new city hall and MOB until alleged violations were addressed.
Under the terms of the settlement agreement, POCC agreed to drop its lawsuit against the City, in exchange for several modifications to the original plan. POCC will also receive payment of $67,500 to cover its attorney fees and costs involved in the lawsuit.
Modifications listed in the settlement primarily address issues raised by residents during the debate over the project last year, including concerns about screening and setback for the 68,727-square-foot medical building, increased traffic, and a desire to preserve the old rose garden at city hall.
A statement issued by POCC spokesman Norman Hill summarized key aspects of the settlement agreement and stated the group was “pleased” to announce the settlement had been reached. Previously, Hill told The Sentinel he was hopeful “some kind of compromise settlement” could be reached with the City through the legal process, and he appears to have accomplished that.
The city manager’s office confirmed Thursday that a settlement had been reached, but referred all requests for comment to City Attorney Ruthann Ziegler. Messages left by phone and email for Ziegler on Thursday were not returned by 4 p.m. Friday.
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Five key modifications listed in the settlement include:
Setback from Greenback Lane: In an effort to reduce the visual impact of the building from travelers on Greenback, the new Dignity Health medical building will be set back an additional 10 feet, for a total setback of 30 feet from Greenback Lane.
Screening: To help provide screening for the adjacent neighborhood, a row of Redwood trees will be planted along the western border of the new medical building.
Traffic: The left turn lane from eastbound Greenback Lane onto Fountain Square Drive will be extended by four car lengths. Hill previously told The Sentinel he believed this modification would help alleviate a traffic backup he anticipates with the new MOB.
Access: Larger vehicles exiting a soon-to-be-built utility yard next to the new city hall will be required to exit only from the northern driveway. According to POCC, this will help reduce the impact on local traffic passing by on Fountain Square Drive.
Rose garden. A public meeting will be held by the City to discuss development of a replacement rose garden at another location, although the ultimate decision is left to the City whether to expend public funds on the garden or not.
The settlement announcement comes less than a month prior to a scheduled Sacramento Superior Court hearing on the lawsuit, originally set for April 1, 2016.
What's next
It is unclear whether the lawsuit had an effect on construction progress of the new medical building, as neither POCC nor the City said work had been halted on the project. However, the lot has laid dormant since demolition of the former hall was completed in November of last year.
According to a statement from the city manager's office in January, Panattoni Development had submitted plans for the new medical building, with construction estimated to begin in spring of this year -- although a specific start date was unknown.
[Related: "Citrus Heights city hall ‘on target’ for completion by September" ]
Construction work on the new city hall began last summer, with an expected completion date of September of this year.
SaveSave
Citrus Heights city leaders dug in a shovel Wednesday to celebrate the start of construction on a new city hall.
Updated July 16, 11:42 p.m.–
After more than two years of discussion, debate, and planning, Citrus Heights city leaders finally broke ground Wednesday in a ceremony to celebrate the start of construction on a new $22 million city hall.
“I want to thank all of you for being here to join us for this epic moment in our history,” Mayor Sue Frost told a crowd of about 150 people Wednesday morning, calling the city hall groundbreaking “an important step for our future.”
“This is by far the largest project in the history of the City,” Citrus Heights City Manager Henry Tingle told the crowd, who had assembled under a tent on a patch of dirt and crushed gravel at the site of the soon-to-be new city hall. He praised various City employees for their efforts in making the project go from a dream to reality, highlighting the work of his assistant, Monica Alejandrez, who spearheaded the effort.
“When this project is completed, there will be a plaque put on this building and it will have your mom’s name on it,” the city manager told Alejandrez’s two children who were present at the ceremony, seeking to highlight the significance of the project. “When you grow up and have your own families, you can bring her grandkids and show what their grandmother did many years ago.”
Former mayor of Citrus Heights and current Sacramento County Supervisor Roberta MacGlashan was also present for the ceremony, having been one of the City’s first five council members when the City was formed in 1997. MacGlashan called the project a “wonderful accomplishment” and noted it is scheduled for completion just prior to Citrus Heights’ 20th anniversary of becoming a city.
Looking ahead, Capital Partners Developer Rod Johnson told the crowd the site would be transformed quickly, with “a flurry of activity” scheduled to occur next week. He said in a little over 12 months, community members can expect to be sitting outside in a “very beautiful quad area, looking at a state-of-the-art city hall.”
The new hall is part of a larger $53.2 million project approved by city council members in March, which includes a new three-story Dignity Health medical office building being constructed in place of the old city hall at the corner of Fountain Square Drive and Greenback Lane. The new hall will be constructed nearby on a 10.9-acre parcel next to the Post Office, just a block away from the original hall on Fountain Square Drive.
A lawsuit was filed against the City of Citrus Heights last week by a group alleging “noncompliance” with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) on a recently approved new city hall and three-story medical office building (MOB) project.
The lawsuit, initiated by the nonprofit group “Preserve Our Civic Center,” asks the Sacramento County Superior Court to declare the City’s approval of the new hall and MOB project to be “invalid and void,” and that the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) prepared for the project “fails to satisfy the requirements of CEQA.” It also asks the court to order a “new legally adequate” EIR for the project, and require suspension of all contracts related to construction on the project until alleged violations of CEQA are addressed.
The $53 million project was unanimously approved by the city council on March 26, authorizing the aging city hall to be torn down and replaced with a 68,000 square feet Dignity Health medical building. A new $22 million city hall would then be built next to the Post Office down the street on the 10.9-acre Stock Property, paid for in part by a 15-year lease agreement with Dignity Health.
In legal filings, Preserve Our Civic Center identifies itself as a group “composed of persons whose economic, personal, aesthetic, health, and property interests will be severely injured if the adoption of the Project is not set aside pending full compliance with CEQA and all other environmental laws.”
The lawsuit alleges “deficiencies” in the City’s several-hundred page EIR, including “an inadequate project description, and an inadequate analysis regarding impacts to transportation and circulation, air quality, biological resources, land use, and noise.” The lawsuit alleges that such deficiencies will result in “significant environmental impacts.”
The CEQA-required EIR is a detailed analysis of potential environmental effects for certain projects, with “significant” effects being required to be adequately mitigated, reducing the effect to “less than significant.” The Report must also include an analysis of alternatives to the project, assessing if other options may create less effect on the environment.
Citrus Heights resident Norman Hill, who heads up the group filing the lawsuit, said the EIR “seemed to be designed to understate the effects, so that the City would not have to deal with mitigation.”
Citing the legal complaint filed by Hill’s group, Monica Alejandrez with the city manager’s office referred comments to City Attorney Ruthann Ziegler, who was unable to be reached by phone or email on Friday.
City council members were aware of the likelihood of a lawsuit prior to their vote to approve the final EIR and authorize the project to go forward, as Hill had threatened litigation previously.
“Mr. Hill, I’m sorry that you feel the way you feel,” Councilman Jeff Slowey told Hill during the March 26 council meeting. “But threats, they don’t bother me in the least bit. If you wanna go to court I say bring it on — but bring your checkbook.”
Hill said the council “just blew off anything that called for a reduction of the impacts,” and should have done more to address issues like aesthetics, traffic, and glare, highlighting concern for neighbors who would see “this three-story monstrosity” from their homes and neighborhoods. He acknowledged the City made an improvement by switching the new hall location away from a previously proposed site on Antelope Road, but said it “unfortunately” seems that lawsuits are “what people have to do to be heard by this City.”
Hill, a retired environmental attorney, said he looks forward to a CEQA-required settlement conference between his group and the City, hoping City officials will be “willing to talk.”
“Ideally we’d like to see the MOB back on the Stock Property, but I’m not sure how much success we’d have with that,” said Hill, who has also proposed an alternative two-story MOB design. “I think there may have to be some give-and-take between us and the City.”
Updated Mar. 12, 3:48 p.m.–
Despite the threat of litigation from a resident group Wednesday night, the Citrus Heights Planning Commission voted 5-1 in favor of recommending the city council approve a proposal to tear down the existing city hall, replace it with a 68,000 square feet medical office building (MOB), and build a new $22 million hall just north of the Post Office.
Norman Hill, with the resident group Preserve Our Civic Center, addresses planning commissioners Wednesday night.
“None of us will ever, ever be able to make all of the people happy all of the time,” Planning Commission Chairman Rick Doyle said just prior to the vote, adding his fellow commissioners should not make their decision based on “threats or innuendos.”
Doyle was joined by Commissioner Russell Blair in a yes vote, citing belief of a recent positive shift in public support for the proposal. Blair held up a stack of documents that included a record of over 100 public comments received, stating a majority of recent comments were in support of the proposal, following the city council dropping plans to move city hall to a site on Antelope Road last year.
Doyle and Blair were also joined in support votes by Commissioners Christy DeCelle, Albert Fox and Michael Lagomarsino, with Trish Dawson supporting an alternative that would rehabilitate the existing city hall and allow Dignity Health to develop its medical building on the 10.9-acre “Stock Property” next to the Post Office instead. Commissioner Leah Cox was absent.
Although several building alternatives were considered during the preparation of a several hundred page Environmental Impact Report (EIR), the study found the current proposal would create “no significant effects” to the environment, after mitigation measures. According to a staff report delivered to commissioners Wednesday night, under the California Environmental Quality Act, an alternative is only required if “significant and unavoidable impacts” are found.
Compared to controversial, crowded meetings last year, public comment was noticeably lower, with just eight speakers making their voice heard on Wednesday.
Two City staff members gave comment in support for the proposal, citing aging and inefficient existing city hall facilities, while business leaders from the Chamber of Commerce and Sunrise Marketplace said the deal would bring an economic boost and “help draw new tenants to our retail corridor.”
Beryl Turner-Weeks, who lives “across the street” from the proposed new hall, reiterated comments residents have had in the past about project cost in light of a shrinking $26 million city reserve, as well as increased construction noise and traffic — although a traffic study report by Fehr and Peers found the proposal would not create a significant increase to traffic in the area.
Resident and retired environmental attorney Norman Hill told commissioners that his group, Preserve Our Civic Center, was “ready and willing to pursue litigation,” but proposed an acceptable compromise that would lessen the visibility impacts of the MOB by lowering it from three stories down to two, and increasing the setback away from Greenback Lane. Hill’s “olive branch” compromise, was rejected by Dignity Health’s Sigrid Owyang, who said the current three-story design maximizes parking spaces, is more “comfortable” for patients, and has been tested elsewhere.
Preserve Our Civic Center previously threatened litigation over the Antelope Road location for city hall, causing council members to vote 3-2 to put a hold on the plans in July last year, adopting the new 10.9-acre Stock Property as the “preferred site” several months later. Hill said POCC is hopeful a compromise can be met that would likewise avoid litigation in this case as well.
Discussion of the proposal came about last year when City officials said Dignity Health proposed a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” for Citrus Heights to get a new hall for a net cost of about $5 million, after 15 years. Due to changes in the new hall’s proposed location, that net cost is now estimated at $8.9 million, according to Monica Alejandrez, assistant to the city manager.
Cost benefits to the City would come primarily from income brought in by the proposed Dignity Health lease, as well as from projected energy and repair savings coming from a more efficient new city hall building, according to City Manager Henry Tingle.
While the planning commission’s vote only sends a recommendation on to the city council, a final vote on the proposal has been set for a city council meeting on March 26, where opponents pledge to pack the meeting out.
“I don’t pull out the big guns for every meeting,” said Tim Schaefer, who heads the resident group Save City Hall. “But I can guarantee you that this room will be packed for the council meeting.”
Computer rendering of Dignity Health’s proposed new three-story medical office building on Greenback Lane.
Updated Mar. 9, 10:26 a.m. —
Beginning with a Planning Commission hearing on Wednesday, a final decision is set to take place this month on the proposal to move city hall and allow Dignity Health to construct a 68,000-square-feet medical office building (MOB) in its place.
An artistic rendering of a proposed new design for city hall by Capital Partners Development Co.
Leading up to a scheduled March 26 vote by the city council, planning commissioners will take up the proposal on March 11, with a council “study session” set for the following day. The commission will also make a recommendation to the council as to whether it should approve, or deny, the recently published final version of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) on the proposal.
The Planning Commission held an initial hearing in January on a draft version of the EIR, where several complaints were made about increased traffic, noise and an “inadequate” environmental review. Although the commission’s role did not include responding to comments received during the hearing, the final version of the EIR is required to have responses to each comment received during the 45-day draft review period, which ended January 26.
Discussion of the proposal came about last year when City officials said Dignity Health proposed a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” for Citrus Heights to get a new hall for a net cost of about $5 million, after 15 years. Due to changes in the new $22 million hall’s proposed location, that net cost is now estimated at $8.9 million, according to Monica Alejandrez, assistant to the city manager.
Cost benefits to the City would come primarily from income brought in by the proposed Dignity Health lease, as well as from projected energy and repair savings coming from a more efficient new city hall building, according to City Manager Henry Tingle.
The city council had previously selected a location on Antelope Road last year as the “preferred site” for a new hall, but council members voted unanimously to switch plans to a closer, larger parcel that came available late last year. The new 10-acre “Stock Property” enjoys greater public support, and is located next to the Post Office — just several hundred feet from where the existing hall sits on Fountain Square Drive.
Upcoming March 2015 meetings: March 11, 7 p.m. — The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing to consider the final EIR, design review permit, and associated actions. Ultimately, the Planning Commission will make a recommendation to the City Council to either approve or deny the final EIR, design review permits, and other associated actions related to the proposed Medical Office Building and City Hall Project.
March 12, 5 p.m. — A study session will be held by the city council to discuss the two draft ground leases related to the proposals.
March 26, 7 p.m. — A public hearing and vote will be held by the city council to consider approving the final EIR, design review permit “and other associated actions related to the proposals.” The council will also decide whether or not to authorize the city manager to enter into the proposed ground leases associated with proposals.
*All meetings are scheduled to take place in the Citrus Heights City Council Chambers, at 7117 Greenback Ln.
Wondering what’s going on with the proposal to construct a new three-story medical office building in place of the existing Citrus Heights city hall?
Computer rendering of Dignity Health’s proposed new three-story medical office building on Greenback Lane. // Courtesy, City of Citrus Heights
After more than a year of discussion, debate and even a lawsuit threat by an upset resident group, Citrus Heights council members are scheduled to take a final vote in March on the proposal to relocate a new $18 million city hall, and allow Dignity Health to construct a 68,000-square-feet medical office building (MOB) at the corner of Greenback Lane and Fountain Square Drive.
According to Monica Alejandrez, assistant to the city manager, environmental consultants and City staff are currently working on the Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) for the proposals, which will include responses to all comments submitted during a 45-day review period on a draft version of the report released in December. She said the City is hoping to have the final report completed by February 27, but it depends on how quickly consultants can compile responses to comments.
Although comments were also able to be submitted in writing, public comments received from a handful of residents during a January 14 Planning Commission hearing included complaints about increased traffic, noise and an “inadequate” environmental review. A suggestion was also made by resident Norman Hill to lessen visibility impacts of the proposed three-story MOB by lowering it to two-story and increasing the set-back “so it’s not right up against Greenback.”
City officials have called the Dignity Health proposal a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” for Citrus Heights to get an $18.9 million new hall for an estimated net cost of about $5 million. The discounted cost would come primarily from income brought in by the proposed Dignity Health lease, as well as from projected energy and repair savings coming from a more efficient new city hall building, according to City Manager Henry Tingle.
The city council had previously selected a location on Antelope Road last year as the “preferred site” for a new city hall, but council members voted unanimously to switch plans to a closer, larger parcel that came available late last year. The new 10-acre “Stock Property” enjoys greater public support, and is located next to the Post Office — just several hundred feet from where the existing hall sits on Fountain Square Drive.
Upcoming March 2015 meetings: March 11, 7 p.m. — The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing to consider the FEIR, design review permit, and associated actions. Ultimately, the Planning Commission will make a recommendation to the City Council to either approve or deny the FEIR, design review permits, and other associated actions related to the proposed Medical Office Building and City Hall Project.
March 12, 5 p.m. — A study session will be held by the city council to discuss the two draft ground leases related to the proposals.
March 26, 7 p.m. — A public hearing and vote will be held by the city council to consider approving the FEIR, design review permit “and other associated actions related to the proposals.” The council will also decide whether or not to authorize the city manager to enter into the proposed ground leases associated with proposals.
*All meetings are scheduled to take place in the Citrus Heights City Council Chambers, at 7117 Greenback Ln.
To discuss a new development in the controversial plan to relocate city hall and allow construction of a three-story medical building in its place, the City of Citrus Heights will host a public meeting at 6 p.m. tonight to gather community input and provide more information about a newly offered alternative site for the hall.
An aerial map released by the City, showing the proposed new location for city hall in proximity to existing City buildings.
“While some public comments have been favorable as to the potential new City Hall site on Antelope Road, others have expressed a strong desire to keep City Hall near the other city facilities, such as the Community Center and Police Department,” the City said in an informational flier, announcing that Capital Partners Development Co. had recently made a 10-acre parcel off Fountain Square Drive available to the City.
As the new offer would keep city hall within a block of its current location, it is expected to alleviate some concerns raised by residents about the previously proposed Antelope Road location conflicting with Goal 21 of the General Plan, which says the City is to “Concentrate government uses at a civic center complex that provides residents and businesses easy and efficient access to a range of government services.”
The new location is still drawing criticism from residents however, with the grassroots group “Save City Hall” promising to show up in force tonight.
“There appears to be another huge push to sell the Citrus Heights city hall property,” said Tim Schaefer of Save City Hall in a press release sent out this morning. “What’s the rush?”
The group previously submitted over 1300 signatures from residents opposed to moving the hall, and is not backing away from its previous threat of an environmental lawsuit if requirements from the California Environmental Quality Act are not met.
City officials have called the potential for a new hall a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” for Citrus Heights to get an $18.9 million new hall for an estimated net cost of about $5 million, according to numbers released by the City. The discounted cost would come primarily from income brought in by a proposed $6.9 million lease to Dignity Health for constructing the medical building, as well as from projected energy and repair savings coming from a more efficient new city hall building, according to City Manager Henry Tingle.
City staff say they plan to bring the new site offer before the city council next week, after gathering community input at tonight’s meeting,
As a proposal to relocate city hall moves to council for a vote this Thursday, Citrus Heights residents hosted a noontime “Save City Hall” rally at Rusch Park on Sunday — vowing to vote out council members who vote for replacing city hall with a three story medical building.
Save City Hall Coordinator Tim Schaeffer speaks at Sunday’s rally in Rusch Park, joined by volunteer Joan Bippus on the right.
“We’re gonna take every step that we possibly can to stop this project,” said Save City Hall coordinator Tim Schaeffer, mentioning his group had gathered over 1100 signatures to petition the council to vote against the proposal. He also warned city officials that his group plans to put the issue before voters through a referendum process — if the council votes to move city hall away from the civic center.
With four city council members in the audience, about a dozen residents took the opportunity to be heard from the microphone during the rally, voicing concerns over cost, location, environmental impacts and deviation from the General Plan.
“When Citrus Heights incorporated, the founding fathers wrote a General Plan and it stated that our civic buildings will be all placed in the same area,” said resident Susan Howell, referring to city hall’s current location next to the Police Department and community center. “Now the City is going to erase this and write in: the buildings can be scattered about.”
The Planning Commission voted earlier this month to recommend the council change the General Plan to allow for the proposal to be approved, despite vocal opposition during public comment.
Howell also expressed concern about the $500 per square foot cost that the proposed 34,000 square foot $18.9 million city hall would run, although Dignity Health would help pay for the cost through a 15-year lease of the current hall property on Fountain Square Drive.
Resident David Warren tossed in some more controversy during his time on stage, expressing concern that Catholic-founded Dignity Health would choose to not provide access for abortion if allowed to construct a new medical building. Although saying he had been “assured by the city administration” that protection for abortion access would be in a lease agreement, Warren said he wanted the text of a lease agreement to be public before the council votes.
Many speakers also accused the council of not listening to their concerns, a feeling shared by Schaeffer, who described City officials’ response as “dismissive.” Other residents, although expressing a sentiment that the proposal is a “done deal,” took a moment to thank four council members for attending the rally – with one speaker asking members to raise their hands so residents could speak with them afterward.
Mayor Mel Turner, who said he attended the rally to listen as a resident rather than as mayor, said warnings made by speakers about voting him out of office were a little “intimidating to hear.” He also highlighted a side comment he and Planning Commission Chairman Albert Fox said they heard from a well-known audience member who suggested “hanging” council members on nearby oak trees.
“I’m sure it was made in jest,” said Mayor Turner, saying that he knew the person making the comment and wouldn’t be taking the issue to police. He added that the comment was “definitely out of line,” although indicative of how heated sentiment from residents over this issue can be.
Mayor Turner is up for election in November, along with Jeannie Bruins and Steve Miller, all of whom were present at the rally. Races for council are still taking shape, as applicants have until August 8 to file nomination papers to run for a seat on the 5-member governing body.
Although many fingers were pointed at council members, resident Robert Wicker said he believed that City staff – rather than the council – were the real ones to blame.
“The reason we’re considering this is because City staff wants a new house,” Wicker told the crowd. “Any objections that come up, City staff says ‘oh that’s okay, I want a new house.’ So, we’re up against it folks.”
City officials have referred to the deal as a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” where the City could get an $18.9 million new hall for an estimated net cost of about $5 million — primarily from leasing land for the medical building, as well as projected energy and repair savings coming from a new city hall, according to numbers released by the City.
Although hoping for a higher turnout, Schaeffer said he estimated about 60 people attended the rally, and hopes for a large turnout at Thursday’s council meeting where a final vote on the proposal is expected.
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If you plan to go:
City Council Meeting 7:00 p.m., July 24
Council Chambers
7117 Greenback Lane
Citrus Heights, CA 95621
